June 27, 2011

Six Commit with Mercer Volleyball

MACON, Ga. – Mercer volleyball head coach Noelle Rooke announced the addition of six players on Monday, with Caroline Carlton, Jennifer Katona, Madison Petsos, Monica Sanchez, Codi Schepp and Lacey Strickland all prepared to don the Orange and Black in the fall of 2011.

“I’m excited about the experience, talent and athleticism this new group of players has,” Rooke said.  “The group will complement our returners and their experience will help fill the void left by the departure of our three graduated players.”

Facing the loss of two middle blockers, Rooke had the task of reloading at the net.  In response to the absence of Krista Hurley and Libby Hansch, Rooke feels confident in the addition of Katona.

Katona is a 6-3 middle blocker transferring from the University of Pittsburgh, where she spent two seasons with the Panthers.  In two years at Pittsburgh, Katona appeared in 85 sets and racked up 108 kills.

Prior to attending Pittsburgh, Katona was a four-year varsity player for Liane Sato, a former Olympian, at Santa Monica High School in California.  During her career at Santa Monica, Katona led her team to three-straight Ocean League Championships.  In those three seasons, Katona garnered All-Ocean League honors and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2008.

In preparation for her Big East career, Katona also spent five years as a member of the Sunshine Volleyball Club.  In each of her five seasons with the team she participated in the Junior Olympics and, in 2006, Katona led the team to a third place finish in the 2006 National Division Tournament.

Joining Katona on the front line for Mercer is Schepp, a 6-2 middle blocker from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  Schepp spent the last two seasons at Paris Junior College playing for Justin Maness.  While at Paris, Schepp collected All-Tournament team honors at the conference tournament.

Schepp was a three sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, soccer) at Kalamalka Sectional School before her graduation in 2009.  On the volleyball court, Schepp garnered MVP honors at the Provincial Tournament in both the 2006 and 2008 seasons.  In 2008, her MVP performance helped the team capture the British Columbia AAA Provincial Championship.

While at Kalamalka, Schepp also competed for the highly successful Vernon and Kelowna Volleyball Clubs.

Adding to the depth at middle blocker is Petsos, a 6-foot transfer from Division III power Juniata College.  In her two seasons at Juniata, Petsos helped guide the team to two semifinal appearances in the national championship, including a runner-up finish in 2009.

Originally from Portsmouth, Va., Petsos competed  under direction of Olga O’Donnell for four seasons at Norfolk Collegiate School.  Prior to college, Petsos also worked with coaches Caleb Adams and Mike Williams as a member of the Beach Elite Volleyball Club.

In 2011, Mercer also faces the absence of Erica Vrvilo, a four-year starter at the rightside position.  Rooke expects Carlton, a newcomer by the way of Franklin, Tenn., to compete for playing time at the position.

Carlton is coming off a four-year career at Independence High School where she set the school record for kills and racked up a bevy of individual accolades.  Among Carlton’s most prominent awards are being named a Tennessee Sport Writer’s All State player twice.  Carlton also collected TSSAA All State honors in 2008.

Carlton brings a winning pedigree to the program after a high school career which she was a key member of the 2009 squad that captured the TSSAA AAA State Championship in 2008.  In her four seasons, her teams also picked up third and fourth place finishes in the state tournament in 2009 and 2010.

As preparation for her Mercer career, Carlton also competed for the Select VBC and Nashville One Club teams, compiling a 105-7 record and making four national tournament appearances with the teams.

 

Sanchez brings her talents to Mercer after a two-year stop at Kishwaukee College, where she was the starting setter for the Kougars.  In 2010, Sanchez was tabbed an NJCAA DII All-American after averaging 10.4 assists per set and racking up 129 aces.  Sanchez’ assists per set average was fifth best in the nation while her aces per set figure ranked sixth in the country.

Sanchez also displayed her ability to come through in the clutch, as she garnered national all-tournament honors at Kishwaukee. Originally from Schaumburg, Ill., Sanchez earned a volleyball letter while at Schaumburg High School before her graduation in 2009.

Strickland is a setter who is a welcome addition to the Bears’ roster.  Strickland begins her collegiate career after graduating from Cherry Creek High School in 2011.

While at Cherry Creek, Strickland earned two varsity letters under direction of Sally Moos.  Strickland is a proven leader, as she was team captain in all four years at Cherry Creek and guided her team to the State Championship tournament.

Strickland spent time as a member of the Club 5280 volleyball team, coached by Marty Larson.  While with Club 5280, she was named a 2010 Triple Crown All Star at the Crossroads Tournament.

“Each one of these six have exceptional abilities and I expect them to help our program succeed,” Rooke said.