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Maes Announces Four Additions to 2010 Roster
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia head volleyball coach Lee Maes has announced the addition of four student-athletes to the Cavaliers’ squad for the 2010 season. The tandem of McKenzie Adams, Rachel Clark and Mallory Woolridge have signed National Letters-of-Intent and will have four years of eligibility, while Beth Wildermuth will join the Cavaliers this spring from Notre Dame and spend her final three years in a Virginia uniform.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome such a talented group of players to Grounds,” Maes said. “We expect this fantastic recruiting class to be ranked among the nation’s 10 best. All the recruits possess wonderful gifts and all will have an opportunity to contribute immediately next fall. We’ve not only added tremendous talent, but also enhanced our team’s depth, athleticism and size. This incoming group will complement our team makeup and build upon the foundation we have in place. They will be the nucleus of an exciting and promising future for our program. We also look forward to announcing more additions to this class in the spring!”
McKenzie Adams is a 6-foot-3 outside hitter out of Byron P. Steele High School. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Adams was ranked No. 24 on Prepvolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list. A member of the 2009 AAU All-American Team, Adams was selected as one of Prepvolleyball.com’s top-50 recruits and was a Class 4A first-team all-state selection as a senior. The 2008 MVP of the 27-4A district, Adams was a three-time all-district first-team member. She currently holds school records for career and match kills, aces and blocks, in addition to season records for kills and blocks.
“McKenzie is a rare combination of size, skill and athleticism,” Maes said. “She has already exhibited many of the tools to be an outstanding outside hitter. McKenzie has spent the past year transitioning from the middle position to the outside. We’ve been extremely pleased with her adjustment, especially in her ability to receive serve. She has developed nicely into a six-rotation player who has been instrumental in all of her teams’ successes. A terrific athlete, this 10-foot-plus jumper is a skilled attacker. She has developed nice offensive range to combat defenses designed to slow her down. We look forward to continuing her development and maximizing her versatility as a dynamic hitter and defender. She’s going to be a dominant force for us as a first year.”
Rachel Clark is a 6-foot-0 outside hitter from Los Angeles, Calif. A four-year varsity member at Bishop Montgomery, Clark earned All-Del Rey second-team honors as a freshman and sophomore, before garnering first-team accolades as a junior. She helped lead her team to the state semifinals in 2007 and was a three-time member of the USA High Performance team. Clark was named to the all-area team in 2008 and was ranked No. 58 in the Top-100 Senior Aces list by prepvolleyball.com.
“Effort, attitude, competitiveness and improvement are essential attributes of our daily gym culture; these qualities are often evident in Rachel’s performance on the court and how she lives her life off of it,” Maes said. “She is an embodiment of what ‘blue-collar’ truly means – achieving success through the merits of hard work and dependability. Rachel brings major heat as an attacker and more importantly, she brings an unrelenting competitive drive. Her mentality alone will positively impact our team. She has been the ‘go-to’ player in high school and club. Her ability and experience in shouldering a heavy offensive load as well as providing leadership will be a great asset for us.”
Beth Wildermuth will join the Cavaliers from Notre Dame, where she was a setter for the Irish through the 2008 season. A native of San Clemente, Calif., Wildermuth attended Santa Margarita High School where she was one of Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 Top Players in the Nation. Wildermuth was Prepvolleyball.com’s 30th-best recruit, and the nation’s fifth-best setter, coming out of high school, where she helped her team to the CIF-SS Championship her freshman year. Wildermuth was a four-time All-CIF selection and was named the MVP of the Trinity League her senior season, in addition to earning the league and high school’s Female Athlete of the Year award in 2008.
“Beth is proficient, intelligent, mature and poised,” Maes said. “These are some of the characteristics Beth possesses and demonstrates on the court and in the classroom. She brings a year of high-level collegiate volleyball experience as a setter. Beth was a very accomplished student-athlete coming out of high school and club. She’s renowned for her ability to set the ball with consistent tempo and location. She was rated as one of the top-five setters in the nation her senior year in high school. Her qualities as a player, student, and person will undoubtedly serve her well at Virginia and she will have an opportunity to lead and impact our team immediately.”
Mallory Woolridge is a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Richmond, Va. A four-year letterwinner at Deep Run High School, Woolridge earned a No. 10 ranking on prepvolleyball.com’s 2010 Top-10 Senior Aces list. A three-time All-Colonial District selection, including twice being named to the first team, Woolridge was also selected as the Colonial District Player of the Year and Central Region Player of the Year in 2009. She helped guide Deep Run to back-to-back AAA State Championships, as well as the Central Region Championship, in 2006 and 2007, and was named a top-50 recruit by prepvolleyball.com.
“Home is where the heart is for Mallory,” Maes said. “A local product, Mallory’s decision to stay home is a testament to the pride she has for the commonwealth, her family and UVa. It’s also an acknowledgement of the responsibility she will have as a leader and role model in the community for young aspiring players. One of the finest athletes in the country, Mallory has an impressive vertical jump, touching 10-feet-8. She is the type of person who realizes she is blessed with natural physical gifts; yet, knows her gifts require work to become great. Mallory dreams big and her work in improving her skills were evident in her selection and participation with the USA Junior National Team this past summer at the World Championships. We love her tremendous desire to improve. Her qualities make her an easy fit in our program. Mallory will be an imposing player at the net as an attacker and blocker. We are excited to continue her development and assist her in becoming one of the best players in the nation.”
This group marks the second recruiting class under Maes. The inaugural class of Tobi Farrar, Rachel Gray and Jessica O’Shoney pulled in a No. 15 national ranking – a first-ever national honor for Virginia.