Truman volleyball head coach Ben Briney has announced the signing of six high school seniors who are set to join the Bulldog squad starting in the fall of 2012.
The Bulldogs will be adding two outside hitters, one right-side hitter, one middle blocker, one setter and one libero as part of the class.
Briney, along with assistant coach Megan Wargo-Kearney, kept their recruiting regional, grabbing three in-state players, two from Illinois and one from Iowa.
Abby Heise (6-foot-2; RS; Springfield, Ill.; Lutheran HS)
Heise (like ‘hice’) was named second-team all- state as a senior in leading her Lutheran squad to its second straight IHSA Class 1A third-place finish.
For her career, she totaled nearly 1,300 kills, 1,300 assists, 550 digs, 300 blocks and 150 aces and was named all-conference four times.
She was a Prepvolleyball.com “Freshman 59” Special Mention player and was recognized by the Chicago Sun-Times as one Illinois’ top players as a junior.
She is set to play in the 2011 Illinois high school all-star game and recorded a triple-double in this year’s state third-place match.
Abby is the daughter of Patrick and Kimberly Heise and is undecided on her major at Truman.
Briney on Heise: “At 6-foot-2, Abby is a physical presence on the right-side who is used to being the go-to person from her high school career.
She understands what it takes to compete for championships, which is what our program at Truman is all about.
She had a great high school coach that I’ve known for a long time, so I’m excited to have Abby joining our program.”
Jessye Maurer (6-foot-0; OH; Springfield, Mo.; Kickapoo HS)
Maurer (like ‘flower’) was an all-region selection for Kickapoo High School in leading her team to a 27-3 finish in 2011.
Her high school squad won back-to-back conference championships, while her club team – Springfield Juniors – experienced high levels of success as well.
They finished fifth at the 2009 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in the National Division before earning a third-place finish in the American Division in 2010.
Jessye was named to the all-tournament team that season and was also a member of the 2009 USA Girls Select Continental team that participated in the USA High Performance Championships.
In high school, she totaled more than 400 kills and 80 aces throughout her final two seasons while also swimming and participating in track and field.
Jessye is the daughter of Charlie and Cindi Maurer and plans to study Chemistry at Truman.
Briney on Maurer: “Jessye is a dynamic OH who has not yet begun to scratch the surface of her potential,
She has an incredible competitive drive and work ethic while also having the ability to put up a big block on the right-side hitter. She will be a great addition to our OH corp.”
Ali Patterson (6-foot-2; MB; Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Lee’s Summit HS)
Patterson was a four-year starter at Lee’s Summit HS and set a school record for total blocks with 222.
She also finished second all-time at the school with 711 kills, earning first-team all-conference and all-district accolades twice and first-team all-region recognition as a senior.
She was named second-team all-state in 2010 and was a 2011 MoKan all-star game participant.
Her club program, Invasion VBC, took home first place at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in the National Division in 2010, a year she was also named to the all-tournament team.
She also earned all-conference accolades in basketball and performed in track and field.
Ali is the daughter of Mike and Sandy Patterson and plans to study Pre-Engineering/Physics at Truman.
Briney on Patterson: “Ali is another kid that has experience playing for championships.
Her experience with her club team will help her be mentally ready to compete at this level. With her length, she has the potential to be an imposing block in the middle.”
Kayleen Green (5-foot-10; S; Davenport, Iowa; Davenport Central HS)
Green lettered three seasons at Davenport Central High school, where she totaled more than 1,000 assists during all three years.
She added more than 200 digs and finished with 87 blocks in high school while also performing for her club team – Platform Elite.
He was named second-team all-conference as a senior and helped lead her team to a 2009 conference championship.
Kayleen is the daughter of Duane and Nancy Green and plans to study English/Pre-Education at Truman.
Briney on Green: “Kayleen is someone that really impressed us at camp. She is a very driven and competitive player who has a drive to continually get better and put the team first.
Those qualities will help her become a very good setter in our program.”
Sidney King (5-foot-5; L/DS; St. Louis, Mo.; Incarnate Word Academy)
King helped lead her IWA squad to back-to-back final fours in MSHSAA Class 4, earning second-team all-conference and second-team all-district honors as a senior.
She posted a 93% serve-receive mark and averaged nearly seven digs per set in her final season, ranking her third all-time in school history.
She played club ball for Rockwood Thunder VBC>
Sidney is the daughter of Jim and Kim Kling and plans to study Nursing at Truman.
Briney on King: “Sidney brings a love and passion for the game to our program.
She has been part of a great high school program at IWA and a great club program in Rockwood Thunder.
She will bring depth to our back row defense as she grows into the college game.”
Kassi Schroeder (5-foot-8; OH/DS; Stanford, Ill.; Olympia HS)
Schroeder will join the Bulldog program after starting and lettering four seasons at Stanford Olympia HS.
She averaged 2.4 kills per set as a senior early-on before missing the last half due to an injury.
Also performing in track and field, Kassi played for Illini Elite Club.
Her older brother, Brady, currently plays football for the Bulldogs.
Kassi is the daughter of Brian and Connie Schroeder and is undecided on her major at Truman.
Briney on Schroeder: “Kassi is a kid that can play multiple positions, as she is very dynamic on the outside and possess great ball control
Having her will add depth to both the OH position as well as the back row defense.”
The Bulldogs are coming off a 20-14 season – the 22nd straight year the program has reached the 20-win mark – and will open the 2012 season in early September.
Courtesy Truman State University