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Five Newcomers to Join Bucknell Volleyball in 2007
May 17, 2007 LEWISBURG, Pa. - Five recruits will join the Bucknell volleyball squad for the 2007 season, head coach Cindy Opalski announced on Thursday. Heidi Kamp, Kelsey Lisle, Rachel Rodriguez, Kaitlin Segal and Jocelyn VanOpdorp comprise the group and hail from Oregon, Maryland, Ohio, California and New York. "We are excited about this year's incoming class for a variety of reasons," said Opalski. "First and foremost, these five individuals have a tremendous amount of academic integrity. All have been model student-athletes at their respective high schools and possess the character and work ethic to carry on the legacy of Bucknell's volleyball success. The Class of 2011 not only brings a tremendous amount of depth to our roster, but also has the capability to immediately impact our starting lineup. "As we began to build this class, we had high expectations and knew there were big shoes to fill. We challenged each of them to step up to the immense responsibility of being a Bucknell University student-athlete and be a part of our `elite 11'. All of them did their research, and knew early in the process that Bucknell would be a great place to spend the next four years of their lives. "Not only are they all very talented athletically, but each of them have played with excellent Junior Olympic programs. Success breeds success. Our intention was to recruit a group of young women who had experienced a significant amount of post-season play from their high school team coupled with credible USVBA club experience. "It is our hope that when they pack their suitcases for college this fall, they will bring that passion and hunger to Lewisburg and compete for a Patriot League Championship." Kamp, a middle blocker out of Springfield, Ore., lettered for four years in volleyball and swimming at Henry D. Sheldon High School where she served as captain of both squads as a senior and helped her volleyball team to four league titles. Kamp earned a sport on the all-league first team in 2006 and an all-league honorable mention nod in 2005. She was selected as team MVP as a senior along with earning Most Inspirational Player recognition. In the pool, Kamp was named Outstanding Junior Swimmer in 2006 and was a part of three district championship squads. Lisle joins the Bison from Marriottsville, Md., where she was a four-time team MVP for Seton Keough High School. The outside hitter was named Player of the Year by the Baltimore Examiner as a senior, while collecting two Baltimore City Player of the Year accolades from the Baltimore Sun, along with three Baltimore City first team selections and two All-Metro first team honors. A three-time IAAM All-Star first team honoree, Lisle served as captain for Seton Keough in both her junior and senior seasons. At the club level, Lisle played for the 18's National Team, Metro/American 18's, Maryland Juniors 16's National team, Time Out VBC, Orange Crush and Columbia Volleyball Club 14's. Rodriguez is a setter from Sagamore Hills, Ohio, and lettered four times in volleyball and three times in softball at Walsh Jesuit High School. As a team co-captain, Rodriguez helped her squad to state runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2006. She earned first-team all-district, second-team all-state, Beacon Journal All-Star, Touchdown Club All-Star and Record Publishing All-Star accolades during her career and was a High School Heisman nominee. Segal, an outside hitter, comes to Bucknell from Pacific Palisades, Calif., out of Harvard-Westlake School. She was named to the all-league second team her junior and senior seasons, helping her squad to a state quarterfinals appearance in 2005 and a Mission League championship in 2006. Segal earned Los Angeles Daily News honorable mention recognition as a senior and was a four-time Athletic Achievement Award recipient. She served as team captain her junior and senior years and earned Freshman MVP honors in 2003 as well. VanOpdorp lettered five times in volleyball at Williamsville South High School in Williamsville, N.Y. The libero was named team in 2005 and 2006 and also picked up All-ECIC first team and All-WNY honors. She earned Buffalo News Scholar Athlete honors as a senior and played club volleyball for the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club. Last season, Bucknell finished with a record of 20-12, marking the fifth time in the 29-season history of the program that a squad has reached the 20-win plateau. The Bison finished third in the Patriot League during the regular season and posted a runner-up showing in the league tournament. Bucknell Volleyball Class of 2011
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