NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Friday its women's volleyball recruiting class for 2015. Two of the three signees will be the Gold Nuggets' tallest players in five years.
Signed to scholarships were:
• Ruby Hunt-Thompson, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter and right-side hitter from Evanston, Ill. She was home-schooled.
• Sarah Pitts-Groce, a 6-foot middle blocker and right-side hitter from Atlanta and Atlanta International School.
• Patricia Young Yen, a 5-9 middle blocker and outside hitter from Magna, Utah, Cyprus High School and Otero (Colo.) Junior College.
Hunt-Thompson, Pitts-Groce and Young Yen will join an XU program which was 20-6 overall and 14-0 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2014. For the fourth consecutive year, the Gold Nuggets won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.
"We focused on a little bigger presence at the net for blocking and terminating," third-year head coach Hannah Lawing said. "It was a thorough process of navigating the recruits. There was a lot of good talent, and it took a lot of work to narrow it down. (Assistant coach) Hilary (Lobenstein) and I are confident that these three ladies will make a difference in our program on and off the court. We think that their personalities will further diversify our team in a positive way, and they'll add something to our team coming from different parts of the country."
Hunt-Thompson was a member of the Crossroads Crusaders team which finished second in the gold division of the National Homeschool Tournament. She was MVP of the midwest regional tournament and led her team to the championship. In club she played for Sports Performance's 2014 AAU national-champion team.
"Ruby has always competed and performed at a high level in Illinois," Lawing said. "She has athleticism and technique. She has a big block, and she hits high over the net with a lot of power."
Hunt-Thompson is a multiple honor-roll student and graduated with honors. Her father is LaSalle Thompson, a 15-year NBA center and an All-American at the University of Texas.
Pitts-Groce was a two-year starter at Atlanta International and helped her club team, Atlanta Boom, win a regional tournament in 2014.
"Sarah has a well-rounded repertoire of abilities," Lawing said. "She works hard. She transitions well. She has a decent-sized block and can put a ball away. She will also be a unifying factor with a personality and sense of camaraderie that is hard to find."
Hunt-Thompson and Pitts-Groce will be the Nuggets' tallest players since 6-footer Allison Dawson and 6-1 Sierra Lyons in 2010.
Young Yen produced 485 kills, 195 blocks and 149 digs the past two seasons at Otero. Her match highs included 17 kills, eight blocks, eight digs and two aces. She was Otero's No. 2 attacker in 2014 with 272 kills and 10 matches of 10-or-more kills.
"Patricia is fundamentally well-rounded," Lawing said. "She's got the technique, and she knows how to put a ball away. She will bring to our team collegiate experience and a hunger for the ball."
Xavier will begin the regular season in late August and will announce soon its 2015 schedule.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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