UA recruits three of the top high school volleyball players in the country

UA head coach David Rubio's vision of bringing home the first National Championship in UA volleyball history became more realistic yesterday with the announcement of the Wildcats' recruits for next season.

Middle/blocker outside hitter Kim Glass, outside hitter/middle blocker Bre Ladd, outside hitter Jennifer Abernathy and outside hitter Meghan Cumpston all signed letters of intent yesterday, and will enroll at UA for the 2002 season.

"We have the best recruiting class in the country," Rubio said. "Since I came to Arizona, we have taken small steps to reach the success we have today. Winning the Pacific 10 Conference last season and playing well this season allowed us to sign these recruits. You have to play well consistently to have a change to sign the nation's top players."

Rubio said Glass, Ladd and Abernathy are three of the five best recruits in the country.

"We're excited about the level of recruits in the 2002 class," Rubio told Arizona's media relations department. "The coaching staff feels this group of players can keep us at the current level that we're playing at now and has the potential to take us one step higher.

Glass and Ladd, who played together on the 2000 Youth National Team, were two of the most coveted recruits in the country.

Glass, a 6-foot-3 native of Lancaster, Pa. is a high-school All-American and a three-time letter winner at Conestoga Valley High School, where she has earned all-state, all-district and all-league honors twice. She is expected to earn her third in each category after the 2001 season.

Glenn gained valuable experience as the starting outside hitter for the U.S. Junior National team that competed in the World Championships last summer in the Dominican Republic.

Ladd, a native of Tucson, was recently named the Southern 5A Player of the Year in recognition of her success at Canyon Del Oro High school.

The Arizona Republic also named Ladd - who helped lead CDO to the quarterfinals of this year's Arizona State Championships - its Player of the Year.

Like Glass, she started on the right side of the 2001 U.S. Junior National Team.

"She is a tremendous competitor and her potential is scary," Canyon Del Oro volleyball coach Melva Lundy said. "She was recruited by everyone, and she gave them all a chance. She respects the Arizona coaching staff and program. Also she is very close to her family. Going to Arizona gives her a chance to play for a great program close to home. She is just going to do awesome at the college level."

Abernathy and Cumpston are not as highly coveted as Ladd and Glass, but they have been equally impressive for their respective high school teams this season.

Abernathy, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Deer Valley, Calif., led her team with a .525 kill percentage.

Abernathy was named the 2000-2001 Female Athlete of the Year and the Volleyball Player of Year by the Contra-Costa Times. She also earned first-team all-league honors in the Bay Valley Athletics League for the 2001 season.

Cumpston, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Red Bluff, Calif., led Red Bluff Union High School in hitting with a .610 hitting percentage.

After this season, UA will lose three starters to graduation - All-American setter Dana Burkholder, outside hitter Jill Talbot, and middle blocker Erin Sebbas.

After the 2002 season, the Wildcats will lose three more starters from this year's team - outside hitters Lisa Rutledge and Shannon Torregrosa, middle blocker Stefani Saragosa and defensive specialist Rachel Williams.

Rubio addressed the loss of Burkholder last year by signing current freshman setter Rochelle Ruen.

Rubio said Glass and Ladd have the athletic ability to play as a middle blocker or outside hitter.

Talbot said the success of this year's senior class has definitely helped Arizona's success in recruiting the nation's top high school players.

"We have raised the standard at Arizona," Talbot said. "With Dana (Burkholder) being named the team's first-ever Pac-10 Player of Year, it brought recognition to our program. The success that we have had in the past few years has definitely played a huge factor in the signing of this year's recruits."