Troy University Athletics
Troy Volleyball Announces 2005 Recruiting Class
6/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. - Head Volleyball Coach Patrick H. Nicholas has announced his 2005 recruiting class which features three outside hitters, a middle blocker, a setter and a defensive specialist. Each of the six are expected to come in and immediately compete for not only playing time but also for a spot in the starting lineup.
Tori Ratcliffe, a 5'8” defensive specialist from Penfield, N.Y., comes to Troy after a successful career at Penfield High School and with several club teams. In 2005 she was a First Team All-County selection as well as earning All-State honors for her senior campaign. Penfield won the Class A State Championship with Ratcliffe earning All-Tournament honors. She also served as team captain her junior and senior years.
Tori is a very good addition to our program, she will be one of our defensive specialists and add much needed help to our ball control,” said Nicholas. Her high school team won the state championship this past year so I expect her to bring some of that winning attitude here to Troy. She has a fearless attitude about defense, she's competitive and she has the potential to excel at serve-receive.”
Liz Schaab, a 6'1” outside hitter from Friendswood, Texas, enters the fall looking to improve on her already considerable skills as an offensive threat. At Friendswood High School she earned All-District honors twice and All-County honors her senior year. In 2004 her team went undefeated in the regular season to win their district but fell in the state regional semifinals.
I am really excited about Liz, I think she is just beginning to realize her potential,” said Nicholas. As the season progresses, Liz should play a big role for us as one our scorers with her attacking and blocking abilities. With her height and jumping ability, I expect her to consistently elevate her game and in turn be a major part of elevating our program over the next couple of years.”
Aubre Smith, a 6'0” rightside hitter from Aliquippa, Penn., will enter the fall looking to push for immediate playing time. Smith played her high school ball at Hopewall Area High School earning a varsity letter in each of her four years. In 2004 she was an All-State selection in helping lead her team to the state title. Smith's team also won their section three years in a row going undefeated each season.
Aubre is another athlete that brings much needed height and jumping ability to our young team along with lots of potential to become a very exciting player,” said Nicholas. She excels at blocking and that is very important for us because there are some big outside hitters in the Sun Belt.”
Leah Tenney will enter the fall looking to bolster the Trojans' front line. The 6'0” middle blocker from Richland Ctr., Wisc., is coming off of a successful senior season in which she was named her division's Most Valuable Player as well as earning All-State honors. She also earned MVP honors in 2003 while making the All-State 2nd team.
Leah will make an immediate impact for us at the net offensively & defensively with her height and jumping ability,” said Nicholas. I expect Leah to be a big part of our team in terms of attacking and blocking as the season progresses and she begins to realize her potential.
Meghan Washlow, a 5'7” setter from Carpentersville, Ill., will fill an immediate void at the setter position. Washlow played three years of varsity volleyball at Barrington High School and six years of club ball. While at Barrington Washlow helped lead the school to being the State runners up twice, their conference championships for three consecutive years, and earned All-Conference and All-Area honors her senior year.
Meghan will fill a very big need for us at the setting position. She's competitive, has quick feet, very good hands and is a natural leader,” said Nicholas. She comes from the Chicago area and that is a great area for highly competitive volleyball. I really like her skills and potential and she has a great personality to be a Division I setter.”
Another front line player that Troy will look to next season is Jennifer White, an outside hitter from Robertsdale, Ala. During White's senior year she was an All-County selection as well as making the Mobile Register Super 12. White was named her team's MVP while leading her team in blocks. During her junior season she helped lead her team to an area championship while being selected All-County.
Jennifer is a recipient of the very prestigious Millennium Scholarship. Not only does she excel in the classroom but she has also excelled in sports,” said Nicholas. She has lettered in volleyball, basketball, golf and track & field. I expect her to make an impact right away in practice with her work ethic and competitive spirit.”
Coach Nicholas sees his first recruiting class as the building blocks to a successful program as Troy enters into their first season in the Sun Belt Conference.
This is our first recruiting class, so obviously we are very excited about them. They are talented, athletic, competitive and intelligent young women,” said Nicholas. These freshmen all come from very successful high school and club programs and are going to make an immediate impact on our program.”
-TROJANS-
