 |  |
Juniata women's volleyball announces seven commitments for 2011 season
HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College has received commitments from
seven young women's who will continue their education at Juniata
while competing as members of the two-time NCAA Division III
national champion women's volleyball team.
The seven newest members of the Juniata women's volleyball are, in
alphabetical order, Stephanie Dodson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona
Area), Amelia Kepler (Kane, Pa./Kane
Area), Kelci Scannapieco (York, Pa./Eastern
York), Catherine Scholl (Austin, Texas/St.
Michael's Catholic), Christine Sumner (Dublin,
Ohio/Bishop Watterson), Rachel Szeyller (Santa
Ynez, Calif./Santa Ynez Valley Union), and
Brittani Young (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield
Area).
"I believe this incoming class has a very nice blend of size,
athletic ability, quickness, and maturity," said Juniata head coach
Heather Pavlik. "We addressed some positional needs and rounded out
an already-competitive roster with not only great athletes, but
some great students as well and future Juniata community
leaders."
Stephanie Dodson, a 5-4 defensive specialist and
libero, is a two-time First-Team All-State selection in the AAA
division. She is also a three year First-Team All-District 6
honoree and a three year Independent Volleyball League
All-Conference Team selection. She has served as captain for the
2009 and 2010 Altoona teams, and holds the all-time career digs
record (1877) at Altoona High. Also on her resume is a
distinguished career with Altoona Juniors Volleyball Club.
Stephanie is the daughter of Bernie and Michelle Dodson and will be
pursuing a degree in biology at Juniata.
"Stephanie is a wonderful athlete whose speed and explosiveness
will be an immediate asset for us defensively," stated Pavlik. "She
has also become a very good passer over the last couple of years.
What has always impressed me the most is the passion and intensity
with which she plays the game. Because of these qualities, she is a
perfect fit for this program."
Amelia Kepler, a 6-0 hitter, has been a
three-time District 9 All-Star and in 2009 was named the District 9
Player of the Year. That same year she was named to the
Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA) All-State team.
She is also an accomplished track athlete; in 2009, she finished
second in the District 9 high jump championships and was a state
qualifier that same year. Also on her resume is a distinguished
career with the JAVA Volleyball Club. Amelia is the daughter of
Jeff and Jane Kepler and will be pursuing a degree in chemistry at
Juniata.
"Amelia is a wonderful blend of athletic ability, length and
intelligence. She has just barely begun to scratch the surface of
her abilities which is very exciting for the future," said Pavlik.
"She is the perfect fit for this institution and our program.
Amelia's versatility will add tremendously to our team right from
the start."
Kelci Scannapieco, a 6-0 middle hitter, was a an
All-State and All-District selection in 2010 and well as an
All-County honoree in both 2009 and 2010. She was named All-League
and Player of the Year for the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic
Association in 2010 as well. On her resume is a distinguished
career in basketball at Eastern York where she was a four year
letter winner and was named All-County in 2010. Kelci is the
daughter of Joe and Jodi Scannapieco and will be in Juniata's
exploratory studies program to begin her freshman year.
"Kelci is a tremendously gifted all-around athlete who is just
scratching the surface of her potential in volleyball. Her
quickness, length and jumping ability will add to this team
immediately. She has already been coached very well in high school
and I am looking forward to expanding upon that development over
the next four years," said Pavlik.
Catherine Scholl, a 5-11 opposite, was a First
Team All-State and All-District Selection in both the 2009 and 2010
seasons as well as being named the MVP for the last two years. She
was a Second Team All-District selection in 2008 and was also named
a TAPPS All-Star in 2009. On her resume is a distinguished career
with both the Austin Juniors and Austin Performance volleyball
clubs. Catherine is the daughter of Peter and Mary Beth Scholl and
will be exploratory in her major at Juniata.
"Cat has the gift of an enormously powerful arm and will certainly
make an impact offensively for this team," said Pavlik. "She also
blocks the ball well and has a background setting so it will be fun
to watch her all around game be incorporated with the rest of the
group"
Christine Sumner, a 6-2 middle hitter, has been
named All-Conference the lasts two years and All-District in 2010.
She is also an accomplished swimmer for Bishop Watterson as well.
Also on her resume is a distinguished career with the Columbus
Volleyball Academy which finished fifth at the USA Volleyball
Girls' Junior National Championships in 2010. Christine is the
daughter of Neal and Karen Sumner and will be pursuing a degree in
biology at Juniata.
"Christine has been exposed to very good volleyball both through
her high school career and with her club. This fact along with her
natural ability and her high volleyball IQ will make her a force to
be reckoned with right from the start," said Pavlik.
Rachel Szeyller, a 5-10 outside hitter, was named
to the All Los-Padres League team in 2008 and 2009 and was named
the Co-MVP of the league in 2010. She was also named First-Team
All-Santa Barbara County in 2010. Her team won the Los Padres
League Championship in each of the last three years with Rachel
serving as their floor captain in 2010.
Rachel has also enjoyed a very accomplished career in track and
field where she was a California Interscholastic Federation
finalist in discus in 2010 and semi-finalist in 2009. She was also
a CIF semi-finalist in both shot put and discus in 2008. Her
personal record in the shot put is 34-1 and 116-0 in the discus.
Also on her resume is a distinguished career with the Santa Barbara
Volleyball Club. Rachel is the daughter of Edward and Joann
Szeyller and is undecided in her major at Juniata.
"Rachel is a wonderful all around volleyball player and positive
life force," said Pavlik. "I am impressed with her command of the
game and her ability to positively affect those around her on each
and every play. These skills will put her in a position to make an
immediate impact in the gym."
Brittani Young, a 5-3 defensive specialist and
libero, is a 2010 All-State selection and a two-time District 3
All-Star earning second team honors in 2009 and first team honors
in 2010. She has also been named to the Section I All-Stars for
three consecutive years. Brittani's 2010 Hempfield squad is the AAA
state champions and she was named the Defensive MVP for the
championship. Also on her resume is a distinguished career with
Yorktowne Volleyball Club. Brittani is the daughter of Tony and
Barb Young and will be pursuing a degree in biology at Juniata.
"Brittani is a wonderful blend of athletic ability and ball
control. She is an assertive and gritty player who will bring a
confidence to the court due to her experience playing in big
matches. Her passing and defense will immediately make an impact in
the gym," said Pavlik.
The Eagles are led by Heather Pavlik, former three-time American
Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American setter and
longtime Juniata associate head coach, who is in her first year as
head coach after taking the reigns of the program from former head
coach Larry Bock in January 2011. Since joining the Juniata staff
as an assistant coach in 1996, the Eagles have posted a record of
493 wins against only 63 losses.
As Bock's top assistant, Pavlik helped lead Juniata to NCAA
Division III Women's Volleyball national titles in both 2004 and
2006 - part of Juniata's amazing run of 30 consecutive conference
championships and NCAA tournament appearances, 25 appearances in
the national semifinals, and eight appearances in the national
championship match.
