Volleyball Magazine Tabs Florida Recruiting Class No. 1
Saturday, August 2, 2008 | Volleyball
The Gators' newcomers were rated the best in the nation in the August issue of Volleyball Magazine after earning the same distinction from PrepVolleyball.com in mid-July. The nation's top-ranked recruiting classes, according to Volleyball Magazine, included Texas (No. 2), Southern Cal (No. 3), UCLA (No. 4) and Nebraska (No. 5). The Gators were the only Southeastern Conference team included in the magazine's rankings of the nation's top-10 recruiting classes.
Florida head coach Mary Wise welcomes Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.), Cindy Bathelt (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Elissa Hausmann (Tampa, Fla.), Kelly Murphy (Joliet, Ill.), Betsy Smith (Atlanta) and Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) to her roster for the 2008 campaign.
The Gators become the fourth school since the 2003 campaign to occupy the No. 1 spot, according to the publication, which ranks the nation's top-10 incoming classes on an annual basis.
In the August issue of Volleyball Magazine, an article announcing the 2008 recruiting-class rankings said, “Florida hit a grand slam with its class. Mary Wise welcomes an outstanding class, headlined by Sports Performance teammates and difference-makers Murphy and Ward.”
Florida opens its 2008 season on Aug. 29, when it plays host to UAB as part of the Aquafina Invitational. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is set for 7 p.m.
FLORIDA'S 2008 INCOMING FRESHMAN CLASS
