Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs sign three in early signing period
11/11/2020 8:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Bulldogs will add setter Brooke Cowie (Scottsdale, Ariz.), outside hitter Ella Rud (Gilbert, Ariz.) and outside hitter Preslee Lillard (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) next fall as freshman.
"We are thrilled to add Brooke, Ella and Preslee to our team," said Winder. "This 2021 class is filled with great volleyball athletes with great character. Their love for the game, desire to win, and enthusiasm for life are contagious, which excites us to have them in our community everyday. They will undoubtedly have a positive transformative impact on our program."
Brooke Cowie
Position:Â Setter
Height:Â 5-11
Hometown:Â Scottsdale, Ariz.
High School:Â Pinnacle (Phoenix)
Winder on Cowie:
"Brooke grew up in a hockey family where she developed as a great competitor and athlete. As a setter she is comfortable leading, competing and making her teammates better. She's able to set the ball all over the court with ease and will be a great setter in our program."
A three-year letter winner at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Cowie is a three-year captain for the Pioneers.
The career leader in assists in school history with over 2,500, Cowie led Arizona Class 6A in assists as a sophomore, junior and senior.
As a senior, she has earned Regional Most Valuable Player honors as well as earning All-Region honors as a sophomore and junior while helping lead Pinnacle to its first regional championship in 2019 for the first time in 15 years.
On the club ball scene, Cowie has been a four-year captain of the Phoenix Sky while earning team MVP honors all four years. She was also a standout at the 2019Â USA Volleyball Nationals earning All-Tournament honors on the way to leading the Sky to a fifth-place finish in Indianapolis.
Cowie chose Fresno State for its family atmosphere and culture around the program.
Ella Rud
Position:Â Outside Hitter
Height:Â 6-0
Hometown:Â Gilbert, Ariz.
High School:Â Perry
Winder on Rud:
"Ella makes everyone around her better. Her teammates love playing with her because she instantly raises the level of play with her talents and builds everyone up around her. She is a highly skilled six-rotation outside hitter who can pass and defend well while attacking the ball in a variety of ways to lead her to making a big impact on our team."
Joining Crowie as Bulldog signees from Arizona, Rud is a three-year letter winner at Perry High School in Gilbert.
Helping lead the Pumas to a perfect 15-0 regular season record this fall, Rud has tallied a .312 hitting percentage a senior while tallying 190 kills in 48 sets.
As a junior, Rud led Perry HS to a runner-up finish at the state tournament playing in 113 sets and totaled 377 kills.
Rud has also been active with the Arizona East Valley Junior club team for eight years and been a team captain.
Rud decided to become a Bulldog because the coaching staff puts an enormous effort into helping shape student-athletes into amazing players and people and wanted to be part of an amazing community who supports the Valley.
Preslee Lillard
Position:Â Outside Hitter
Height:Â 6-2
Hometown:Â Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
High School:Â Rancho Cucamonga
"Preslee has shown an incredible ability to improve and perform at an extremely high level. She is driven to achieve. Preslee has continued to be impressive with the ease at which she plays and her ability to kill the ball on both sides of the net. She's a great attacker who will score lots of points for our program for many years to come."
Beginning her high school career at University Preparatory School in Victorville, Lillard earned Cross City League MVP honors as a freshman in 2017 and was named the UPHS MVP and nabbed first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore.
Lillard transferred to Rancho Cucamonga High School in 2019 as a junior where she named the Offensive Player of the Year for the Cougars.
In addition to her high school accolades, Lillard has competed for the Forza1Â North club team earning a pair of top-three finishes at the junior national championships taking second in 2017 and third in 2018.
Deciding to become a Bulldog as soon as she stepped on campus, Lillard loved how much the city of Fresno connects with its athletic teams and liked that the coaches and players are so competitive and hard-working which was what she was looking for in a strong volleyball program.
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