In addition to the announced signing class of three last November, volleyball coach Laura Groff was able to add two more student-athletes to her 2016 class. Let's take a quick look at all five.
^ Brianna Hudson - Cy-Lakes
DS / Libero; 5’6”
- Played club for Houston Juniors.
- MaxPreps lists 495 digs, 4.6 digs/set as a senior
- Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association FAB 50
- Has a younger sister, Brooke, who also plays DS at Cy-Lakes.
^ Brianna McCulloch - SA Taft
OH; 6’0”
- Played club for Alamo
- District 27-6A First Team all 4 years as an OH at Taft.
- TGCA 6A All-State Academic First Team
^ Kara Teal - Brentwood Christian (TX)
MH; 6’0”
- All-District 3 out of her 4 years. TAPPS All-State as a sophomore and junior.
- One of four seniors for Austin-area Brentwood who will play in college, including Blair Westerlund who signed with Texas. The two friends / former teammates will face each other for the first time on September 1.
(photo: Tom Reel / SAEN)
^ Emilia (Emily) Ramirez - Antonian
DS / Libero; 5’8”
- TAPPS All-State First Team and TAPPS 2-5A champion. She tallied 15 kills / 19 digs / 4 aces in the championship match.
- Played club for SA Magic, including USAVolleyball Junior National Olympics multiple years.
- She has three sisters, at least two of whom are also liberos. Sister Celeste played for UNO (New Orleans).
^ Christine Egu - Stafford (TX)
MH; 6’0”
- 3.92 GPA, sixth in her class
- District 28-4A Offensive MVP as a senior
- Walk-on from Stafford, which is just south of Mo City in Houston.
Analysis:
At first glance and given the information available, this is a class with some question marks. The cupboard feels bare at DS with the graduation of All-CUSA libero Annie Kunes, and I don't see the home run at that position that Coach Groff was no doubt looking for. It remains to be seen whether new signees Brianna Hudson and Emily Ramirez can play near that level. Emily comes from a volleyball family, and I suspect that her savvy and intelligence on the court are superb. She's played club at a high level. If her skill is on par, there is some hope there.
We are also losing the offensive duo of Jordan Kotara and Kylie Schott, the latter of whom is one of the most effective role players I have seen play for UTSA. To replace them, we have some combination of McCulloch, Teal, or Egu, all shorter than Kotara and Schott. To be blunt, the lack of prototypical height in this class is underwhelming. Luckily all three have time to adapt their play to the college game, as the bench is stacked in front of them with returning MH/OHs.
From another perspective, I think Egu as a walk-on MH was a great win in this class. She is the type of smart and dedicated student-athlete many teams would love to have and not spend a scholarship on.
It's premature, no question, but I just don't get that great feeling with this class as I have with Coach Groff's previous three or four; there is no Kunes or Boskovic or Amanda Gonzales. For now, UTSA continues to play at the top of Conference USA. And Groff's scheduling has been exemplary - top 50 RPI opponents this year include SMU (34), Texas (2), Miami (44), Ohio (49), and Wichita State (30). That is a big-league non-conference schedule. So maybe it's just in comparison that, right now at least, it doesn't seem like UTSA pulled in a big-league recruiting class to match.
^ Brianna Hudson - Cy-Lakes
DS / Libero; 5’6”
- Played club for Houston Juniors.
- MaxPreps lists 495 digs, 4.6 digs/set as a senior
- Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association FAB 50
- Has a younger sister, Brooke, who also plays DS at Cy-Lakes.
^ Brianna McCulloch - SA Taft
OH; 6’0”
- Played club for Alamo
- District 27-6A First Team all 4 years as an OH at Taft.
- TGCA 6A All-State Academic First Team
^ Kara Teal - Brentwood Christian (TX)
MH; 6’0”
- All-District 3 out of her 4 years. TAPPS All-State as a sophomore and junior.
- One of four seniors for Austin-area Brentwood who will play in college, including Blair Westerlund who signed with Texas. The two friends / former teammates will face each other for the first time on September 1.
(photo: Tom Reel / SAEN)
^ Emilia (Emily) Ramirez - Antonian
DS / Libero; 5’8”
- TAPPS All-State First Team and TAPPS 2-5A champion. She tallied 15 kills / 19 digs / 4 aces in the championship match.
- Played club for SA Magic, including USAVolleyball Junior National Olympics multiple years.
- She has three sisters, at least two of whom are also liberos. Sister Celeste played for UNO (New Orleans).
^ Christine Egu - Stafford (TX)
MH; 6’0”
- 3.92 GPA, sixth in her class
- District 28-4A Offensive MVP as a senior
- Walk-on from Stafford, which is just south of Mo City in Houston.
Analysis:
At first glance and given the information available, this is a class with some question marks. The cupboard feels bare at DS with the graduation of All-CUSA libero Annie Kunes, and I don't see the home run at that position that Coach Groff was no doubt looking for. It remains to be seen whether new signees Brianna Hudson and Emily Ramirez can play near that level. Emily comes from a volleyball family, and I suspect that her savvy and intelligence on the court are superb. She's played club at a high level. If her skill is on par, there is some hope there.
We are also losing the offensive duo of Jordan Kotara and Kylie Schott, the latter of whom is one of the most effective role players I have seen play for UTSA. To replace them, we have some combination of McCulloch, Teal, or Egu, all shorter than Kotara and Schott. To be blunt, the lack of prototypical height in this class is underwhelming. Luckily all three have time to adapt their play to the college game, as the bench is stacked in front of them with returning MH/OHs.
From another perspective, I think Egu as a walk-on MH was a great win in this class. She is the type of smart and dedicated student-athlete many teams would love to have and not spend a scholarship on.
It's premature, no question, but I just don't get that great feeling with this class as I have with Coach Groff's previous three or four; there is no Kunes or Boskovic or Amanda Gonzales. For now, UTSA continues to play at the top of Conference USA. And Groff's scheduling has been exemplary - top 50 RPI opponents this year include SMU (34), Texas (2), Miami (44), Ohio (49), and Wichita State (30). That is a big-league non-conference schedule. So maybe it's just in comparison that, right now at least, it doesn't seem like UTSA pulled in a big-league recruiting class to match.
