Miami Volleyball Inks Four to National Letters of Intent
Jan. 21, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – Following a trip to the 2009 NCAA Tournament [Gainesville Regional] under the direction of head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, the University of Miami volleyball program officially announced the signing of four players to its 2010 class on Thurs., Jan. 21. Set to join the `Canes in 2010 are Taylor Hollins, Alex Johnson, Ryan Shaffer and Emani Sims.
In her ninth season, Lantagne Welch helped guide the Hurricanes to their second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Hurricanes finished the season with an overall record of 18-13, and finished the ACC slate at 11-9 for a share of fifth place. UM ended the season winning three of its final six matches, and had a strong RPI in the low 40s at year’s end.
Taylor Hollins (Long Beach, Calif.) is a 5-9, outside hitter from Lakewood High School. The powerful player was a four-year starter for Lakewood HS, where she her team to the 2007 Division I state title. She was named three times to the California Press Telegram Dream Team from 2007-09. During that same span, she was three times a nominee for the Lakewood Young Hall of Fame.
“Taylor comes to Miami as an extremely accomplished outside hitter,” said Lantagne Welch. “She’s the type of player that can fool you when you see her – as she’s smaller in stature, but she more than makes up for it in athletic and leaping ability. She is a point scorer – meaning she can get kills anywhere on the court, and she is also deceptive with her attack.”
Hollins played club for Mizuno Long Beach. In 2009, she earned the Junior Olympic – 17 Open Gold Medal. In 2008, she picked up Junior Olympic – 16 Open Silver Medal awards, while earning the Gold Medal in the 15 Open Division. She earned MVP honors in 2007 for the Junior Olympic – 15 Open.
“Taylor is a winner, and she always finds a way to come up with the kill when her team needs is,” continued Lantagne Welch. “Her teams have had some amazing success that we know she’ll bring to Miami. She’ll be counted on to put a lot of balls away, and should be able to cover a great deal of area in the back court as well.”
Alexandria Johnson (Tallahassee, Fla.) is a 6-0, outside/right side hitter from Leon High School. She played club for North Florida. She was named FHSAA 5-A First Team All-State in 2008, and concluded the 2009 campaign as an Under Armour All-American [Second Team]. In addition, she was named Leon High School’s MVP back-to-back years (2008, ’09).
“Alex is a great all-around player and one of the absolute best in the state of Florida,” commented Lantagne Welch. “She’s been on teams where she’s been asked to play a huge role and be the go-to player at all key moments. She’s used to having teams pay a lot of attention to her, and with that she has developed a lot of attacks and can move around to different areas on the court to score.”
Johnson was also picked to the Tallahassee Democrat All-Area Volleyball Team three consecutive years from 2007-09, while being selected the Tallahassee Democrat Player of the Week twice in her career. In club volleyball, she earned North Florida Volleyball Academy 17 Elite MVP honors in 2008, and picked up North Florida Volleyball Academy 18 Elite MVP honors in 2009. She was also tabbed North Florida Volleyball Academy Club MVP in 2009.
“Johnson is also a very good defender,” states Lantagne Welch. “She has a strong desire to be very good and that will go a long way into her being a top flight college player for us. Alex will be able to play on the left or the right for us, and we love that she brings that versatility.”
Ryan Shaffer (San Jose, Calif.) comes to UM via Archbishop Mitty High School, having played club for Vision. The 5-foot-7 libero looks to replace senior Cassie Loessberg in the defensive specialist role for UM. In 2009, Shaffer was tabbed an honorable mention for the Under Armour All-America Team after helping Archbishop Mitty to consecutive Division II State Championships. Shaffer was tabbed as a Prep Volleyball Senior Aces “The 150”, and selected to the WCAL Second Team All-League squad.
“Ryan certainly caught my eye – most notably for her passing,” expressed Lantagne Welch. “She is a very consistent passer – the most critical skill in being a libero. She also excels at defense, and has really started to expand range defensively. She can be a calming presence on the court, yet adds intensity when the team needs it. She comes from an incredibly athletic family. Ryan has been a part of extremely successful programs with her high school and club teams. We know she’ll bring that contagious winning attitude and effort to Coral Gables.”
Emani Sims (Glenview, Ill.) arrives to UM via Glenbrook South High School. The 5-11, middle blocker played club for Edge Volleyball of Des Plaines, Ill. Sims didn’t start playing volleyball until her sophomore year in high school, adding volleyball on top of basketball and track & field.
“Emani brings a great athletic package as a middle,” said Lantagne Welch. “She has a huge upside, as she has only been playing the sport for two and a half years. She has incredible lateral speed, and is simply able to move one direction – and yet then still close a block in another. She’s a big jumper and attacks high at the net. With more training and experience, Emani can prove to be an impact player for Miami and in the ACC.”
In 2009, Sims helped lead her varsity team to a third place finish in the Division 4-A State tournament where she led players from all 16 state tournament teams represented (Divisions 1-A, 2-A, 3-A and 4-A) in hitting – finishing with a .513 percentage. In her division, she ranked second in hitting and 15th in kills. Sims was recognized as a 2009 Central Suburban League All-Conference player and earned honors as a Scholar-Athlete. She also received All-State honorable mention by the Chicago Tribune while registering 238 kills and 69 blocks for the season.
“We are extremely excited about what our 2010 recruiting class brings to Miami,” praised Lantagne Welch. “This group has a great combination of experience, athleticism and hunger to be the best they can be, and help the team in any role to be successful. We knew we had to bring in a quality class to help with the departure of four seniors that would continue and improve upon our success. Taylor, Alex, Ryan and Emani are a great fit to do just that.”
For more information on the University of Miami Volleyball team, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes Volleyball program.
