Washington signs two recruits; two more in the wings

One year after signing two highly-touted freshman (Krista Vansant and Summer Ross), the University of Washington’s 2012 recruiting class is almost set.

Two players—setter Katy Beals and libero Cassie Strickland—signed National Letters of Intent yesterday. Two middle blockers—Lianna Sybeldon and Melanie Wade—have announced their intention to attend Washington in the fall.

And two of the four have … football connections.

Katy Beals

Katy Beals

Her high school, Lake Travis (Austin, TX) won the 4A State Championship last year, and is undefeated so far this year (now in the state playoffs.) This summer, she led Austin Juniors to the 17s Open juniors club national championship—a huge accomplishment in the prep volleyball world.

Beals is listed as 6’0, and became a setter just two seasons ago.

“We first learned about Beals from a friend,” says Washington Coach Jim McLaughlin, “and she attended our summer volleyball camp. She’s a physical kid; I liked her ability to learn and her work ethic. I think she was the best setter at JOs (Junior Olympics, the above-mentioned national tournament for club teams, won by Beals’ Austin Juniors team.)

“Beals has all the characteristics you look for in a setter,” writes John Tawa of PrepVolleyball.com, “speed, jump, big hands, great range, confidence, stellar court sense and strong leadership.”

Cassie Strickland

Cassie Strickland

The first thing you notice about Strickland … is that she was once a middle linebacker. As she tells the volleyballnow.net, Strickland was 8 years old when her older brother turned out for Pop Warner football, and she wanted to play, too. Her dad cut a deal: You can play (as the only girl on the team) if you promise not cry. As the story goes, Strickland made the team, and when she tackled her first opponent, there were tears … in the eyes of the boy she tackled. She played football for three years, including time at quarterback.

These days, Strickland is an outside hitter for Edison High in Huntington Beach. Her team just won a share of the title for \Orange County’s powerful Sunset League, upsetting top-ranked Los Alamitos behind Strickland’s 14 kills (earlier this season she had 28 kills against Newport Harbor.)

Although she’s a hitter in high school, she may see more playing time as a defender at Washington, perhaps as a libero down the line. “We first saw her as a hitter,” says McLaughlin, “but she can play defense, she can pass, and she can serve.”

Strickland was interviewed by volleyballnow.net about her college choice:

It was between the University of Washington, Texas and Penn State. I took an unofficial visit to Washington and fell in love with the campus and the coaches. I also have family up there and I’m looking forward to that. I haven’t seen them much and they haven’t been able to see me play. I want to play after college and there they train you to get better in college. Penn State was tempting because they’ve won the last four national championships, but it was a little too far away. My aunt lives 20 minutes from campus, plus I have a cousin who is like a brother who is going there (Washington) for football.

Lianna Sybeldon

Lianna Sybeldon

Sybeldon is a 6’2 middle blocker from Ponderosa High School east of Sacramento. She, too, has a football connection: father, Steve, was an offensive tackle at North Dakota, and was drafted by the New York Jets in 1979 (he played for the Jets, the Chiefs, the Browns and the BC Lions.)

Sybeldon has committed to the Huskies, but her formal Letter of Intent has not yet been signed.

In an interview with her local newspaper (The Mountain Democrat), Sybeldon says she wanted to sign with the Huskies the moment she first came to campus.

“I really liked (Washington) and the coaches were all amazing … I felt ‘wow, this is where I want to be,’ but my parents wouldn’t let me (sign) and said I had to look at more colleges.”

One of those other colleges was the University of Oregon.

“The facilities were unreal. Their (Oregon) offer was hard to turn down. Athletes are treated like princesses there.”

“I just wanted to go to the U-of-W.”

Melanie Wade

Melanie Wade

Wade is a 6’5 middle blocker from Palo Alto. Last season, her team won the California Division 1 State Championship. This year, she is a member of the USA Youth National Team.

She, too, has made a verbal commitment to Washington—she was part of a Letter of Intent Day celebration at Palo Alto High School yesterday. Her National Team obligations mean she hasn’t yet signed her formal letter, but is expected to do so before fall.