Sixth-year John Brown head volleyball coach Ken Carver announced his latest set of signings on July 29, bringing five freshman on board as the Golden Eagles are set to begin the 2019 campaign in a few weeks.
Carver welcomes a class that features a pair of outside hitters, two setters and a defensive specialist. The incomers hail from three states -- Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.
"With this class, we were once again able to bring in players who have experience competing and winning at the highest levels with their respective high school and club teams," Carver noted. "These players know what it takes to perform at a high level consistently and compete for championships. Due to their respective experiences, I feel all five of these student-athletes have the opportunity and abilities to contribute to our team right away.
"Beyond what these young ladies bring to the court in terms of their skills and abilities, they also embody the character, personality, work ethic and drive we look for in recruits. Our program's core values are in sync with what they and their families were looking for in terms of their overall collegiate experience. I'm excited to welcome all five to our volleyball family and will be looking forward to having them join our returners as we seek to take JBU volleyball to new heights."
The five newcomers will join the 10 returners from the 2018 campaign that finished the season 16-15 (.516). The Golden Eagles open the 2019 campaign on Aug. 14 in Fullerton, Calif., where JBU will face Montana Tech and The Master's (Calif.) in the first leg of a two-day tournament, hosted by Hope International (Calif.).
Jillian Blackman, 5-3, defensive specialist, Blue Valley High School (Stilwell, Kan.)
The two-year letter winner under head coaches Dave Johnson and Tom Slaughter helped Blue Valley reach the KSHSAA 6A state title game in her senior season. Blackman earned back-to-back Best Passer Awards and led Heritage Christian Academy to the 2A state title as a junior. During her senior campaign, the Stilwell, Kan., native averaged just under 4.0 digs per set and 3.4 receptions per set.
Carver on Blackman: "Jillian is one of three members of this class whom we got to know and recruit due to her participation in our Elite Volleyball Camp. With her club team this spring, Jillian worked on not only honing her defensive skills, but worked to learn and get comfortable with the setting position as well. She is a highly competitive player with an extremely strong work ethic. Her addition to our team will further bolster our team's back-row defense, serve receive and serving aggressiveness. I love the energy Jillian brings to the court which is a mixture of passion for the game, high expectations for her and her teammates' level of play, and a strong encouraging voice for her teammates."
Lauren Cloud, 5-5, defensive specialist, Springdale Har-Ber
While at Har-Ber, Cloud was a two-year letter-winner under head coach Shyrah Schisler while leading the Wildcats to back-to-back conference titles and an appearance in the 6A state championship match. The 5-foot-5 defensive specialist set a personal single-game record with 12 digs and 31 assists as a senior, averaging 2.1 digs and 5.7 assists per set.
Carver on Cloud: "Lauren is one of two local recruits we were able to land, along with Ellie Lampton, from the Ozark Juniors club volleyball team. Ozark Juniors, 18-1, earned a bid to the Junior Olympic National Championships. Lauren, similar to the majority of the 2019 recruiting class, brings versatility to our team as a player capable of playing both as a defensive specialist and as a setter at a high level. We'll be looking at Lauren coming in and adding depth to our setting corps during her freshman season. Lauren is the ultimate servant-leader; she is willing to serve her team in whatever capacity a coach asks of her and will work hard to perform that role to her highest ability. Great work ethic and mentally tough player."
Morgan Fincham, 5-6, setter, Lake Hamilton
The three-year letter-winner under head coach Karen Smith, Fincham makes her way to JBU after a stellar senior season that saw the 5-foot-6 setter average 2.9 digs and 3.9 assists per set. Over her three seasons, she eclipsed the 1,000 assist mark and tallied over 700 digs. The Royal, Ark., product played three sports (basketball, soccer) and paced the basketball squad in assists and served as the anchor on the back line for the soccer program in her senior season. Fincham was selected to the South All-Conference squad and 5A All-Tournament team in back-to-back seasons.
Carver on Fincham: "Morgan is the second member of this class whom we got to know and recruit through our Elite Volleyball Camp. Morgan will join alongside Lauren Cloud in coming in and providing our team with depth at the setter position and another defensive specialist option. She is one of those players whose personality and character inspires belief and calls her teammates to higher levels of play. One of her strongest gifts is her encouraging, positive nature that's wrapped up in a very competitive and driven player."
Sarah Laaker, 6-0, outside hitter, Notre Dame High School (Fenton, Mo.)
The four-year letter-winner Laaker joins the Golden Eagles after a four-year career under head coach Deb Nicollerat. While helping the Rebels secure consecutive district championships, the 6-foot hitter was selected to back-to-back All-Conference first teams and also landed four straight All-District first team nods. The Fenton, Mo., native averaged 5.2 kills per set and featured a 98.5 percent serve-receive, third and second respectively in the St. Louis area.
Carver on Laaker: "Sarah is the third member of this year's class whom we offered due to her participation in our Elite Volleyball Camp. Sarah was a member of the Notre Dame High School team as well as the High Performance St. Louis 18-Royal team which ended up finishing fifth at the Junior Olympic National Championships. A versatile player in her own right, Sarah has experience as both an outside and opposite hitter and will most likely have the opportunity to see playing at both positions with our team. She's a player whose athletic ceiling is still really high; she's come a very long way in a short amount of time as a player in the development of her game with her experience with her HPSTL club. Sarah is a very athletic player who can hit a very heavy ball and execute at a high offensive efficiency. She'll be a great addition to our core of pin attackers for the upcoming season."
Ellie Lampton, 5-10, outside hitter, Siloam Springs
A leader on the Siloam Springs High School squad that finished last season with an appearance in the 5A state tournament semifinals, Lampton will wear the blue and gold after earning four letters under head coach Joellen Wright. During her senior season as a Panther, the 5-foot-10 outside hitter accumulated more than 400 kills, posted a better than .300 attack percentage and averaged 2.60 digs and 2.4 serve receptions per set on the defensive end. Over her career, the hometown girl paced all of 5A volleyball with over 750 kills in her final two season, propelling her over the 1,000 kill mark. Bolstered by back-to-back All-State and All-Conference selections in her final two seasons, Lampton earned the MaxPreps/AVCA Arkansas High School Player of the Week in her final year.
Carver on Lampton: "Ellie is our second local recruit and the first Panther to join the program since Beth Brankle and Bailei Brown. Ellie was a member of the Ozark Juniors, along with Lauren Cloud, that earned a bid to the Junior Olympic National Championships. Ellie will come into our program and look to be a contributor at the outside hitter position. She has a lot of natural athletic ability and has had a very successful high school career at Siloam Springs. Though possessing a quiet external demeanor, Ellie is a strong competitor who pushes herself to consistently perform at her very best. It's always great when we are able to land one of the 'home team's' top talents and I'm excited to see how Ellie will continue to grow as a player and person during her time at JBU."
Sports on 08/07/2019