PEORIA, Ill. -- Fifth-year Bradley Volleyball head coach Jenny Maurer announced the addition of three student-athletes for the 2016 season Wednesday with outside hitter Annie Ertz (Elm Grove, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels), middle blocker Kathryn Graf (Edina, Minn./Edina) and setter Erin Olson (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) joining the team next season.
“This talented trio will make an immediate impact for our team,” said Maurer. “They are flat-out winners, who have been key contributors on their respective high school and club teams and we look forward to adding their intense work ethic, scoring mentality and competitive toughness while significantly raising our overall level of play.”
A 6-1 outside hitter, Ertz earned first-team all-state honors this season after leading the state of Wisconsin in kills and helping her team to a WIAA state championship. She was named to the Under Armour All-American watch list prior to her senior year and ranked 47th in the nation in kills this fall. A two-time all-conference performer, she helped her high school to back-to-back state championships her final two prep seasons and was an Esmark High School All-American.
“What makes Annie so dynamic is that she plays a complete game,” added Maurer. “She scores, she defends and she has excellent ball control. She already possesses a solid arsenal of offensive shots and her lengthy wingspan, along with her great court vision make her an imposing blocker. As Annie continues to develop her overall athleticism off the court, we anticipate that she will readily adapt to the faster pace of the college game.”
Graf is a 6-2 middle blocker who was part of the same club program as current Braves Afton Sobasky (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) and Abby Ihrke (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie). She earned first-team all-conference honors as a senior and ranked in the top 10 in the state in blocking. Graf took home honorable mention all-conference recognition her junior year in addition to playing in Spain during the summer of 2014 against European Junior National Teams. She was part of club teams which placed in the top five at each of the last two AAU Junior National Championships and the 2014 USA Junior National Championships.
“We have watched Kathryn develop for a few years now, and what impresses us most is her learning curve, both in training as well as in live play,” said Maurer. “She takes pride in shutting down opponents' best scorers with her physical block, but she also works exceptionally hard in transition to be an available attacking option. Between her high school, club and international experience we expect Kat to be ready to compete at this level from day one.”
Olson helped her team to a 36-6 overall record this year and the Trojans finished third in the IHSA Class 4A state tournament last week. The two-year team captain led her team in aces and assists in addition to ranking third on the squad in both kills and blocks. A 5-9 setter, she was named to the Under Armour All-American watch list as a senior. As a junior she was a first-team all-conference pick and also earned all-area honors. This fall she averaged 1.68 kills, 0.93 blocks, 0.57 aces, 2.15 digs and 8.9 assists per set.
“Erin is the type of setter you want on your team and hate to play against,” stated Maurer. “She is absolutely frustrating for opponents to read with her neutral body positioning, and her accuracy is consistently on point. Hands down, she knows how to run the show, but she also impacts her team well beyond her impressive setting skills as she tallies marks in several statistical categories. We look forward to some great battles in our gym when she arrives.
“This class is no exception when it comes to fitting seamlessly into the culture and fabric of both our program as well as the Bradley campus community. They are driven, talented young women who dominate in the classroom as much as they do on the court and they all chose to commit to Bradley for the opportunity it afforded them: a top notch education while helping build a program to compete in one of the top conferences in the nation.”
The Bradley volleyball team returns to action Friday, when the Braves open the final road swing of the 2015 season with a 7 p.m. match at Northern Iowa.
