ITHACA, N.Y. – Melissa Batie-Smoose, the Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball, has announced her first recruiting class. The Big Red will add six players to next year's squad, as Grayce Campbell (Manahattan Beach, Calif.), Kristina Dunworth (Pleasanton, Calif.), Sarah Kramer (San Dimas, Calif.), Alyssa Phelps (Bucyrus, Kans.), Jasmine Robinson (Shawnee, Okla.) and Macey Wilson (Round Rock, Texas) will join the team for the 2013 season. The group of six comes from four different states and consists of two middle blockers, two outside hitters, one setter and one player that can play setter and right side.

“We are very excited about the incoming class of freshmen,” said Batie-Smoose. “They all come from very good club and high school programs where they have received quality training. Sometimes, when you come in as a new staff, your first recruiting class isn't as good as you'd like because you're playing catch up, but that isn't the case at all, as our staff did a great job putting this class together. We feel that they all have a chance to compete right away for playing time. The incoming freshmen are going to help us make the next step in our quest to move this program forward and compete for Ivy League titles.”

 

Cornell Volleyball 2017 Recruiting Class
Name	Ht.	Pos.	Hometown (High School/Club Team)
Grayce Campbell	6-0	OH	Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/SCVA)
Kristina Dunworth	5-11	S	Pleasanton, Calif. (Amador Valley HS/City Beach)
Sarah Kramer	6-0	OH	San Dimas, Calif. (Rosary HS/Club West)
Alyssa Phelps	6-0	S/RS	Bucyrus, Kans. (Blue Valley Southwest/PVA)
Jasmine Robinson	5-9	MB	Shawnee, Okla. (Shawnee HS/Oklahoma Peak Performance)
Macey Wilson	6-3	MB	Round Rock, Texas (Round Rock HS/Austin Juniors)

Cornell Volleyball Class of 2017 
Player Biographies
 
#10 Grayce Campbell – Outside Hitter – 6-0
Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/SCVA)
Campbell lettered twice at Mira Costa high school, where she was named All-Area Bay League second-team in 2011 and 2012, as well as All-Bay League first-team in 2012. She helped her team earn a bronze medal in the 2007 Junior Olympics in the Open Division and was a Midwest Jr. Olympics qualifier champion in 2009. Campbell's team also won the L.A. Jr. Olympics qualifier championship in 2010. As a member of the Sunshine Volleyball Club, she won numerous medals at various beach tournaments through the CBVA, AAU and AVP junior tours. Campbell also participated in track and field for one season.
 
Batie-Smoose on Campbell: One of the things we like about Grayce is that she can play all six rotations. She played at a high level on one of the top high school programs in the country at Mira Costa. We're looking for her to contribute on the outside because she is one of those players who always finds a way to score.
 
#15 Kristina Dunworth – Setter – 5-11
Pleasanton, Calif. (Amador Valley HS/City Beach)
Dunworth was a four-year letter winner at Amador Valley high school, where she set and played right side. She was a two-time first-team all-league selection and was named a North Coast Selection scholar-athlete all four years. Dunworth also played for the City Beach Volleyball Club, which placed third at the Junior Nationals in 2008-09. Dunworth also lettered four times as a member of the marching band.
 
Batie-Smoose on Dunworth: The mark of a good setter is the ability to make your teammates better and Kristina can certainly do that. Another great quality that you want to see, and that she possesses, is the willingness to take the extra reps and out-work everyone. Your setter should be your leader and Kristina has that mindset, so the rest of the team should follow suit. Also, at six-foot she gives us another dimension at that position with her blocking.
 
#12 Sarah Kramer – Outside Hitter – 6-0
San Dimas, Calif. (Rosary HS/Club West)
Kramer played volleyball for three seasons at Rosary high school, earning first-team Trinity League honors in 2011. She led her team to the Ayala Tournament championship in 2011 and was named tournament MVP for her efforts. Kramer also played for Club West, helping the team to a bronze medal at the 2012 Junior Olympics 17-Open tournament, while winning the Spokane Washington National Qualifier and the Southern California National Qualifier that same season.
 
Batie-Smoose on Kramer: Sarah is going to be a great addition to our program and has the potential to have a great career at Cornell. She is one of those players that you love to have on the floor because she just finds a way to put the ball down. Sarah has been a clutch player at the highest level and has a great volleyball IQ.
 
#1 Alyssa Phelps – Setter/Right Side – 6-0
Bucyrus, Kans. (Blue Valley Southwest/PVA)
Phelps lettered three times at Blue Valley Southwest high school, after earning one varsity letter at Blue Valley West as a freshman. She was a three-time All-EKL honoree and was named a MoKan All-Star in 2012. Phelps helped Blue Valley West to a state runner-up finish in 2009 and earned an AVCA/MaxPreps Player of the Week honor in 2011. She was also an Evelyn Gates Award nominee, given to honor the top female high school varsity volleyball student-athlete in the Kansas City area. Phelps played her club volleyball with Performance Volleyball Academy, serving as team captain. She also lettered three times in track and field at Blue Valley Southwest. 
 
Batie-Smoose on Phelps: When we were recruiting Alyssa we noticed she always brought positive energy to the court and was able to pick up her teammates. As a left-handed setter and hitter she can help us in a number of areas and gives us the ability to run a lot of different sets.  Also her demeanor on the court is very steady, which is another quality you like in a setter.
 
#9 Jasmine Robinson – MB – 5-9
Shawnee, Okla. (Shawnee HS/Oklahoma Peak Performance)
Robinson lettered four times at Shawnee high school, serving as team captain as a senior. That same season, she was named all-state, academic all-state and was selected to the state all-tournament team. Robinson was named MVP all-conference in 2010 and 2013 and was selected first-team all-conference in 2011. During her four seasons, she was selected to seven all-tournament teams. Robinson also lettered four times in track, where she was a stat champion in the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay. She played club volleyball for the Oklahoma Charge and Oklahoma Peak Performance, helping her teams to a combined record of 51-3. Robinson helped her team to the Show Me National Qualifier championship in 2012 as well as a spot in the Girls' Junior National Championship game that same season.   
 
Batie-Smoose on Robinson: Opponents have been known to underestimate Jasmine, but don't let her size fool you. While she might not have typical middle blocker height, she more than makes up for it with her vertical as she touches 9'10” on her approach jump. She is also versatile enough to help us at either middle or outside.
 
#14 Macey Wilson – MB – 6-3
Round Rock, Texas (Round Rock HS/Austin Juniors)
A four-year letter winner at Round Rock high school, Wilson led her team to the playoffs in all four seasons. She also lettered twice in basketball. Wilson spent three years in the USA Volleyball High Performance program and played her club volleyball with Austin Juniors, helping helped the team qualify for the national division tournament.
 
Batie-Smoose on Wilson: Macey is the type of player that fits very well into our offense because she is very physical at the net. Her athleticism allows her to transition off the net very quickly and puts her in a position to score. With her drive, I wouldn't be surprised if Macy came in and out-worked some of our current players for playing time.

Fans of the Big Red will have a chance to see the newcomers in person as the team opens the 2013 campaign by playing host to Buffalo, Iona and Bucknell at the Cornell Invitational, held Sept. 6-7 at Newman Arena.