For the past two years, the identity of the Oregon volleyball team has belonged to Liz Brenner. The power-hitting outside hitter is a reigning four-time Pac-12 performer and second-team all-American but is now gone from the team due to graduation.
As the post-Brenner era begins with the upcoming 2015 season, Oregon is bringing back a solid core group, particularly third-team all-American Martenne Bettendorf, setter Maggie Scott, and libero Amanda Benson.
With the combination of the returning players and the incoming recruits head coach Jim Moore has signed to national letters of intent, there’s no reason to think the Ducks won’t be back in the postseason.
Moore and assistant coach Stacy Metro have inked five players to the class of 2019.
All five players are members of the top-54 Senior Aces List.
Along with the loss of Brenner, the Ducks are losing outside hitter Naya Crittenden to transfer so bringing in three recruits who stand 6-foot-3 is huge for the Ducks at the net.
Here are the five recruits and a small breakdown of each player.
Lindsey Vander Weide – Outside Hitter – Turlock, California: Weide is the top-rated recruit by coming in at No. 13 on the Senior Aces List. She’s a third-team all-American who uses her height to take advantage at the net on offense and defense. A very smart player, the 6-foot-3 Weide doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and has no problem knowing when to pound the ball to the ground or tip it over for the point.
Sumeet Gill – Middle Blocker – Elk Grove, California: Gill is a 6-foot-3 athlete who excels offensively and defensively with her athleticism. Watching Gill on the court will remind fans of recently departed Serena Warner, an ultra-athletic middle who is always moving and bouncing on her feet. Gill has experience at the national level after making the Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships all-tournament team in 2013 so the pressure of playing of Oregon should not be an issue.
Haley McLaren – Outside Hitter – Aurora, Colorado: McLaren has been in the Colorado State championship game each of her four years of high school while winning the last two so pressure will not be a problem. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter shows a versatile set of attacking points and is seen as more of a pound-the-ball type. McLaren’s very capable of playing in the back row and shows soft hands when passing the ball. McLaren was also named a third-team all-Ameircan this past year.
August Raskie – Setter – Colorado Springs, Colorado: Raskie is the only setter Moore brought in for this years class so it is likely that she will see time on the court as part of a 6-2 rotation. The 6-foot setter brings great size to the position as has shown the ability to be an attacking setter, making her a true double-threat on that side of the ball. Also, with her size, there will be less of a gap when combing with teammates for blocks at the net.
Lauren Page – Middle Blocker – Riverside, California: Page is arguably the most athletic player of the class as she stands at just 6-foot but plays outside hitter and middle blocker. She uses her supreme athleticism to surprise opponents on how quickly she explodes from the floor and how high she gets up. Page has used her athleticism to star at the club level but at a division-one program, she’s going to need to learn how to score in other ways when facing other high-end athletes.
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