Volleyball Signs Holmes, Jenkins and Pouliezos
November 11, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2011
CardsTV Video Feature on 2011 Signees
Middle blocker Davionna Holmes of East St. Louis, Ill., outside hitter/middle blocker Janelle Jenkins of Southlake, Texas and libero Haley Pouliezos of Imperial, Mo. have signed national letters of intent to continue their volleyball careers at the University of Louisville announced U of L head coach Anne Kordes.
"We are very excited about the signing of this dynamic class along with future recruits about whom the NCAA prohibits me from commenting. I look forward to commenting on the entire class at a later date. The class is a great mix of unparalleled athleticism and highly skilled players," said U of L head coach Anne Kordes. "This class has the kind of players who are going to find the court early in their careers and make an impact for us, in addition, these players have competed at a high level. "
Davionna Holmes is a 6-3 middle blocker who played for East St. Louis High School for Iletha Suggs where she just earned First Team All-Southwestern Conference honors as a senior. Playing her club ball with H2 St. Louis for Coach DeShea McBride, she credits Geoffrey Davis for giving her the opportunity to play for H2. Holmes was also selected for USA Volleyball's Girl's Youth Continental team. An excellent basketball player as well, she averaged 14.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for East St. Louis where as a center, she was among her conference leaders in three-point shooting.
"Davionna Holmes is a multi-sport athlete. She has an incredible physical presence. She is tall, strong, and has great leaping ability which will provide her the opportunity to be a phenomenal blocker," said Kordes. "This will be just her second year of playing high level club volleyball and her ceiling is nowhere in sight. She is such a special athlete and learns very quickly. It is not going to take very much time for her to adapt and get on the floor. In addition to her physical potential, Davionna has a very magnetic personality. She is the player that the fans and the community are going to fall in love with when they come see her play. She is going to shine at U of L and is a fantastic fit for Louisville. She is a special kid."
Janelle Jenkins is a 5-10 outside hitter/middle blocker who played for Carroll High School for Coach Arthur Stanfield. She played her club ball at Skyline Dallas Juniors for Coach Kirk Perry. Her 2010 USA Junior Olympics Select Team finished second in Open Division and in 2010 she was selected to compete in second round for position on USA Team for 17 year olds. For Skyline, she was voted to the area's 2010 Volleyball Super Team while leading in hitting average in overall select club statistics. For her high school as a senior, she was the Lone Star Prep Volleyball Player of the Week and was named Offensive Player of the of the Arlington Tournament, as well as All-Allen Tournament. As a junior, she was Varsity Volleyball 6-5A Blocker of the Year.
"Janelle Jenkins is one of the most exciting athletes that we will be bringing in because she can play a variety of positions. She is one of the top middle blockers in the state of Texas and can easily transition to the outside as well," said Kordes. "Because Janelle is so talented, we are going to see her on the floor next year. In addition to her athleticism, she has a phenomenal attitude. She brings a smile to your face with a big heart and her energetic personality. I am proud to attract the kind of player and person that Janelle Jenkins is in our first recruiting class as I think that this commitment proves that Louisville has unlimited potential in the recruiting process."
Haley Pouliezos is a 5-7 libero, who played for Windsor High School for Coach Stephanie Dueker and for High Performance -St. Louis Club for Coach Chris Nichols. She was a member of the U.S. Girls' Youth National Training Team and in 2010, she was libero for the U.S. Girls' Youth National Team which won the gold medal at the NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship, which qualified the Americans for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and 2011 FIVB Girls' Youth World Championship. She ranked second in the NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship as best digger (2.94 digs per set), best receiver (47.22 efficiency) and best libero (49.16 success percent). In 2009, she attended U.S. Girls' Youth National Training Team Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and was named to U.S. Girls' Select Blue Team which placed third at USA Volleyball High Performance Championships as well as being named Best Digger at USA Volleyball High Performance Championships. For Windsor High School, she was named all-region, all-district, unanimous first-team all-conference. To add to her pedigree, she was a 2012 Senior Ace - Top 120 and a three-time Gym Dandy selection.
"I am really excited because Haley is one of the most sought-after liberos in the country. I have known her since she was 13 years old and knew back then that she had the ability, the competitiveness and potential to be the best libero in the country," said Kordes. "She's proved that by being picked numerous times to represent the USA in international competition. She is a fearless defensive player, the kind of kid who will play with guts and grit as well as intense emotion. Fans shouldn't be surprised next year to see Haley sacrificing her body to dive into the crowd and save a ball.Haley eats, sleeps and breathes volleyball and always has. She has no problem spending countless hours in the gym on her own to be the best. In addition to her tough nature, she has a competitive spirit which is the reason she has been a part of some very strong programs throughout her career. She is used to winning. She wants to win at Louisville and she knows how hard you have to work to get it done."
This is the first recruiting class for Kordes, whose Cardinals are currently sitting atop the BIG EAST standings entering the final week of the regular season at 11-1.
"Our recruiting philosophy is to bring in the players who have great potential as well as incredible character and the 2012 recruiting class is an excellent representation of this," said Kordes. "My goals are to produce future All-Americans but more importantly, future leaders in business and in life. The players who signed with us today and the players we expect to join the team this fall not only include volleyball players with numerous team and individual honors, but are members of the National Honor Society, class presidents, team captains and hold many leadership positions within their school and communities. With this class laying the foundation, I could not be more excited about the future of Louisville volleyball."
