ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF Volleyball team took a brief moment to look toward the future on Wednesday afternoon as head coach Todd Dagenais announced his 2020 recruiting class, featuring four players from the high school ranks.
"Each class we add to our program brings something unique that will help us with our growth and development as we continue to maintain our steady upward trajectory," said Dagenais. "Not only are these incoming players great volleyball players but they will also be fantastic representatives of UCF Volleyball, the UCF athletic department, and our university as a whole."
Dagenais and staff brought in four players from all over the country to improve on an already impressive roster that has won 19 games already this year, as Chloe Scheer and Mary Beth Headley come from California and Georgia, respectively, while Emily Lawrence and Brittiney Jones hail from Florida.
Emily Lawrence | 6'0 | S | Oviedo, Fla.
- Three-year letter winner at Hagerty High School
- Recorded 10.1 assists per set and leads the team in assists her senior year
- Earned AAU All-American Honors and All-Conference Honors her senior year
- Both Parents are UCF Alumni
- Major is Undecided
Dagenais on Emily…
"I love the fact that we add such a great talent to our setting group. Emily has competed at the highest level of high school and club. She knows what it's like to be in demanding matches and she knows what it's like to be successful in those matches. Her high school team was one of the top teams in the state of Florida and her club team is one of the elite teams in the nation. We're even more excited that she is a local fire that decided to stay close to home"
Chloe Scheer | 5'8 | L | Murrieta, Calif.
- Varsity letter winner at Vista Murrieta HS
- Help guide Vista Murrieta to two back-to-back league championships her junior and senior years.
- Named to MVP for her club team the FORZA1 Volleyball club
- Recorded 23 services aces in 65 sets played her junior year
- All-Around champion at the 2015 Junior Olympics for gymnastics
- Brother, Nick Stevens, was the starting quarterback at Colorado State University from 2015-2017
- Plans to Major in Business
Dagenais on Chloe…
"We combed the country for somebody that can continue to add in the line of great liberos we've had over the past several years. The way college volleyball is heading, ball control is at a premium and you can't have enough elite back court players. Chloe plays for an elite club volleyball program. She has an extremely high volleyball IQ, she has a great touch and feel for the ball and she has an ability to have an immediate impact on our program."
Brittiney Jones | 6'3 | MH | Eustis, Fla.
- Four-year letter winner at Eustis High School
- Lead the Lady Panthers to the semi-finals in 2018
- Received defensive player of the year honors her sophomore year
- Named team MVP her senior and junior year
- Plans to major in early childhood development and education
Dagenais on Brittiney…
"Brittiney has a ton of untapped potential that we cannot wait to work with. Her ability and physicality are going to allow her to compete at a very high level as she gets trained and she acclimates to the college game. She helps us meet our goal of retaining top local talent to stay close to home."
Mary Elizabeth Headley | 5'11 | OH | Newnan, GA
- Four-year letter winner at Newnan High School
- Posted a Hitting Percentage of .308 her junior year
- Powered home 223 kills and 45 services aces so far during her senior year
- Received Team All-Around MVP, County Offensive Player of the Year and region 2-AAAAAAA All-Tournament Team honors during junior year
- Received All-Star team award for soccer
- Plans to major in Biomedical Sciences
Dagenais on Mary Beth…
"We set out last year to find the right outside hitter to add to our program and we only had to go to Georgia to find that all around six tool outside hitter. Mary Beth can play defense, she can pass, she can set, she can block, she can ball handle, and she most certainly can attack with the best of them. She will be graduating early and coming this Spring which is going to allow her the college training and competition to help get her ready to help us in quick fashion. I liken her in many ways to McKenna Melville in that she is a good-sized outside hitter that could have been a libero. Her competitive motor is exactly what we need on the court."
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UP NEXT
The Black and Gold will hit the road this weekend as they finish out the regular season with matches against Temple and UConn. The following weekend, the Knights will play in the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship tournament at The Venue in Orlando, Fla. The Knights' seeding and time of play is to be decided.