The Colorado State University Pueblo Volleyball Program stayed awfully busy on National Signing Day as they ushered in the next generation of talent to a program that has been quickly on the rise over the past four seasons. A total of eight prep athletes put pen to paper and inked their intent to join Pack Volleyball beginning in the fall of 2023.
This marks the fifth recruiting class under the tutelage of Head Coach Austin Albers and the second largest recruiting class during his tenure.
The 2023 recruiting class is made up of eight total athletes from across the United States with players from Arizona, Oregon, Illinois, Utah and Colorado. The Pack will graduate a large class of six seniors following the 2022 season and this group looks to fill some big shoes and holes left by a group that has been integral to the turnaround of the ThunderWolves Volleyball Program since 2019.
Here's a look at the CSU Pueblo Volleyball graduating senior class by position:
- #10 Jazzy Espinoza | Middle Blocker | Cheyenne, WY
- #23 Milica Djukic | Middle Blocker | Belgrade, Serbia
- #15 Grace Hern | Setter | Omaha, NE
- #6 Elaine Thibadeau | Libero | Monument, CO
- #5 Hannah Delor | Outside Hitter | Marysville, MI
- #18 Kasey Jahnke | Opposite | Glendale, AZ
Here's a look at the 2023 CSU Pueblo Volleyball signing class by position:
- Andi Nothdurft | 6'2" Middle Blocker | Gilbert, AZ | Gilbert HS | Arizona Storm
- Ally Lange | 6'0" Middle/OPP | Carterville, IL | Carterville HS | EAA
- Macy Wood | 5'11" Middle Blocker | Sandy, UT | Alta HS | Club V
- Sophie Mika | 5'9" Setter | St. Louis, MO | Ursuline Academy HS | High Performance STL
- Braelyn Woodworth | 5'4" Libero | Gilbert, AZ | Perry HS | AZ EVJ
- Maddox Richtmyre | 5'3" Libero | Surprise, AZ | Willow Canyon HS | Revolution
- Kaitlyn Hall | 5'10" Outside Hitter | Peyton, CO | Falcon HS | CO Springs Altitude
- Ceanna O'Loughlin | 5'11" Pin Hitter | Beaverton, OR | Jesuit HS | Athena
Andi Nothdurft is the first addition to a class looking to replace two stellar fifth year seniors in the middle. Andi will certainly help in that department as the six-foot-two inch incoming freshman will arrive in Pueblo next fall looking to make an immediate impact. Nothdurft is a long and physical middle with a high IQ for the game and plenty of experience playing at a high level. She was part of an Arizona 6A State Championship team in 2019 before carving out some individual accolades as a junior after earning 2021 Premier Conference and 6A All-CUSD Honorable Mention Honors after leading the 6A Premier Conference in blocks. Andi transferred to Gilbert High School for her senior year and had to sit out the first half of the season before getting to compete in the final ten matches where she tallied 72 kills at a .388 hitting efficiency. Andi helped propel the Tigers to a 7-3 record after her return to the lineup before falling in the Arizona 6A Quarterfinals and finishing with a 26-8 overall record.
"Andi is a player that jumped on our radar early on the 2022 club season and really impressed us with her physicality and length. Having grown up in the Arizona Storm program she has been developed at a high level and competed alongside some of the best athletes in the country. We loved Andi's personality and competitiveness along with all of the tangible traits that allow her to stand out. She's a tremendous student and comes from a great family. We're confident that she's going to be a player that can have a lot of success at the next level and within the nationally competitive RMAC."
Ally Lange | 6'0" Middle/OPP | Carterville, IL | Carterville HS | EAA
The Pack made another big time addition to the middle blocker position with the signing of six-foot middle blocker Ally Lange. Lange is a product of Carterville High School in Illinois where she put together a senior season for the books after finishing as a 2022 1st Team All-State Selection. Lange was also the leading vote getter on her way to 2022 1st Team All-Conference and four All-Tournament Team selections during her senior campaign after finishing with 394 kills at a .289 hitting efficiency to go along with 72 blocks, 235 digs and 32 service aces. This was good enough to earn Ally a spot on the roster for the 618 All-Star Game which will take place in the summer of 2023.
