Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Strengthen Roster for 2011
4/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State volleyball team bolstered its roster this spring with the inking of Barbara "Ba" Alcantara, Jaimee-Lee Morrow and Katie and Molly Pearson to National Letters of Intent to attend Fresno State for the fall 2011 season, head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell announced today.
Netherby-Sewell also announced the additions of former Clovis West standout Lauren Albertson and incoming freshman Katie Pearson. Albertson started workouts with the Dogs this spring while Katie Pearson has formally accepted her admission to Fresno State and intends to walk-on for the upcoming season.
Albertson, Alcantara, Morrow, and Katie and Molly Pearson (twin sisters) join Maci Murdock and Christina Lee as members of the 2011 recruiting class and all are eligible to compete this fall.
The 2011 campaign will mark Netherby-Sewell's fourth season as head coach and returns a pair of 2010 second-team All-WAC honorees in Brianna Clarke and Marissa Brand.
Lauren Albertson, So., 6-3, Middle Blocker, Fresno, Calif. (Fresno Pacific/Clovis West)
Lauren Albertson, a sophomore outside who played her freshman season at Fresno Pacific in 2009, is enrolled in classes at Fresno State, participating in team activities and eligible to compete for three seasons starting this fall.
"Lauren is a wonderful addition to our program as she's a fine student with tremendous potential and size to help us compete against the best at the Division-I level," Netherby-Sewell said. "With the addition of Lauren, our middle position will be stacked with heavy competition for a starting role. We have a ton of size and athleticism there. Her blocking presence will help our defense a lot."
Albertson helped the Sunbirds capture the 2009 NAIA National Championship after a perfect 38-0 season. In her 125 sets played, she recorded five matches with 10 or more kills and averaged 1.69 kills per set along with 1.38 blocks per set.
In high school, Albertson led the Clovis West Golden Eagles to the school's first valley title as the team's co-captain and earned the TRAC's co-Most Valuable Player honors in 2008. She received first-team all-valley and Co-Player of the Year recognition by the Fresno Bee. A four-year honor roll member and scholar-athlete, Albertson was also honored as the captain of the "Athletic Director Dream Team" Eagle of Honor Award.
"Lauren is also a local star, but a humble young woman who is ready to work hard and become the player she's always had the potential to be," Netherby-Sewell said.
Barbara `Ba' Alcantara, Jr., 5-9, Setter, Curitiba, Brazil (College of Southern Idaho)
Alcantara, a 2010 junior college second-team All-American, will join the Bulldogs as a junior 5-9 setter originally from Curitiba, Brazil, and most recently played for two years at the College of Southern Idaho.
During Alcantara's time with the Golden Eagles, she was also named first-team all-region as a sophomore following an impressive freshman campaign. In 2009, Alcantara led CSI to the NJCAA semifinals while she earned top setting honors and a spot on the all-tournament team. In the national semifinal match against Salt Lake Community College, Alcantara recorded 54 assists and 12 digs.
In Brazil, Alcantara excelled both nationally and internationally for her role leading the Military Club to four consecutive state championships from 2004-2007. Alcantara earned two-time setter of the international tournament accolades. In 2005, she received national recognition as Brazil's Most Valuable Player. In 2004, she received Player of the Year honors and led her high school team to a state title.
"Ba is a champion setter, played at a high level in Brazil and quarterbacked a National Championship team at one of the best junior colleges in the country," Netherby-Sewell said. "Our offense is strengthened with the addition of such an experienced setter. This young woman loves the game and has no fear running a court. We're thrilled for her to join our family."
Jaimee-Lee Morrow, Fr., 5-11, Outside Hitter, Mooroolbark, Australia (Mooroolbark Victoria)
Morrow, a native of Mooroolbark, Austrailia (near Melbourne), is another international star and will join the Dogs as a freshman 5-11 outside hitter this fall.
"Jaimee has the mindset of a champion," Netherby-Sewell said. "She has uncompromising passion for volleyball and will pursue greatness throughout her career at Fresno State.
Morrow helped lead her Victorian State Indoor Team to three straight national titles and the Victorian Beach Team to this past year's national championship title.
In 2010, Morrow earned the National All Star 7 Award at the Australian National Junior Championships. In 2008, she garnered her Victorian State team's most valuable player award.
Her playing experience includes club volleyball for Heidelberg Volleyball Club and the Melbourne Falcons along with time at Billanook College, the Victorian Junior State Team, the Victorian Open Team and the Australian Junior and Youth Team. Before playing volleyball, she played tennis for seven years.
"We like Jamiee's ball control and knowledge of the game," Netherby-Sewell said. "She is eager for us to train her and we're eager to do it."
Molly and Katie Pearson, Fr., 6-0, Right Side, San Jose, Calif. (Presentation)
Molly and Katie Pearson are twin sisters from San Jose, Calif. and enter Fresno State as freshmen 6-0 right side hitters.
"Molly and Katie Pearson gained the interest of many coaches in California in the last few months, so we were pleased to receive their commitment," Netherby-Sewell said. "As prospects they demonstrated similar upsides - impressive physicality, versatility and fundamentally - a noticeable attention to detail."
The Pearson sisters led Presentation High School to a fifth-place finish in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com, and advanced to the NorCal Division II finals for volleyball. They also sparked the school's basketball team to the 2010 WCAL and CCS championships with appearances in the NorCal Division II semifinals as both juniors and seniors.
"We're so excited to teach them both and unravel the uniqueness in each individual," Netherby-Sewell said. "Molly and Katie are very bright, hard-working young women. Now that they can solely focus on volleyball, their abilities are going to skyrocket."
Molly was named all-WCAL and All-Mercury News Honorable Mention in volleyball (2010) and basketball (2010 and 2011) while Katie paced the Panthers in blocks during her junior and senior seasons.
Fresno State Volleyball 2011 Recruiting Class
Lauren Albertson
Barbara "Ba" Alcantara
Christina Lee
Jaimee-Lee Morrow
Maci Murdock
Molly Pearson
Katie Pearson
"Our 2011 recruiting class is big and deep," Netherby-Sewell said. "Our team will look very new and shiny around the edges. At the core are our Lucky Seven, who are those who have been training hard with us this spring. They know the system and expectations. Adding the new with the old this year will be exciting to watch."
"We Are Your Team!" --- The Fresno State volleyball team will be hosting an All-Skills camp July 18-22 in the North Gymnasium on the Fresno State campus. You can always stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics).
