Awele Nwaeze Completes Volleyball Recruiting Class

May 30, 2012

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head volleyball coach Nicole Lantagne Welch has announced the signing of Awele Nwaeze to join the Miami Hurricanes volleyball program in the fall of 2012.

“Awele is exactly what we were looking for to complete our 2012 recruiting class,” Lantagne Welch said. “Great middle blockers are hard to find, and Awele has the potential to be exceptional.”

Nwaeze becomes the fifth and final member of Coach Lantagne Welch’s 2012 class, which also includes incoming freshmen Caitilin Donahoe (Pompano Beach, Fla.), Kelsie Groot (Irvine, Calif.) and Misty Ma’a (Kaneohe, Hawaii). Midyear transfer Savannah Leaf (San Jose State) joined the team in January and took part in the team’s spring season.

A three-year varsity letter-winner, the 6-foot middle blocker and outside hitter was named Millbrook High School’s most valuable offensive player in 2010 and 2011. Additionally, the Raleigh, N.C. native was named first-team all-conference and academic all-conference consistently throughout her four years at Millbrook. During her senior season, Nwaeze served as varsity team captain.

“She is a complement to our system in that she is very athletic and will be able to transition quickly to score,” Coach Lantagne Welch added. “She has some great natural instincts on blocking, and the ability to cover the net from antenna to antenna.”

Nwaeze led her club team to a first-place finish at the Monument City Classic as well as a third-place finish at the Big South National Qualifiers. The team also added a fourth-place finish at the LoneStar National Qualifiers in 2012.

“Not only will she bring depth to our middle position,” Coach Lantagne Welch said. “Her size, physicality and the effort she will put forth can help her challenge immediately.”