Indiana University Athletics
Volleyball Recruiting Class Ranked 22nd Nationally
6/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
June 3, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Head Coach Sherry Dunbar and her staff have hit the recruiting trails hard since their arrival to Bloomington, and their hard work has paid off with the 2009 recruiting class ranked 22nd nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.
Even more impressive is the fact that these rankings do not include transfers such as Indiana's Jordan Haverly, who was a top-20 recruit coming out of high school and will still have four years of eligibility as a Hoosier after spending her first year of college at Nebraska.
The five-member group of true freshmen ranked so highly by PrepVolleyball includes: Whitney Granado (5-9, Setter, Riverside, Calif.), Shawn Hindman (6-2, Right-Side, Houston, Texas), Laura Matula (5-6, Defensive Specialist, Munster, Ind.), Kelci Marschall (6-2, Right-Side, Wooster, Ohio) and Samantha Thrower (6-2, Middle Blocker, Sycamore, Ill.).
PrepVolleyball's John Tawa had this to say about the future Hoosiers:
"Indiana takes a big step up in the Big Ten with this freshman class, which includes Nebraska transfer Jordan Haverly, who will have four years of eligibility remaining. Ranked No. 20 in the Senior Aces a year ago, she should start immediately on the left in place of graduated All-American Erica Short. Indeed, despite graduating only two, every one of Indiana's 2009 recruits will have the opportunity to compete for playing time as early as the fall. Even if they do not earn the starting nod right off, they will bring much-needed depth to the Hoosier program. Thrower is a great athlete rated No. 64 in the Senior Aces. Her volleyball growth during the past club season should make her a candidate to star from Day One. Hindman, nicknamed 'the Hammer,' and Marschall, a powerful lefty, are welcome additions to the right-side position. Both have Big Ten bodies with thunder in their attacking arms. Granado is a savvy setter with experience on the beach and grass. She will add depth behind 6-3 sophomore setter Mary Chaudoin and give opponents a different look. Matula is a tenacious defender who will complement returning libero Caitlin Cox in the back row."
The rankings were created by a panel of collegiate coaches from across the country, representing every major conference, plus some lower D-I schools and D-II and D-III institutions as well. The coaches panel was asked to judge each class on size and strength of class and the impact on the program. The panel was also asked to not judge based on immediate impact during the '09 season, but to assess based on the cumulative impact the class could make in 4-5 years at the school.
Click here for complete information on the Hoosier '09 class.
THE COMPLETE TOP-30
1. Minnesota
2. Nebraska
3. Stanford
4. Penn State
5. Texas
6. California
7. UCLA
8. Purdue
9. Cal Poly
10. Iowa State
11. Santa Clara
12. Pepperdine
13. Kentucky
14. Baylor
15. Virginia
16. Duke
17. Washington
18. Texas A&M
19. San Diego
20. Ohio State
21. North Carolina
22. Indiana
23. Mississippi
24. UC-Irvine
25. Arizona State
26. Auburn
27. Missouri
28. Illinois
29. Cincinnati
30. North Dakota State
