Walker Welcomes Trio of Talented Tranfers
08/18/2017 | Beach Volleyball
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona beach volleyball will welcome in a trio of senior transfers, who have chosen to complete their collegiate careers in Tucson, Arizona head beach volleyball coach Steve Walker announced on Friday.
Chelsey Harris, a 6-0 blocker from Rice, Kacey Nady, a 6-2 blocker from Oregon and Stephany Purdue, a 5-11 defender from Southern Miss will join the Wildcats for the 2018 season.
"I've been waiting eagerly on the day we could announce the addition of these three exciting additions to the program," said Walker. "Each of these veteran performers will bring a unique, game tested set of skills and athletic ability that will add a tremendous amount. All three have been very successful at the collegiate level and will be relied on to provide the kind of high level leadership they showed at their last institution."
Harris, Nady and Purdue will join freshman Jonny Baham to make up a 2018 recruiting class that will help the Wildcats maintain their place as one of the elite beach volleyball programs nationally.
The four newcomers join UA's core of veterans that went 17-10 in 2017 and finished No. 8 in the final DiG Volleyball poll.
Chelsey Harris
Sr. | 6-0 | Blocker
Houston, Texas (Rice)
Prior to Arizona: Competed four years of indoor volleyball at Rice under head coach Genny Volpe … Leaves Rice 7th in career kills (1,357), seventh in career hitting percentage (.281) and ninth in kills/set (3.11) … Named honorable mention AVCA All-American as a senior … Named team MVP as a senior after leading the team in kills (432 – 4rd in C-USA), kills/ set (3.57-5th in C-USA), and total points (475.0-4th in C-USA) … Attended Humble Summer Creek High School in Houston, Texas prior to Rice, where she was a top-100 recruit … Selected to the U.S. Junior National Training Team in 2011 ... Harris was accepted into UA's Public Health Master's program.
Coach Walker Says: "Chelsey is a very exciting, late addition to this year's recruiting class. She may very well be the best athlete we have in the sand this coming academic year. I am looking forward to seeing her make the transition from the hardwood to the sand and in time, I know she will be capable of adding some very high level play above the net for us."
Kacey Nady
Sr. | 6-2 | Blocker
San Diego, Calif. (Oregon)
Prior to Arizona: Competed four years of indoor and three years of beach volleyball at Oregon … Finished her career fifth in program history with a career .315 hitting percentage … As a senior, averaged 1.39 kills on .321 hitting to go along with 0.89 blocks per set … An all-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2014 when she averaged 2.05 kills/set on .339 hitting … Prior to Oregon, attended West Hills High School in El Cajon, California, where she led her team to back-to-back league titles.
Coach Walker Says: "Kacey's story and how she came to finally be a Wildcat is a great one, and I know her family is as excited as we are that she's in Tucson. She's played against the very best the Pac-12 conference has to offer in the gym and in the sand and Kacey can compete with the best. She's the kind of player that makes her partner better and refuses to give nothing but the best of herself day in and day out. And that kind of daily approach to details will serve our team quite well."
Stephany Purdue
Sr. | 5-11 | Defender
Mesa, Ariz. (Southern Miss)
Prior to Arizona: Competed for four seasons of indoor volleyball at Southern Miss under head coach Amanda Berkley … Leaves Southern Miss as the all-time leader in kills (1,631) and attacks (4,584) … A first-team all-Conference USA and honorable mention all-region performer as a senior … Exits Southern Miss as the winningest senior class in school history … Returns to her home state; attended Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona where she was an honorable mention all-state performer ... Purdue has been accepted into the Martketing Master's program.
Coach Walker Says: "Stephany's story and how she also came to be a Wildcat is a fun one as well. Her recruitment only took about 72 hours total, but we're glad it worked out. In my time on coach Rubio's staff I knew of Stephany at a very young age from her time on the indoor side; and I always felt she had a really good volleyball IQ, the requisite skills and athletic ability to make any team better. I think the thing I like about her the most though is her daily approach to getting better and competitiveness."
Chelsey Harris, a 6-0 blocker from Rice, Kacey Nady, a 6-2 blocker from Oregon and Stephany Purdue, a 5-11 defender from Southern Miss will join the Wildcats for the 2018 season.
"I've been waiting eagerly on the day we could announce the addition of these three exciting additions to the program," said Walker. "Each of these veteran performers will bring a unique, game tested set of skills and athletic ability that will add a tremendous amount. All three have been very successful at the collegiate level and will be relied on to provide the kind of high level leadership they showed at their last institution."
Harris, Nady and Purdue will join freshman Jonny Baham to make up a 2018 recruiting class that will help the Wildcats maintain their place as one of the elite beach volleyball programs nationally.
The four newcomers join UA's core of veterans that went 17-10 in 2017 and finished No. 8 in the final DiG Volleyball poll.
Chelsey Harris
Sr. | 6-0 | Blocker
Houston, Texas (Rice)
Prior to Arizona: Competed four years of indoor volleyball at Rice under head coach Genny Volpe … Leaves Rice 7th in career kills (1,357), seventh in career hitting percentage (.281) and ninth in kills/set (3.11) … Named honorable mention AVCA All-American as a senior … Named team MVP as a senior after leading the team in kills (432 – 4rd in C-USA), kills/ set (3.57-5th in C-USA), and total points (475.0-4th in C-USA) … Attended Humble Summer Creek High School in Houston, Texas prior to Rice, where she was a top-100 recruit … Selected to the U.S. Junior National Training Team in 2011 ... Harris was accepted into UA's Public Health Master's program.
Coach Walker Says: "Chelsey is a very exciting, late addition to this year's recruiting class. She may very well be the best athlete we have in the sand this coming academic year. I am looking forward to seeing her make the transition from the hardwood to the sand and in time, I know she will be capable of adding some very high level play above the net for us."
Kacey Nady
Sr. | 6-2 | Blocker
San Diego, Calif. (Oregon)
Prior to Arizona: Competed four years of indoor and three years of beach volleyball at Oregon … Finished her career fifth in program history with a career .315 hitting percentage … As a senior, averaged 1.39 kills on .321 hitting to go along with 0.89 blocks per set … An all-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2014 when she averaged 2.05 kills/set on .339 hitting … Prior to Oregon, attended West Hills High School in El Cajon, California, where she led her team to back-to-back league titles.
Coach Walker Says: "Kacey's story and how she came to finally be a Wildcat is a great one, and I know her family is as excited as we are that she's in Tucson. She's played against the very best the Pac-12 conference has to offer in the gym and in the sand and Kacey can compete with the best. She's the kind of player that makes her partner better and refuses to give nothing but the best of herself day in and day out. And that kind of daily approach to details will serve our team quite well."
Stephany Purdue
Sr. | 5-11 | Defender
Mesa, Ariz. (Southern Miss)
Prior to Arizona: Competed for four seasons of indoor volleyball at Southern Miss under head coach Amanda Berkley … Leaves Southern Miss as the all-time leader in kills (1,631) and attacks (4,584) … A first-team all-Conference USA and honorable mention all-region performer as a senior … Exits Southern Miss as the winningest senior class in school history … Returns to her home state; attended Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona where she was an honorable mention all-state performer ... Purdue has been accepted into the Martketing Master's program.
Coach Walker Says: "Stephany's story and how she also came to be a Wildcat is a fun one as well. Her recruitment only took about 72 hours total, but we're glad it worked out. In my time on coach Rubio's staff I knew of Stephany at a very young age from her time on the indoor side; and I always felt she had a really good volleyball IQ, the requisite skills and athletic ability to make any team better. I think the thing I like about her the most though is her daily approach to getting better and competitiveness."
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