Cardinals Class of 2020 Ranked No. 17

The University of Louisville volleyball team's recruiting class for the Class of 2020 has been ranked No. 17 by PrepVolleyball.com. Riding a wave of momentum from advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight, the Cardinals lost no starters from the squad that downed No. 2 ranked Texas in Austin in December.

The Cardinals signed Ayden Bartlett, 5-8 DS/Libero, Leavenworth (Kansas); Anna DeBeer, 5-11 OH, Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky); Phekran "PK" Kong, 6-3 MB, Washington (Sioux Falls, South Dakota); Ceci Rush, 5-6 DS/Libero, Providence (Clarksville, Indiana); Brooke Smith, 6-2 OH, Leo (Indiana)

"I could not be more excited about the addition of our 2020 class," said Dani Busboom Kelly, UofL head coach. "Each of them have an understanding of our culture and where we see Louisville volleyball going in the future. All five are talented volleyball players, but are also great in the classroom and have outstanding character."

DeBeer, a 6-0 outside hitter who played for Coach Ron Kordes at Assumption High School in Louisville and KIVA for Coach Alan Davis, was an AAU Junior National Volleyball Championship All-American in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 and a member of the Ultra-Ankle JVA All National Team in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She led her club team to the USA Today National Champions in 2017 and 2018, and National Championships in Prep Volleyball Max Preps in 2018. At Assumption, she led her team to the Kentucky State Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Her individual honors include being named Durango Fall Classic MVP in 2017 and all-Durango Tournament in 2018 and 2019. An Asics Challenge All-Tournament Team in 2019, she was named to the All USA Preseason High School Volleyball Team in 2019 and the Max Preps Preseason High School Volleyball All-American Team in 2019. A Max Preps/AVCA Kentucky Player of the Week in 2019, she was ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2020 Prep Volleyball Top Senior Aces. She was Seventh Region All Tournament Volleyball in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and Seventh Region Player of the Year in 2019. She made KVCA First Team All-State in 2017 and 2018 and KHSAA Volleyball State All-Tournament Team in 2018, 2019. This year she was the KHSAA Volleyball State Tournament MVP in 2019 and an Under Armour All-America First Team selection in 2019.

"Anna is a hometown athlete that Card Nation will be proud of," said Busboom Kelly. "You can't watch a match when Anna plays and not focus on her. She controls the game is so many ways, from passing, defense, attacking, blocking, and serving. She truly is a five-tool player that can win matches in a number of ways. Coaches describe her as a player who is 'always dialed in,' whether it is a state championship match or a short practice."

Ayden Bartlett, a 5-6 libero/defensive specialist from Leavenworth, KS, played for Coach Cassie Rockers at Leavenworth High School and Club Coach Beau Barnthson at MAVS Volleyball. As a freshman, she was HM All-Sunflower League before being named to the First Team All-Sunflower League and qualified for the state volleyball tournament as a sophomore. As a junior, she was named to the First Team United Kansas Conference and was the United Kansas Conference Player of the Year. Voted to the third Team All-State squad, she also won the Janice Van Gorp Fearless Spirit Award. As a senior, she was 1st team United Kansas Conference made the Region 8 AVCA team and was a Kansas vs Missouri All-Star Large Class Participant. For her club competition, she was part of the 16 USA division National Champion team and was named to the 16s USA All-Tournament Team. She was also voted by Prep Volleyball 2018 Season as a 3rd team All American. She won silver as a USA High-Performance Youth in 2017 and was a USA High-Performance Junior Women's A1 (Gold 2018) and USA High-Performance All-Tournament Team (2018). She helped win first place in the 18s Open NIT and was recognized by Prepvolleyball as a Senior Ace # 94.

"I have been watching Ayden develop for a very long time and she has turned into one of the smoothest volleyball players I have seen," said Busboom Kelly. "She has a natural touch on the ball in serve-receive and is a student of the game. She watches her own matches, but also studies great liberos around the world in order to improve her game."

Phekran (PEG-gron) Kong, a 6-3 middle blocker from Sioux Falls, S.D. where she played for Coach Kelly Schroeder at Washington High School and for Coach Mark McCloskey at Pentagon Volleyball Club. At Pentagon, she was on the 2018 Ultra Ankle Watch List. For her high school as a junior, she recorded 118 blocks and 296 kills last season for the Class AA runner-up. This year she recorded 211 kills with 82 service aces and 72 total blocks en route to a third place finish. She was named First Team All-Metro Conference, and Second Team All-Metro Conference and was named to the Second Team All-State squad.

"Phekran, or 'PK' as Card Nation will come to know her, is one of the more intriguing recruits in this class," said Busboom Kelly. "I'd venture to say she is one of the most improved players nationally in the 2020 class in the last two years. We see her as a middle that has a chance to be among the elite nationally in years to come."

Brooke Smith, a 6-1 outside hitter from Leo, Ind., played for Coach Ashlee Robbins at Leo High School and Coach William Robbins at Empowered Volleyball Academy. At Empowered, she was on the JVA Watchlist in 2017 and 2018 and was a Prepvolleyball Frosh 59 Special Honorable mention in 2016. This year, she was on the 18U USA National Runnerup team in the National Division and made the Nationals All-Star team for 18U. She was also on the JVA Watchlist for Beach Volleyball in 2019. At Leo High School, she was a First Team All-State selection in 2017 and 2018 and made First Team All-Northeast Indiana in 2017 and 2018. She was First Team All NE8 Conference in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and led her high school team in kills the last three seasons. She was named AVCA Player of the Week and made First team 3A All-District in 2018 and 2019 and played in the All-Star game representing northern Indiana. She was an Under Amour HM All-American in 2019 and was on the 2020 Senior Aces "The 150" list.

"Brooke is a terminator," said Busboom Kelly. "She has put up some of the most impressive numbers I've seen in a long time at the high school level. As an attacker and blocker, Brooke has the tools to be a force in our league. Even though she has been one of the younger players on most teams she's competed on, she's always been looked to as a leader. We can't wait to watch her continue to develop as a leader and player in our program."

Ceci Rush, a 5-9 libero/defensive specialist from New Albany, Ind., played for Providence High school for Coach Terri Purichia and for Coach Craig Bossmeyer at Union Volleyball Club. At Providence, she was named academic all-state as a senior. She helped lead Providence to the state runner-up as a freshman, to semi-state runner-up as a sophomore and junior and regional runner up as a senior. This year she recorded 339 digs, averaging 3.4 digs per set and notched 32 aces, playing for Providence, which was nationally ranked at No. 19 going into this season.

"Ceci is just scratching the surface on what she can do athletically," said Busboom Kelly. "She has been asked to fill many roles throughout her prep volleyball career and she has excelled at each of them. A great program is based on keeping local talent and having talented passers. Ceci has a natural ability to pass and defend and we are excited to add her to our arsenal of great liberos."

University of Louisville Athletics

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