RICHMOND, Va. – VCU introduced eight signees as part of its 2020 recruiting class, Head Coach Jody Rogers announced Thursday.
Sydney Ashton (New York, N.Y./The Calhoun School), Sabria Cooper (Oklahoma City, Okla./Memphis), Addison Foote (Louisville, Ky./North Oldham), Corinna Jones (Bloomington, Ill,/Bloomington), Lauren King (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield), Jasmine Knight (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep), Kylie Loftus (Grand Prairie, Texas/Arlington Martin) and Ayanna Swann (Richmond, Va./Richard Bland) will join the Rams this fall.
"This is a significant class in many ways, especially in regards to the continued success and growth of our volleyball program. These young ladies all embrace great teammate culture, while elevating our team's volleyball I.Q., athleticism, and positive attitude in our gym. Each one of these student-athletes comes from a winning background that will complement our current roster," said Rogers, who has led VCU to three straight Atlantic 10 Conference regular season titles, as well as two NCAA berths in the past three years.
Here's a look at VCU's 2020 recruiting class:
Sydney Ashton, 5-9, Libero/DS l New York, N.Y./The Calhoun School
Fast facts: Ashton was named All-NYCAL four times while at the Calhoun School and was twice named League MVP. She also competed on Grenada's National Team in 2018 at the ECVA Senior Championships in Antigua, West Indies. Ashton also helped lift Calhoun to the state finals for the first time and enjoyed distinction as a member of the All-Star Empire Volleyball Club.
Coach Rogers on Ashton: "Sydney has the ability to play multiple positions, but her strength will be in directing traffic in the back row. Sydney is extremely driven in the classroom, which permeates onto the court to enhance our first ball touch."
Sabria Cooper, 6-2, Middle Blocker l Oklahoma City, Okla./Westmoore (Memphis)
Fast facts: Transfer from Memphis who will have three years of eligibility remaining. She appeared in 24 matches, including 18 starts, for the Tigers in 2019, and averaged 1.73 kills and 0.67 blocks per set, while hitting .203. She counts All-District and All-Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference honors among her numerous high school awards.
Coach Rogers on Cooper: "Sabria will add great experience to the middle position with her physicality and I.Q. as a blocker. Her ability to attack from anywhere along the net will add a balanced threat to our fast-paced offense."
Addison Foote, 5-11, Outside Hitter l Louisville, Ky./North Oldham
Fast facts: Foote averaged 3.99 kills per set, which ranked 25th in the state, and led North Oldham to the Kentucky state semifinals in 2019. She was named Regional Player of the Year, as well as Metro Louisville All-Area First Team for her efforts.
Coach Rogers on Foote: "Addison will bring a competitive and 'hate to lose' mentality to our gym. Her high I.Q. and drive will enable her to compete for a position early."
Corinna Jones, 5-8, Setter l Bloomington, Mich../Bloomington
Fast facts: Jones set a Bloomington High School record with 2,626 career assists and was a unanimous First Team All-Conference selection in 2019. She also starred for the Illini Elite Volleyball Club.
Coach Rogers on Jones: "Corinna's ability to set a fast tempo offense is exciting. Her work ethic and determination to compete at the highest level will push our gym and make it immediately better."
Lauren King, 6-0, Middle Blocker l West Bloomfield, Ill/West Bloomfield
Fast facts: King was named All-Region by the AVCA last year and hit .337, while averaging 3.8 kills and 1.17 blocks per set as a senior for West Bloomfield. She also starred for Legacy Volleyball Club.
Coach Rogers on King: "Lauren's contagious ability to make people around her better is what I love the most about this young lady. Her athleticism and ability to be a terminal blocker will greatly add to our defensive success."
Jasmine Knight, 6-0, Middle Blocker l Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Preparatory
Fast facts: Knight hit .405, averaged 3.7 kills and 1.06 blocks per set and led Xavier College Prep to a 30-12 mark. She was named All-Arizona for her efforts. Knight is also a standout member of the Arizona Storm Elite Volleyball Club
Coach Rogers on Knight: "Jasmine is extremely athletic with a huge ceiling. She's explosive and can attack at a high level behind the setter. Her versatility of attacking will help us score A LOT of points. Additionally, Jasmine is competitive on every play which shows her great teammate attitude."
Kylie Loftus, 5-11, Middle Blocker l Grand Prairie, Texas/Arlington Martin
Fast facts: Loftus hit .358 as a senior and totaled 200 kills, 123 blocks and 31 aces for Arlington Martin in 2019. She helped lift the Warriors to a Regional Quarterfinal Championship. A talented athlete, Loftus was named Second Team All-District in Basketball as a senior.
Coach Rogers on Loftus: "Kylie is a very physical middle that continues to get better offensively. Her ability to terminate rallies and be a wall at the net will make our gym better and will have an immediate impact on the court."
Ayanna Swann, 6-2, Outside Hitter l Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin (Richard Bland)
Fast facts: Swann is a Richmond native and transfer from Richard Bland College who began her career at Ohio State. Bland racked up 134 kills in 65 sets for Ohio State in 2017. Last year she averaged 4.06 kills and hit .298 for Richard Bland. Bland was an AVCA High School All-American at nearby Mills Godwin. She will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning.
Coach Rogers on Swann: "Ayanna will bring experience and a tremendous amount of athleticism to our gym. She will end plays and can terminate from anywhere on the net. Her ability to shut down attackers will enable us to control our defense at a high level."
