Hurricanes Volleyball Adds to 2010 Recruiting Class
April 23, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – University of Miami head volleyball coach Nicole Lantagne Welch announced the addition of two more student-athletes for the 2010 roster on Friday, introducing Mariel Schofield and Julia Giampaolo to the Hurricanes program. They join already signed players Taylor Hollins, Alex Johnson, Ryan Shaffer and Emani Sims.
“We feel very fortunate that both Julia and Mariel have decided to become Hurricanes,” stated Lantagne Welch. “They both have played a lot as outside hitters over their careers, but it is defensively that we expect them to make an impact in our program. Replacing a senior class that had large contributions in the back court, it was important for us to add a couple more players that we felt could fill those roles and develop into excellent collegiate back court players.”
Giampaolo, a 2009 Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American, played her high school volleyball at Torrington High School in Torrington, Conn. Standing 5-foot-7, she is a member of the 2008 Class L State Championship runners up, and was selected as an All-State performer from 2006-08. She was also an All-Conference selection (Naugatuck Valley League) from 2006-09, while serving as a team captain in 2008 and ’09. She was named to the NVL All-Tournament Team from 2006-08, and was dubbed the AVCA/Max Preps Player of the Week in November 2008.
In her playing career, Giampaolo holds the Torrington HS record for service points (918) and digs (586). She is second all-time in kills (603), third in service aces (221) and fourth in blocks (54). She missed almost all of the 2009 season due to injury, playing in just three sets before that injury. Stats for Torrington HS were first recorded in 1992.
In the classroom, Giampaolo was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. In addition, she was tabbed a Conference Scholar-Athlete, and ranked ninth in the 2010 graduation class, out of 285 students. She was named the 2009 Republican American Scholar Athlete.
The second new member of the `Canes 2010 class is Mariel Schofield, a 5-foot-5 native of Ijamsville, Md. She attended Urbana High School in Ijamsville, and played primarily as an outside hitter and defensive specialist. She earned four letters in volleyball, while playing three years of lacrosse. In 2009, Schofield helped her team to a State Semifinal appearance in the school’s first-ever state tournament invitation. Along the way, she helped her team to a regional championship.
Schofield was named a Washington Post All-Metro Honorable Mention performer (2008-09), while she was tabbed a two-time Frederick News Post First Team All-Area student-athlete (2008-09). She also picked up Gazette First Team All-Area (2008-09) and MVAL First Team honors (2008-09). She ended the 2009 campaign second in the county in kills.
In 2007-08, Schofield helped Urbana HS achieve a conference championship, while earning a regional finals appearance and being named a Frederick News Post honorable mention performer. She finished her career as a three-time team captain (2007-09). She was a part of the school’s best turnaround in volleyball history, helping Urbana HS to a regional finals spot in 2006 after ending the 2005 season with a 0-14 record. The school is now considered a powerhouse.
Schofield played her club volleyball for the Metro American Volleyball Club, under the direction of coach Silvia Johnson (2008-10) and Sam Danai (2006-08). Her team finished third in the PVA Invitational in 2009-10.