"Ally was a prospect that reached out to us and stayed consistent with her communication and interest. The first thing that stood out from her film was her arm and ability to score points and she was a prospect we kept closely on our radar. When we finally got a chance to see her play in person at summer camp it was evident that she was all of what we had been seeing on film and more. Ally can play in the middle or on the rightside and is a lethal attacker from either spot. She's soft spoken off the floor but brings an energy and intensity on the floor that we just love. Ally too is an amazing student and we're really looking forward to getting her in our gym to see what she can do."
Macy Wood | 5'11" Middle Blocker | Sandy, UT | Alta HS | Club V
The ThunderWolves made a third and final addition to the middle blocker spot after adding another Club V prospect to the roster for the 2023 season. Macy Wood will arrive in Pueblo by way of Alta High School in Utah where the team captain played mostly as an outside during her senior season. After earning 1st Team All-Region honors during the 2021 season, Macy will likely continue to add to her laundry list of honors both on the court and in the classroom as awards get decided upon in the coming weeks. Wood will finish her high school career as a four-time Academic Letter Winner at Alta where she earned numerous recognitions ranging from Most Outstanding to Most Improved during the course of her career for the Hawks. Now she'll turn her attention to her final club season where she will look to add to a resume that already includes a 17 Open Championship at the Triple Crown West Coast Invite this past spring.
"Macy is a player that had been on our radar for the last several years and a kid that we had heard a lot of great things about from her coaches. In terms of her development, she is one of those players that we stumbled upon at the right time as she has turned into a scary good volleyball player over the past year. This kid is going to outwork everyone in the gym and bring a level of physicality and speed to our middle blocker position that we haven't had here in recent years. She's touching over 10' as an athlete, rocking a 4.0 in the classroom and is one of the most kind hearted people I've ever met. Macy is going to be a good one!"
Sophie Mika | 5'9" Setter | St. Louis, MO | Ursuline Academy HS | High Performance STL
The next addition to the ThunderWolves roster and key addition to the setter corps is none other than Sophie Mika. Mika will be the next Missouri native to join The Pack as she wraps up her tremendous career as a student-athlete at Ursuline Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. Sophie will bring along with her a long list of honors that is sure to get longer after the 2022 recognitions have been doled-out. Her resume already includes a 2019 All-District Honorable Mention which she followed-up with back-to-back 1st Team All-MWAA in both 2020 and 2021. The four year starter surpassed the 1000 assist milestone during her senior season while leading her team to the Class 3 Quarterfinals.
"Sophie is the ultimate competitor and a huge pick-up for us as a program. We knew that landing a talented setter for this class was going to be a priority as we need to fill the shoes of a five year starter and as soon as Sophie's film hit our desk we knew we had what we needed. She plays the game with a cool confidence and volleyball IQ of a player well beyond her years and brings the type of competitive edge that we want to have in the setter spot. Even between the time we first saw her play in March and getting to see her again this summer at camp she made improvements to her game that we had addressed during her visit. We can't wait to get her in the gym and see her run the offense!"
Braelyn Woodworth | 5'4" Libero | Gilbert, AZ | Perry HS | AZ EVJ
The Pack's first big addition to the backcourt is Braelyn Woodworth, an athletic and dynamic libero out of Perry High School in Arizona. Braelyn is having a tremendous senior season as she ranks 3rd in 6A in overall digs and tied the school record for digs in match all on her way to helping propel her team to the 6A State Semifinal. Woodworth was also named to the PrepVolleyball.com All-Tournament Team at the SoCal Invitational. The success doesn't stop there, Braelyn's honors spill over into the classroom as well. She was recognized with 2021 1st Team All-Academic Honors after her junior season and will continue to add to her list of accolades after the 2022 season comes to a close.
"Our first recruiting trip of the 2022 club season was to Phoenix and one position we knew that we had to do a great job with was the libero spot. As I sat and watched a couple of hitters that we'd heard about I found myself instead locked-in on watching the team's libero. She was flying around the floor, outworking everyone and making hustle plays that just didn't make any sense. That was my introduction to Braelyn. She's is a monster of an athlete and her work rate on the floor is simply unmatched. As we got into the recruiting process with her we began to realize that she was the perfect fit for our program. She's a brilliant student and a tremendous young woman that is going to make everyone around her better. We're just counting the days until we get to let her loose in practice."
