Two More Join the Pride
“Morg & Lex -- surrounded by their teammates Morgan Eaton (left) from Ironwood Ridge & Lexie Crist form Desert Ridge are all smiles after officially joining the Cougar family
The Cougar Volleyball Team took one step closer to completing their 2011 squad by signing Morgan Eaton, a 6’1” middle blocker from Ironwood Ridge HS in Tucson, and Lexie (Alexis) Crist who is a 6’5” opposite hitter from Desert Ridge HS in Mesa. Coach Pat Mooney calls the pair “2 diamonds in the rough: Morgan has played on a very high level club team (Dinamo) for a number of years and her high school is always in the mix for a state championship. She’s a very athletic player who has some versatility & experience that will come in handy”. Lexie is an all-around athlete who may be inexperienced on the club level but has the size & ability to become a very good player for us.She played basketball in high school but has chosen to focus specifically on volleyball in college which will allow her to catch up on the valuable reps she may have gotten in the offseason”.
Finally Done - 2011 Team Is Now Complete
The 2011 edition of Cougar Volleyball is now completed with the signing of setter Brandy Grant. Brandy is a 5’6 athlete from Chandler High School who will bring some depth and fire to the squad. Says Mooney: “I saw Brandy in the fall when recruiting another player & I loved her fire & competitiveness. Along with that I think she will bring some feisty play that will keep things at a high level in the gym. She’s from a club that is relatively new but does very well and she may have been overlooked but we are lucky to have her”.
Brandy Grant completes the 2011 Cougar Volleyball Team
February 9, 2011
Women’s Volleyball Recruiting Class News
After scouring the corners of the state and many phone calls and texts, Coach Mooney is quite thrilled to announce the next group of recruits to add to the incoming class for the team of 2011-2012. On January 15th the 5 newest Cougars met at South & signed their letters of intent and officially joined what will be a great team in the fall.
The group includes liberos Alyssa Sutton from Basha and Jordan Kirby from North Canyon, middle blocker Laina Boniolo from Blue Ridge, Danielle Kooyman who may play outside or middle from Chandler, and outside hitters Kayla Carpenter from St David and Lindsay Miller from Joseph City.
Mooney had this to say about the class: “this group of players is loaded with athleticism and they are all quite versatile which will give us many options. Unlike last year where a couple of key injuries limited our choices, we have immense depth that will come in handy in a short season that includes many matches. There are a number of multi-sport athletes in this group that may be late bloomers when it comes to volleyball, but they will pick up on things very quickly”.
All smiles as they get ready to become Cougars!
From left to right are: libero Jordan Kirby-North Canyon, outside Lindsay Miller--Joseph City, libero Alyssa Sutton from Basha, middle blocker Laina Boniolo--Blue Ridge, and outside/middle Danielle Kooyman—Chandler. Outside hitter Kayla Carpenter from St David was not able to attend the group signing.
They make it official!
(pictured left to right are Joanne (Melissa’s mother), Melissa, and Coach Mooney)
A recurring theme that Head Volleyball Coach Pat Mooney will try to drive home this coming spring will be “YOU make it happen”. Coach Mooney needs to look no further than Melissa Rankin as a great example of that theme. Melissa, a sophomore setter, signed a National letter of intent to play her next 2 years at Midway College in Kentucky. This is the first time a player from Mooney’s tenure has chosen to play at Midway College. Melissa’s time spent at South Mountain Community College has been full of accomplishments & accolades & this becomes another for the Equine Studies major who carries a 3.93 grade point average. Coach Mooney had this to say about Melissa: “for a 5’3” player who thinks she is 6’3”, there is nobody who plays the game with as much heart & passion as Melissa. She was always the first team member in the gym & the first to be in my office talking about the philosophies of volleyball, school, & life in general. She is one of the most competitive players I have ever coached & has more determination than players who have had more things handed to them. She started contact with the Midway coaches while still in high school (Red Mountain) in 2008 and never lost sight of her goal. She is a self-starting, self confident person who, I have no doubt, will accomplish any goal she sets her mind to.” Melissa’s intent is to graduate & eventually become an equine surgeon.
Midway College is an NAIA school and they compete in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletics Conference that includes 10 schools from the states of Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and of course Kentucky. Coaches Cindy (Head) & Richie (assistant) Cheatham directed the Eagles to 15-17 record & a respectable 4th place conference finish in 2010, and have been on an upward swing the past 4 years after resurrecting the program in 2007. Their 10 member roster includes players from all over the country including Texas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Mississippi, and even Alaska. Midway known for its excellence in its Business, Equine, Nursing, and Teacher Education programs throughout the Nation is a private college and was established in 1847 by Dr. Lewis L. Pinkerton, a Christian minister and physician. The main campus is at Midway, KY, in the heart of the bluegrass region of Kentucky. Enrollment at the small school is 1800 students and its boasts a student to teacher ratio of 13:1.
Congratulations to Melissa Rankin!
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