PEORIA, Ill. ?
Bradley volleyball received three National Letters of Intent during the Fall signing period, receiving commitments from middle blocker Megan Schmidt (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic), right side Annie Cave (Easton, Ill./Illini Central) and libero Genevieve Dejean (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley). In addition the Braves have added six-foot setter Randi "Boomie" Williams (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West) to the 2008 roster. Williams graduates in December and will enroll at Bradley for the Spring 2008 semester after signing a scholarship agreement.
Schmidt is an athletic middle blocker with solid all-around volleyball skills. She averaged 4.2 kills per game as a senior and helped Central Catholic to a 26-12 record and IHSA sectional title this fall. A three-time all-conference selection, she was team captain as both a junior and senior and captured Centennial Invite All-tournament honors in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Schmidt was an honorable mention all-state pick as a junior and earned all-area honors in 2006 from the Bloomington Pantagraph. She plays club volleyball with Bloomington's Illini Elite and will add depth to the middle blocker position.
The Braves will get a second Illini Elite product in Cave, a 6-1 lefty right side from Easton, Ill., and Illini Central High School. She led her team in kills (351), blocks (98) and aces (42) during her final prep season and captured first-team all-conference honors. She was also named to the all-tournament teams at the Springfield Lutheran, Clinton and Riverton Tournaments. As a junior she earned second-team all-area honors from the State Journal-Register and Lincoln Register. The first NCAA Division I athlete from Illini Central, she has a true love for the game and will add versatility with her blocking, attacking and back up setting abilities.
A Naperville, Ill., native Dejean is a 5-1 libero/defensive specialist whose parents are originally from Haiti. A two-time all-conference honoree, she earned honorable mention All-Area recognition from the Daily Herald as a junior and senior and was a two-time academic all-conference award winner. She helped Neuqua Valley to a school record 23 victories as a junior and her team went 45-20 (.692) over her final two prep seasons. Genevieve is expected to be one of the Braves top passers from the outset and will help direct the back row efforts.
A proven winner, Williams is a three-time all-state performer at Blue Valley West High School, helping her team to a Class 5A state championship as a sophomore in 2005 and Class 6A runner-up finishes in both 2006 and 2007. She garnered first-team Class 6A all-state honors from the Kansas Volleyball Association as a junior and senior and was a three-time all-conference selection. Williams also was named one of the top 80 sophomores according to Prep Volleyball in addition to being recognized as one of Prep Volleyball's 2008 Senior Aces.
The Braves are expected to return nine letterwinners, including four starters for the 2008 season. Bradley lost seniors Nikki Pierzchala (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview), Jenna Harrison (Edwardsville, Ill./Metro East Lutheran) and Eileen Hillary (Washington, Ill./Washington) to graduation. Pierzchala and Harrison led the Braves with 265 and 230 kills, respectively, while Hillary was fifth on the team with 191 digs and second in assists (344).
