Head Coach Steve Walker Announces 2016-2017 Signees
06/01/2016 | Beach Volleyball
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The No. 6 ranked Arizona sand volleyball team had a very successful third season. With the No. 1 pair of Madison and McKenna Witt being named 2016 AVCA All-Americans, Pac-12 All-Conference First Team, and Pac-12 All-Academic Team alongside Olivia Macdonald and Hailey Devlin, the future is looking very bright for the growing program.
Pac-12 Coach of the Year Steve Walker and the Arizona sand volleyball program want to announce the new student-athletes who will join the Wildcats' roster for the 2016-17 season. The group introduces five new players to the program.
Natalie Anselmo plays as a full-time defender and is from Thousand Oaks, Calif. Anselmo attended high school at Westlake and plans to pursue business or political science at the UA. With her tremendous achievements, she will make a great addition to the Sand Cats. Anselmo also played for her father, John, who is a beach volleyball coach in Manhattan Beach, Calif. She was a part of the Nike West and Culver City club teams, where she served as a team captain for two years.
“Natalie was the recruiting class's first commit and we look for her to emerge as a leader for the program in her time here at the University of Arizona,” said Walker. “Coming from a beach volleyball family, she will bring a wealth of experience and beach volleyball achievement with her to the desert. She has been an AAU age division gold medalist and earned her “AAA” rating on the most competitive pro-am beach circuit going, the California Beach Volleyball Association (C.B.V.A.), at a very young age. She'll be a tenacious and terrific defender for us.”
Jessica Manley is a full-time blocker from San Diego, Calif. She competes for the San Pasqual High School's indoor volleyball team and is a member of WAVE Volleyball Clubs beach program. Manley earned All-District Second Team during her sophomore and junior years, received the scholar athlete award, and placed on the San Diego All-Academic Team. Manley's sister, Sam, currently plays on the Arizona sand Volleyball team as one of two of the No. 3 pair.
“I was really glad that through a great deal of hard work that Jessica was able to develop her game and physicality, so that I could extend her that offer to become a Wildcat,” said Walker. “Jessica is a blocker with very long levers who has really good feel for this game, and I am really looking forward to seeing her continue that climb as a high level player.”
Caroline Cordes is also a full-time blocker from Naperville, Ill. Cordes was the team captain her senior year at Waubonsie High School. She was named team MVP her junior year, All-Conference and All-City her junior and senior years, and All-District as a junior. Cordes is a legacy player, having a great deal of family history at Arizona as her father played for the Arizona football team, her brother Kevin is a former Arizona swimmer, and her mother also attended UA.
“Caroline has had many, many great finishes in youth beach competition including taking a bronze medal at USA Beach Nationals and will look to leave her own mark in her time in our athletics department and on the sand volleyball team,” said Walker. “She plays with great energy, instincts, and can really move well in the sand. We look forward to getting her into our system and bringing the most out of her.”
Brooke Burling is a full-time defender from Naperville, Ill. Along with fellow recruit Caroline Cordes, Burling attended Waubonsie High School and will pursue public health at UA. She served as co-captain and was team MVP in her senior year of high school. Burling will make an immense impact on the team as she earned numerous honors including All-Conference, All-City, and All-District honors.
“Brooke really believed she was destined to play beach volleyball at the University of Arizona, and we're very glad that she will be able to play out that vision,” said Walker. “Coming from the Midwest, where she trains on the sand almost half of the calendar year at an indoor facility, it's pretty impressive to see what level of achievement Brooke has reached prior to coming to campus. She is an AAU national champion and multi-time medalist, accomplishing that versus the best competition in the country during the past two summers. She will provide some good depth at the defender position for us.”
Olivia Hallaran, a hybrid blocker and defender, is from Gilbert, Ariz. Hallaran attends Hamilton High School and served as the team captain her sophomore through senior years on the indoor volleyball team. Hallaran is a very experienced player as she was awarded team MVP her sophomore and senior year, selected to the All-Conference Second Team two years in a row, CUSD Player of the Year her sophomore year, CUSD first team her junior and senior years, and earned All-State second team and honorable mention.
“Olivia was the latest recruit for the recruiting class, and we're glad she made the commitment to us as she is a very exciting addition to the program,” said Walker. “She is a very dynamic athlete with a good deal of experience having played in the USA beach volleyball pipeline in the past. We are even more delighted she is an in-state product that decided to stay close to home and make the transition full time to the beach game. She is very versatile and it's going to be fun to watch charting her growth as a beach player in her time here at the U of A.”
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