Maddox Richtmyre | 5'3" Libero | Surprise, AZ | Willow Canyon HS | Revolution
The next signee for the ThunderWolves is another huge backcourt addition. Maddox Richtmyre is a five-foot-three inch libero that will play well beyond her length and make her presence felt for The Pack. Maddox hails from Arizona and will come to CSU Pueblo after accumulating just about every award under the sun during the course of her high school career. Richtmyre steps away from Willow Canyon High School with over 1,000 career digs and three consecutive 5A Region Defensive Player of the Year awards dating back to her sophomore season. She was named All-District 2nd Team as a freshman before earning back-to-back All-District 1st Team honors in 2020 and 2021. Maddox then put a bow on things during her senior season and finished with 1st Team All-Region recognition on her way to completing an illustrious prep career.
"Maddox first caught our eye at the MLK Tournament down in Phoenix last season and truthfully it wasn't even her play that caught our attention at first. In between sets we noticed this little libero was entertaining her team huddle and had the whole group laughing out loud. I honestly just loved the joy and energy that she brought to her team and decided to stick around to watch her a little bit more to see what she was about. And that's when the referee blew the whistle and we discovered that Maddox was a force in the back row. The more time we spent with her in the recruiting process, the more we knew we needed a player and person like her in our program. She'll be a huge boost to our program on the floor and in the classroom from day one."
Kaitlyn Hall | 5'10" Outside Hitter | Peyton, CO | Falcon HS | CO Springs Altitude
The ThunderWolves didn't have to look too far for the next talented addition to the roster. Kaitlyn Hall comes to Pueblo from just up the road in Peyton, Colorado where she has been a standout for Falcon High School after earning CSML North Player of the Year accolades in both 2021 and 2022. She adds to her resume with three 1st Team All-Conference awards and two Colorado All-State Honorable Mention awards after being a three year captain and leading her team to three straight regional tournament appearances. Kaitlyn also left her mark all over the record books at Falcon High School and was among Colorado's best while finishing her junior and senior seasons ranked in the Colorado 4A Top 10 in hitting efficiency and kills both years. Hall carries over just as much success into the classroom as well and will add a ton of talent to the 2023 roster.
"Kaitlyn is a local standout with big family ties to volleyball that landed her on the radar of our coaching staff. We began to hear about her accolades and success during her junior season and were able to keep an eye on her development until she finally came to campus for a visit this past spring. While we knew she had some bounce and some talent, we weren't really sure how her game would translate until we got her into the gym and saw what all the hype was about. Kaitlyn is overflowing with upside and athleticism, has a great knowledge and IQ for the game and is a coach's kid, which means she has been coached tough and knows how to work hard. She's strong academically and we're excited to start developing her game at the next level."
Ceanna O'Loughlin | 5'11" Pin Hitter | Beaverton, OR | Jesuit HS | Athena
The eighth and final signee to ink with Pack Volleyball comes to Colorado from Beaverton, OR after completing the 2022 season as one of the top attackers in the entire state. Ceanna O'Loughlin is a physical and technically sound pin attacker that can score from either antenna and will be a six rotation capable athlete during her tenure at the next level. Ceanna earned 2nd Team All-League as a sophomore before settling in on 1st Team All-League honors the past two seasons. She also graced the All-State list as an Honorable Mention selection in 2021 and is poised to improve on that mark when the 2022 list is published after she finished 3rd in 6A for total kills this past season and was named a Co-MVP for the 6A State Title Match last weekend. Ceanna was also an AVCA All-High School honoree for Region 10. Along the way O'Loughlin helped contribute to significant team success as well after tallying one State Championship and two Runner-Up finishes over the past four years.
"Ceanna jumped onto our radar this past spring and a couple of things became very evident through the recruiting process. First, that she was a very well rounded player, person and student. And second, we were jumping into a long line of schools that were eager to get this kid on campus. As we got to know Ceanna more through the recruiting process we began to understand why so many programs were lined up to talk to her. She is a very talented six rotation capable player that emerged as one of the best players in the state of Oregon this year. This young lady can play on either pin and through the back row. She's not worried about playing with flash or looking cool… she just wants to make sure that she beats you. We love her personality that she brings off the court and professionalism that she brings on the court. Ceanna is a winner and we are excited to add another player with the win-at-all-costs mentality to our program."
The new additions will all compete with the ThunderWolves next fall and will make an immediate impact and keep the bar set high in the always competitive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Original source can be found here.
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