(TUCSON, AZ) Head coach Dave Rubio and Arizona volleyball signed five players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, all ranked in the top 110 by Prep Volleyball. The Wildcats were the only team in the country to sign five top-110 recruits.
Arizona’s signing class:
| Name | Position | Hometown | Prep Volleyball Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Crouch | OPP/MB | Oceanside, Calif. | #73 |
| Emery Herman | S | Georgetown, Texas | #68 |
| Jaelyn Hodge | OH | Queen Creek, Ariz. | #20 |
| Shelby O’Neal | OH | Schertz, Texas | Senior Aces Top 150 |
| Lauren Ware | OPP/MB | Bismark, N.D. | #50 |
“We meet our needs with this class,” said Rubio. “We needed more depth in the middle and we were able to do that. We needed a setter and we got the setter that we wanted. We got an outside hitter and a setter that were at the top of our list and we got elite size. And then you talk about six-rotation outside hitters, those are like leprechauns riding a unicorn, they’re hard to find, especially with all of the attention we give them in our system. And we’re excited to get back into Texas. We signed two prospects from Texas, just the second and third prospects from Texas that we’ve signed since I’ve been here.”
The class is very solid 1-5, but is highlighted by Arizona’s highest-rated recruit in over a decade. Jaelyn Hodge, an outside hitter from Queen Creek, Arizona, is ranked #20 by Prep Volleyball, Arizona’s first top-20 recruit since Whitney Dosty (#4) in 2006. Hodge and Lauren Ware, who comes in at No. 50 on Prep Volleyball’s Senior 100 Aces, give the Wildcats two top-50 recruits for the first time since 2012 (Lauren Fuller and Olivia Magill).
China Crouch
6-6 | OPP/MB | Oceanside, Calif. (Carlsbad H.S.)
Prep Volleyball: #73
- All-district Performer
- Named to the All-Tournament Team at JOs where she has won a silver and a bronze medal
- Has also medaled at 16 Open (silver) and 17 Open (bronze) with Coast Volleyball Club
Coach Rubio says: “China is someone that we’ve been recruiting for a long time. She gives us elite size once again that we’ve had some success with in the past. She gives us some positional versatility; she can play in the middle, on the right or on the left. She can hit in any tempo in any zone along the net and can go off one foot or two.”
Emery Herman
6-0 | S | Georgetown, Texas (Georgetown H.S.)
Prep Volleyball: #68
- A third-team AVCA Under Armour High School All-American
- A 2018 all-state and two-time all-district performer
- A 2018 JO 16 Open All-American
- Named Newcomer of the Year in 2016
- District Setter of the Year as a sophomore and junior
- Two-time academic all-district honoree
Coach Rubio says: “We’re excited about Emery. She’s an elite athlete in terms of strength, coordination and skill. She’s a really good player. We feel like she’s the most underrated setter in this class; she doesn’t have to take a backseat to many if any setters nationally.”
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Jaelyn Hodge
6-0 | OH | Queen Creek, Ariz. (Basha H.S.)
Prep Volleyball: #20
- Arizona’s highest-rated recruit since Whitney Dosty (#4) in 2006.
- Led Basha to the state championship this week after finishing runner-up as a sophomore
- A member of the Youth Junior USA Training Team
- A three-time all-conference performer
Coach Rubio says: “Jaelyn is one of the best prospects we’ve signed in a long time. She’s up there with Dominique Lamb, Madi Kingdon and Penina Snuka as the highest profile recruits we’ve signed out of Phoenix since I’ve been here. She has all the tools; we haven’t had an outside hitter like her in a really long time. She’s full of potential. She’s smooth and twitchy with elite jumping ability.”
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Shelby O’Neal
6-1 | OH | Schertz, Texas (Schertz Clemens H.S.)
- A Prep Volleyball, Max Preps and Under Armour High School All-American
- Named to a list of 10 players to have “Just Missed Out” on Prep Volleyball’s 100 Senior Aces
- An all-state, all-district, all-city and all-conference performer
- An elite beach volleyball recruit that will also play for Arizona Beach Volleyball
Coach Rubio says: “Shelby is a really skilled outside hitter. She has all the skills that this program requires a six-rotation left-side hitter to have. She can pass, she has a wonderful platform, she’s a decent blocker and she has a terrific arm in addition to a wonderful brain and a really high volleyball IQ. She has all the skills necessary to be an upper-level Pac-12 outside hitter.”
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Lauren Ware
6-5 | OPP/MB | Bismark, N.D. (Century H.S.)
Prep Volleyball: #50
- Will play for Arizona women’s basketball as well as volleyball
- In addition to her #50 volleyball ranking, is ranked #22 as a women’s basketball prospect by ESPN
Coach Rubio says: “Lauren is a terrific volleyball prospect. She can play anywhere along the net, play in any tempo – slides, high balls, quick sets. We will start her out in the middle. Lauren has a great arm and a lot of natural ability for the sport. We expect Lauren to contribute right away.”
Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
