HPU Volleyball Signs Nine in the 2019 Class

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team has announced the program’s signing of nine for the class of 2019. Lucy Dumford, Allison Scheiwiller, Maria Miggins, Annie Sullivan, Kaley Rammelsberg, Macy Miller, Sopheea Mink, Maggie Salley, and Megan Kratzer will join the program next season.

The nine recruits hail from Illinois, Texas, Ohio, California, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Virginia respectively. The group consists of two middle blockers, four outside hitters, a setter and a defensive specialist.

“We knew that our 2019 class had to be special because it is replacing the most successful class of players in High Point University volleyball history,” head coach Ryan Meek said. “We believe we achieved that goal. This class is a fantastic mix of athleticism, skill, physicality, size and positional flexibility, but more than anything it continues to build our program around high character young women. I cannot wait to have these nine players on campus and to see the impact they have on the HPU volleyball program going forward. I think it is also a testament to High Point University’s growing reputation academically and athletically that we have players from all regions of the country with seven states being represented.”

PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS

Lucy Dumford | 6’1” | Outside Hitter/Right Side | Downers Grove, Ill. | Downers Grove South

PREP: Lucy Dumford will come to High Point after playing three years of varsity volleyball at Downers Grove South High School under head coach Kristee Conrad. She earned All-West Suburban Conference honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Dumford is a two-time IHSA All-Academic team member. She helped lead Downers Grove South to three West Suburban Gold Conference Championships. The Downers Grove, Ill. native played club volleyball with First Alliance VBC, where she led the teal to the 2016 Great Lakes Power League 16’s Super Open Championship and second place finish at the 16 Premier at AAU Nationals. Dumford helped First Alliance VBC win the 2017 Great Lakes Power League 16’s Super Open Championship and third place finish at the Windy City National Qualifier.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Katie Dumford and has an older brother, Sam, and younger sister, Rose. Dumford plans to major in exercise science at High Point.

COACH MEEK: “We had a chance to see Lucy play this summer and we immediately loved what we saw. Lucy brings a well rounded skill set to the program as someone who can play on both pins, pass, defend, block and put balls away. Her all around game will fit in nicely with what we want our pin players to do here, and I look forward to Lucy coming in and contributing quickly in our program.”

Megan Kratzer | 6’2” | Outside Hitter | Mechanicsville, Va. | Hanover

PREP: Megan Kratzer comes to High Point after playing four years of varsity volleyball under head coach Greg Knight, where she logged over 1,000 kills. She was named First-Team All-Conference in 2016. Kratzer collected First-Team All-Region honors in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Kratzer was named to the Richmond area All-Metro and Virginia All-State teams her junior and senior seasons. Kratzer won the region player of the year in 2018. She led Hanover High School to back-to-back regional championships in 2017 and 2018. The Mechanicsville, Va. native competed on the club volleyball circuit with the ACPL and was named best hitter twice.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Steve Kratzer and Kim Sutton. Her father, Steve, played basketball at the University of Richmond.

COACH MEEK: “Megan is a holdover from the previous staff, but I am happy she decided to stay committed to us here at High Point University. Megan has had a tremendous impact everywhere she has played and we can’t wait to see the impact she has on our program. She has a fantastic frame and size for an outside hitter, and when combined with her ball control, she projects as a player who can help us continue our growth nationally as a program.”

Macy Miller | 5-7 | Libero | Mission Viejo, Calif. | Mission Viejo

PREP: Miller signs with High Point after spending four years at Mission Viejo playing varsity volleyball under head coach Brooke Marino. She was named conference MVP and first-team all-conference in 2017, while collecting second-team honors in 2016. She helped her team qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Robert and Dianne Miller and has a brother, Easton, and a sister, McKenna. Her brother, Easton, played ice hockey at St. Anslem. She plans to major in education.

COACH MEEK: “We get a lot of recruiting tapes of liberos, but Macy’s stuck out immediately to all of us on staff. She has exceptional ball control and does so with great touch and technique. She has played at the top club level and should adjust seamlessly to the collegiate game. She will challenge for playing time immediately and projects as another elite level serve receiver and defender for us.”

Sopheea Mink | 6-1 | Outside Hitter | DeForest, Wis. | DeForest Area

PREP: Mink will come to High Point after playing three seasons of varsity volleyball under head coach Scott Schumann at DeForest Area High School. She was an all-area honorable mention selection her junior year and won all-conference awards her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She logged 296 kills on a .438 hitting percentage, while also tallying 52 blocks her senior season. She played club volleyball for Capital Volleyball Academy and led her team to the JVA World Challenge Championship in the 2018 season. The multi-sport athlete obtained varsity letters in track and basketball in her four years at DeForest.

PERSONAL: The outside hitter is the daughter of Scott and Amie Mink and she has a younger sister, Bella. She intends to major in business.

COACH MEEK: “Sophee is one of the best athletes I’ve ever recruited and I can’t wait to get to work with her in our gym. Touching 10’4″, she should be one of the highest touches in the Big South. Her jump and length allow her to attack over the top of most blocks. While still fairly new to volleyball I can’t believe how much she has grown in her game over the past year and I know she will be a quick study once she arrives on campus.”

Maria Miggins | 5’11” | Setter | The Woodlands, Texas | Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart

PREP: Maria Miggins signs with High Point after playing four seasons of varsity volleyball at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart. She earned Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 6A All-District First-Team in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Miggins helped lead her club team, Houston Juniors Volleyball, to a tenth place finish and 13th place finish at the GJNC Tournament in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Matthew and Penelope Miggins and has a sister – Gabriella – and a brother – John. Her grandfather, Lawrence Miggins, played professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals. Miggins plans to major in Biology at High Point.

COACH MEEK: “Finding a setter is always a challenge in recruiting, but we love what we have seen from Maria. She is a 6-foot lefty, which allows her to utilize her swing when setting front row. With her athleticism and length, she will be tough to stop offensively should she decide to swing or dump the ball. She is not just an attacking setter though. Her hands are some of the cleanest and prettiest in the country for her age, and she consistently puts up easy kills for her hitters. This summer we were blown away by her command of the court, her location and the wall she puts up as a blocking setter. We can’t wait to get Maria into our gym.”

Kaley Rammelsberg | 6’1 | Middle Blocker | Westerville, Ohio | Big Walnut

PREP: Rammelsberg just finished her fourth season playing varsity volleyball under head coach Rob Lehman at Big Walnut High School. She was a First-Team All-Ohio Capital Conference selection her junior and senior year and a Second-Team selection her sophomore year. She led Big Walnut High School to an Ohio State Division 2 State Runner-up finish in 2017.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Joe and Keri Rammelsberg and has a brother – Jace – and sister – Bryn.

COACH MEEK: “We got lucky with Kaley as she played club with current High Point University volleyball player Maddy Smith. Kaley is an explosive athlete, who is also a state qualifier in high jump. Her athleticism allows her to be quick off the ground and her length allows her to close blocks and get her hands into a lot of angles. As another player who is relatively new to high level volleyball, we project Kaley to develop into a devastating slide hitter and someone who could challenge for the career blocks record here at High Point in her career.”

Maggie Salley | 6’1” | Outside Hitter | Lexington, S.C. | Lexington

PREP: Maggie Salley signs with High Point after spending four season playing varsity at Lexington High School under head coach Adam Speight. She is a three-time South Carolina All-Region honoree and was named 2018 Region Player of the Year. She earned 2018 Conference All-Star Team honors. The Lexington, S.C. native led Lexington High School to the 2018 region championship and State semi-finals. She was named a club volleyball Academic All-Star with Carolina Rogue.

PERSONAL: The daughter of Richad and Shana Salley has two brothers- Johnson and Ryan. She plans to major in Biochemistry.

COACH MEEK: “Maggie is someone who caught our eye at the first tournament we recruited as a staff. She controls the ball well and plays well above the tape. Her athleticism and length allow her to attack at a high point (no pun intended!) and score points out of the front and back row. She has a wicked serve to combine with her defensive ability, and I believe she will develop into the quintessential six rotation outside hitter here at High Point University.”

Allison Scheiwiller | 6-2 | Middle Blocker | Bourbonnais, Ill. | Bradley Bourbonnais Community

PREP: Scheiwiller signs with High Point after playing three seasons of varsity volleyball under head coach Kary Dowling at Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School. She was an All-Southwest Suburban Conference and All-Area her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She recorded 307 blocks in her high school career and logged a .437 hitting percentage her senior year. The middle blocker played club volleyball for Impulse VBC and UNO Volleyball Club. She led her team to 2018 GJNC National Championship in the 2017 American Division.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Michael and Tami Scheiwiller. She has a younger brother named Zachary. She plans to major in Biology at HPU.

COACH MEEK: “Allie was actually our staff’s first commitment here at High Point and someone we wanted in our program as soon as we saw her tape and spoke with her. Allie brings a hammer of an arm and the ability to score in front of and behind the setter as a middle. She can immediately score points for us and, with her frame and long arms, projects as a terrific blocker in the middle as well. Allie will graduate high school early and be here this spring and we can’t wait to see what she becomes in a Panther uniform.”

Annie Sullivan | 6’1” | Outside Hitter | Richardson, Texas | JJ Pearce

PREP: Sullivan finished her four season playing varsity volleyball under head coach Jennifer Nance at JJ Pearce High School where she tallied 1,542 kills. She was named 6A District 8 Most Valuable Player and RISD All-City Most Valuable Player in her final season. She collected 6A District 9 Offensive Player of the Year and RISD All-City MVP during her junior season. Sullivan was named to the 6A District 9 and RISD All-City First teams in 2016. During her freshman season, she was named 6A District 10 Second team and RISD All-City First Team. The Richardson, Texas native was named to the 2017-18 Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) All-Star Team and Texas Association of Volleyball Coaches (TAVC) 6A All-State. She competed with the Skyline Juniors Volleyball Club for three seasons. Sullivan led Skyline Juniors to a third place finish in the Open at the Golden State Qualifier in 2017-18.

PERSONAL: She is the daughter of Hop and Holly Sullivan. The incoming outside hitter has a brother, Luke, and sister, Shelby. Her sister played volleyball at Texas A&M and currently competes professionally in Switzerland.

COACH MEEK: “Annie was a late addition to our class, but one we cannot wait to get her on campus. She is already a polished attacker, but we feel like she will develop into the prototypical six rotation outside hitter who can terminate from the front and back row. Her ability to score points should translate to the collegiate game immediately and over time she will become a force in all areas of the game.”