Jan. 10, 2013
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF volleyball head coach Todd Dagenais recently announced that he has added two talented student-athletes to the 2013 squad after receiving their National Letters of Intent. Incoming freshmen Taylor Gallart from Germantown, Md., and Taylor Wickey from Omaha, Neb., will arrive on campus this summer.
Gallart, a senior at the Academy of the Holy Cross, plays club ball for Metro American in Washington, DC. The outside hitter brings a powerful swing from the edge combined with strong defensive abilities making her a viable two-way player.
Taylor is one of the top all-around outside hitters on the entire East coast, Dagenais said. She reminds us a lot of Kayla Keller in club and in high school in that she is a fantastic ball-control and defensive outside hitter who has what we call a heavy arm. She hits with a ton of velocity and we're confident that she will be able to play a role for us very early in her career. She has helped both her high school and club programs become some of the elite in the country respectively. Her skill set is very conducive to helping a college team early.
Wickey will arrive on campus as the first Nebraska native in Dagenais' tenure. Wickey provides excellent size and has the versatility to become an intimidating presence at middle blocker or as an opposite right side hitter.
Taylor is our first recruit out of Nebraska, which is a state that produces a ton of high-level volleyball talent, Dagenais said. She's versatile and can play both middle and right side. She looks forward to the process of getting stronger and quicker and improving her skill set. Once she does that, her 6-foot-4 size will allow her to have an immediate impact on our program. She's still growing into her long frame and because of her athletic ability and quick feet, she'll be a force defensively blocking at the net. We look forward to the process of training her to be an elite college player.
Dagenais also announced that more roster changes and additions would be revealed later in the spring as the Knights prepare for their first season in the BIG EAST.