Volleyball Signs Two Middle Blockers
November 13, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2013
Maggie DeJong, a 6-0 middle blocker from Sioux Falls, S.D. and Tess Clark, a 6-4 middle blocker from Phoenix, Ariz. have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their volleyball careers at the University of Louisville according to Cardinal head coach Anne Kordes.
DeJong comes to Louisville from Roosevelt High School where she played for Holly Lynch as well as her club, the Sioux Falls Kairos Elite where she was coached by Mitch Lunning. Last summer, DeJong led her AAU team to a fifth place finish in the 2013 AAU Nationals. She was named an Under Armour All-American and was selected as a Prep Volleyball Senior Ace. Surpassing her 1000th career kill, she was named KDLT's Athlete of the Week. In 2012-13, she was the South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year and led Roosevelt to the State Tournament Championship. She led the Rough Riders to a 24-5 record and the Class AA state title as a junior. DeJong recorded 374 kills, 315 digs, 107 blocks and 32 service aces while posting a hitting percentage of .433 and a kill percentage of .533. A Class AA first team All-State selection, she notched 46 kills, 37 digs and 12 blocks in the Class AA state tournament, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. In 2011-12, her team was state runners up and she was named first team All-City and All-State as well as being named to the Second Team All-State Tournament.
"Maggie is one of the fastest athletes that I have come across in a long time in the recruiting process ," said Kordes. "She is as efficient off one foot as any middle I have ever seen, both in front and behind the setter. She is also a great ball control player which is uncharacteristic in a middle blocker which means she is going to be able to play all six rotations. Because of her athleticism and her quickness, she is very versatile to the point where she can fill in at different positions if needed. She is a middle now, but she has the ability to play outside or right side. She is very competitive kid and will be a fun athlete to coach."
Clark comes to the Cardinals from Horizon High School where she played for Coach Valorie McKenzie. Playing for Revolution Volleyball Academy for Amanda Liebermann, she helped win the 2013 Arizona Region 17-Open Championship. As a member of AZU-16 Premier, she was runner up in the Fiesta Classic Tournament. On AZU 15 Premier, she won the Colorado Crossroads Championship. As a part of USA Volleyball, she was named to the 2013 USA Junior National Champion 17 Gold All-Tournament Team when her team finished third in the Gold Division. She attended the 2012 High Performance Camp and that same year, and finished third in the USAV Junior Nationals. Her high school highlights include making the 2013 Nike Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Team after her Horizon team finished third. In 2012, Horizon won the Arizona State Championship and she was an honorable mention all-state selection.
"I had the opportunity to coach Tess on a High Performance team when she was 14 years old," said Kordes. "I knew there was a ton of potential there. She is a strong middle who is extremely agile. She is extremely competitive. She is going to have the opportunity to come in and be a force on the block. Tess has a very high natural arm swing and with her 6-3 frame she goes over people. Tess is a winner and has won state championships with her high school teams and vied for national championships with her club team as well. I love the idea of bringing in a player who is used to winning. She can make an impact on our program right away."
