IU Volleyball Trending Upwards with Top 15 Recruiting Class, Top 15 Nationally in Attendance
5/14/2020 3:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– IU volleyball head coach Steve Aird loves to build and he is in the process of building a nationally relevant program at Indiana.
Last week PrepVolleyball.com ranked the Hoosiers 2020 recruiting class No. 15, the best mark in the history of the program. The Hoosiers total attendance in 2019 ranked 15th among all NCAA DI volleyball programs.
"Our goal when we were hired at IU was to work hard to make the program relevant," IU head coach Steve Aird said. "We felt IU had a rightful place among the nation's best. We wanted to recruit special people who love to compete and value their education. We feel that this class is a giant step in that direction and I am extremely proud of everyone in and around our program that has made that happen. We know how good the Big Ten is and we have so much respect for it. We know it will be a difficult climb, but that energizes us."
The 2020 class features two Under Armour All-Americans in Leyla Blackwell (6-4 middle blocker, San Diego, Calif.) and Savannah Kjolhede (6-3 middle blocker from Colleyville, Texas). It includes the No. 32 ranked player in the class in Tommi Stockham (6-2 outside hitter from Las Vegas, Nev.) the second highest individual ranking for an Indiana signed player. Stockham is a two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in Nevada and two-time high school state champion.
The class of eight student-athletes also includes Elle Hillers (6-3 middle blocker from Silverdale, Wash.), Morgan Geddes (6-2 outside hitter from Grove City, Ohio), Grae Gosnell (5-11 outside hitter from Mount Pleasant, S.C.), Britt Soudan (5-7 defensive specialist from Winnetka, Ill.) and Olivia Panepinto (5-9 setter from Crown Point, Ind.).
"Not only is this class physically gifted and passionate about the game, they have a collective GPA of 3.9," Aird said. "It is a bright, caring and hard working group. Rankings are nice but this group knows that there is plenty of work ahead. They are not afraid of hard work. They are determined to make an impact on the future of this program."
These eight freshmen will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact and will be joined by talented returning players. Returning outside hitter Breana Edwards was selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team – Gold Roster, a select group of 28 players, who were set to train with the U.S. Women's National Team in their lead up to the Tokyo Olympic Games. Edwards led the Hoosiers with 361 kills in the 2019 season and broke a 21-year old IU record for kills in a match with 39 against Maryland.
Since the arrival of head coach Steve Aird, momentum around the program is soaring. An example of this is the Hoosiers attendance numbers. 2017 was the year before Aird arrived in Bloomington.
Average attendance per home match
2017: 780
2018: 1,273
2019: 1,809
The increase from 2017 to 2019 represents a 131.9 percent growth in average attendance. The Hoosiers set program records in average and total attendance in 2019 and ranked 15th among all NCAA DI programs in total attendance.
2019 marked the first season in the Hoosiers new arena, Wilkinson Hall. The new 3,000-seat venue features Olympic level flooring for training and competition as well as locker rooms, lounge area, film room, athletic training room and coaches offices.
"We have created momentum," Aird said. "The state, the community and the students at IU are all excited to see where this can go. We have worked really hard to build the foundation for a good run and we are very optimistic about the future."
Last week PrepVolleyball.com ranked the Hoosiers 2020 recruiting class No. 15, the best mark in the history of the program. The Hoosiers total attendance in 2019 ranked 15th among all NCAA DI volleyball programs.
"Our goal when we were hired at IU was to work hard to make the program relevant," IU head coach Steve Aird said. "We felt IU had a rightful place among the nation's best. We wanted to recruit special people who love to compete and value their education. We feel that this class is a giant step in that direction and I am extremely proud of everyone in and around our program that has made that happen. We know how good the Big Ten is and we have so much respect for it. We know it will be a difficult climb, but that energizes us."
The 2020 class features two Under Armour All-Americans in Leyla Blackwell (6-4 middle blocker, San Diego, Calif.) and Savannah Kjolhede (6-3 middle blocker from Colleyville, Texas). It includes the No. 32 ranked player in the class in Tommi Stockham (6-2 outside hitter from Las Vegas, Nev.) the second highest individual ranking for an Indiana signed player. Stockham is a two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in Nevada and two-time high school state champion.
The class of eight student-athletes also includes Elle Hillers (6-3 middle blocker from Silverdale, Wash.), Morgan Geddes (6-2 outside hitter from Grove City, Ohio), Grae Gosnell (5-11 outside hitter from Mount Pleasant, S.C.), Britt Soudan (5-7 defensive specialist from Winnetka, Ill.) and Olivia Panepinto (5-9 setter from Crown Point, Ind.).
"Not only is this class physically gifted and passionate about the game, they have a collective GPA of 3.9," Aird said. "It is a bright, caring and hard working group. Rankings are nice but this group knows that there is plenty of work ahead. They are not afraid of hard work. They are determined to make an impact on the future of this program."
These eight freshmen will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact and will be joined by talented returning players. Returning outside hitter Breana Edwards was selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team – Gold Roster, a select group of 28 players, who were set to train with the U.S. Women's National Team in their lead up to the Tokyo Olympic Games. Edwards led the Hoosiers with 361 kills in the 2019 season and broke a 21-year old IU record for kills in a match with 39 against Maryland.
Since the arrival of head coach Steve Aird, momentum around the program is soaring. An example of this is the Hoosiers attendance numbers. 2017 was the year before Aird arrived in Bloomington.
Average attendance per home match
2017: 780
2018: 1,273
2019: 1,809
The increase from 2017 to 2019 represents a 131.9 percent growth in average attendance. The Hoosiers set program records in average and total attendance in 2019 and ranked 15th among all NCAA DI programs in total attendance.
2019 marked the first season in the Hoosiers new arena, Wilkinson Hall. The new 3,000-seat venue features Olympic level flooring for training and competition as well as locker rooms, lounge area, film room, athletic training room and coaches offices.
"We have created momentum," Aird said. "The state, the community and the students at IU are all excited to see where this can go. We have worked really hard to build the foundation for a good run and we are very optimistic about the future."
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
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