Virginia Volleyball Signs Four To National Letters Of Intent

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Feb. 16, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia head volleyball coach MelissaAldrich Shelton has announced the signing of four players to nationalletters of intent to attend the University of Virginia and play volleyballfor the Cavaliers beginning in the 2000-01 academic year. The four signeesare: Shannon Boyle (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy), Kimberly “Paige”Davis (Austin, Texas/Westlake), Kathleen “Katie” Synan (Fredericksburg,Va./Chancellor), and Anne “Abby” Whittenburg (Amarillo, Texas/Amarillo).Boyle, Synan and Whittenburg have all been selected to All-StaterMagazine’s Class of 2000 Super 75 list.

Shannon Boyle is a 6-2 middle blocker from Cincinnati, Ohio. Shewas a two-year starter for Ursuline Academy and team captain as a senior in1999. Boyle, who earned first-team All-City and All-State honors in 1999,helped lead Ursuline to the 1999 and 1998 state final four. In addition,she was selected to participate in the city, state and Ohio-PennsylvaniaAll-Star matches in 1999. Boyle also led all Cincinnati city players inblocking average in 1999. Boyle has played club volleyball for SportsExpress for the last three years. Boyle is a three-year member of theSpanish Honor Society as well as the Student Council (1997, 1998 and 1999).

“Shannon is regarded as one of the top middle prospects in thenation. Her athletic ability and mature court demeanor will make animmediate impact on our side of the net,” said Shelton.

Paige Davis is a 5-10 outside hitter from Austin, Texas. She was atwo-year varsity starter at outside hitter for Westlake High School. Davisserved as Westlake’s co-captain and also shared the team’s MVP honors in1999. She was named the District Co-MVP and was a first-team All-Centexselection this past season as well as a Texas Girls Coaching Association(TGCA) West All-Star. During the 1999 season, Davis was selected as thePearland Tournament MVP and was named to the Fraulinfest All-Tournamentteam. She helped lead Westlake to the regional semifinals in 1999 afterthe team advanced to the regional quarterfinals in 1998. An outstandingathlete, Davis was also selected as Westlake’s track MVP in 1999 and hasbeen a regional qualifier in seven different events. She plays clubvolleyball for the Austin Juniors. Davis is a two-time AcademicAll-District pick (1998 and 1999) and also garnered Academic All-Stateaccolades in 1999. She is a member of the National Honor Society.

“Probably the biggest “sleeper” recruit from the class of 2000,Paige is a tremendous athlete with a contagious, upbeat personality. Herpotential is very exciting and we are looking forward to having her atVirginia,” stated Shelton.

Katie Synan is a 6-2 left-handed outside hitter fromFredericksburg, Va. She is a four-year varsity performer in bothvolleyball and basketball for Chancellor High School. As a junior, she wasthe team Co-MVP and garnered first-team All-District and All-Region honorsand was a second-team All-State selection. Synan was also named to theFree Lance All-Area team. Her senior season is currently in progress andChancellor is undefeated entering the state playoffs. In basketball, shewas a first-team All-State selection in 1999 and was chosen as theCo-District and Co-Region Player of the Year. Synan is Chancellor’s secondall-time leading scorer and is also just the second player to score 1000career points. She was twice named team’s MVP in basketball. She playsclub volleyball for the Richmond Volleyball Club.

“We are excited Katie chose to stay close to home and bring hertalents to our team. Physically, she has the tools to be one of the moredominant players in the nation, and we are anxious to see how quickly shereaches her potential, ” commented Shelton.

Abby Whittenburg is a 5-8 setter from Amarillo, Texas. She servedas Amarillo’s volleyball co-captain in 1999. She is a 1999 Texas SportsWriters 5A All-State team pick and has twice been named to District 3-5AAll-District team (1999 and 1998). Whittenburg is a two-time Globe Newsteam pick and District MVP (1999 and 1998) and was named to the All-AreaSuper team in 1999. She was the All-Area MVP in 1998 as well. In 1999,Whittenburg garnered the All-School Award as Amarillo’s Outstanding FemaleAthlete. In 1998, she was named to the TGCA 5A All-State team and to theTexas 5A All-State Tournament team. The same year, Whittenburg helped leadAmarillo to the 5A State Championship with a perfect 39-0 record.Whittenburg also earned three varsity letters as a member of Amarillo’sbasketball team. She was an All-District pick in 1998-99. She plays clubvolleyball for the Amarillo Juniors. Whittenburg is a National HonorSociety member.

“Abby is considered one of the top setting recruits in the nation,and we are very pleased she chose Virginia. Her elite playing experience,leadership skills, and athleticism will allow her to come in and challengefor our starting spot right away,” said Shelton.

Virginia finished the 1999 season with an 19-12 overall record arecord and a 9-7 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers earned their secondconsecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1999, but fell to Arizona 3-0 inthe first round on December 2, in Austin, Texas.