HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point University volleyball head coach Jason Oliver’s 2014 recruiting class was tabbed as one of the best in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. The class, consisting of four freshmen and one junior who will join HPU in the fall, earned High Honorable Mention in PrepVolleyball.com’s annual list of the best recruiting classes in the country.
“Recruiting is the life blood of any program,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “Assistant coach Jake Hong and I have worked hard to find some of the best players in the country and help them fall in love with the extraordinary university we have here at High Point. I truly feel that this class represents a very bright future for our volleyball program. This class has elite volleyball talent and leadership qualities that have yet to be seen in previous classes. Now the fun moves to the gym where we can begin to work toward winning a championship and representing the Big South in the NCAA Tournament.”
Haley Barnes, Camryn Freiberg, Carly Jimenez, Amy Pilat and Gabi Mirand made up Oliver’s 2014 recruiting class that was given High Honorable Mention. This is the second HPU recruiting class to be recognized by PrepVolleyball.com during Oliver’s tenure. His 2011 class earned Honorable Mention.
Barnes is an outside hitter from Neenah, Wis. She led Neenah High School to three-straight Conference Championships and a perfect 27-0 conference record for the last two seasons. Barnes is Neenah’s all-time kills leader with 1,331 kills, including 415 kills her senior year.
Freiberg joins High Point from Allen, Texas. The middle blocker is a three-time All-District player for Allen High School, earning first-team honors as a junior and senior. She was also voted the District 10 Blocker of the Year in 2012.
Jimenez is a setter from St. Charles, Ill. She was an All-Conference selection for the past two years at St. Charles East High School and earned a spot on the first team as a senior. Jimenez was also an All-State and All-Area honoree.
Pilat comes to High Point from Chagrin Falls, Ohio where she was an All-Conference selection at Kenston High School. Pilat helped her team to the Ohio State Final Four as a sophomore and junior and was named one of the best players in Northeast Ohio for the last three seasons.
Mirand played two seasons at Southern Utah and will have two years of eligibility at High Point. She is originally from Long Beach, Calif. and played at Saint Joseph High School. Mirand played in 61 matches in 2011 and 2012 for Southern Utah and redshirted the 2013 seasons. She led the team with 985 assists in 2013. She also served 35 aces, the second most in a single-season at SUU.
Oliver enters his fifth season at High Point in 2014. He has 10 returning players on the roster to go along with the highly touted newcomers. Among the return players are All-Big South honorees Chelsea Davis and Kristin Heldt. Big South Freshman of the Year Savannah Angel will also be back for High Point in 2014.