TicketsJune 2, 2010
CINCINNATI - After consulting with more than 120 college coaches from across the country that represent every major conference in the country, Prepvolleyball.com recently announced its top volleyball recruiting classes for 2010 and the University of Cincinnati volleyball team had its recruiting class earn "Highest Honorable Mention" after signing Juliana Behrens, Brittany Haber, and Lauren Grant to National Letters of Intent.
"I think that the players that we have coming in will be a great complement to the nucleus we already have," said head coach Reed Sunahara. "They can all play multiple positions so that will immediately add more depth to our squad. They will make it a very competitive atmosphere."
The Top 30 classes were ranked 1-30, with the next 20 listed as "Highest Honorable Mention" and 55 others receiving either "High Honorable Mention" or "Honorable Mention" recognition.
Behrens makes the 4,400 mile trek to Cincinnati from Honolulu, becoming the first player from Hawai'i to play for head coach Reed Sunahara. She was a four-year player at Punahou School under head coach Jim Iams, where she helped her team to four consecutive Top-3 finishes in the state tournament. As a senior, Behrens led Punahou School to a league title while earning Honolulu Star-Bulletin Athlete of the Week selection twice. Behrens was named to the Under Armour Girls High School All-American volleyball watch list and was nominated for the Gatorade Player of the Year Award for the State of Hawai'i. As a junior, Behrens was a first-team Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I All-Star selection.
Haber makes her way to Clifton from Clay High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she was a two-time all-county player and an Ultimate High School Sports Top 20 Player in North Florida. As a senior, Haber put down 285 kills, 86 blocks, 51 aces, and had 61 digs en route to being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) High School All-American Watch List.
Grant comes to Cincinnati from Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn., where she was a two-time all-state selection and a three-time All-Lake Conference performer. In 2008, Grant was named to the All-State Tournament Team, leading the Lightning to a state runner-up finish. In addition to her accolades in high school, Grant played club volleyball for Mizuno Northern Lights and helped the club to back-to-back-to-back AAU National Championships from 2007 to 2009. Grant also helped the club place third in the United States Junior Olympics Open Division in 2007 and 2008, while claiming second-place honors during the 2009 campaign.
Behrens and Grant both were ranked in the Top 250 on Prepvolleyball.com's Senior Aces Chart prior to the start of the 2009 high school season.