Northwestern University Athletics
Volleyball Announces Early Signees
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 9, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwesetern volleyball head coach Keylor Chan announced Tuesday the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent. Three Illinois preps and one Wisconsin native make up the recruiting class, set to graduate from Northwestern in 2008.
"We are really excited about our 2004 signees, who make up arguably one of the top recruiting classes in the nation," said Chan. "This is the best group of pure athletes that we have been able to bring to Northwestern, and we are fortunate to get a group that is extremely talented both on the volleyball court and in the classroom."
Stefanie Alde is a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter from Libertyville, Ill., where she attends Libertyville High School. She also plays for the Milwaukee Sting club team that placed fifth in the 17-Open division of the 2003 Junior Olympic Championships in Atlanta, Ga. The team also earned a silver medal in the 16-Open division at the 2003 Junior Olympic Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. A four-year varsity player and three-year starter at Libertyville, Alde was all-Conference, all-Area and all-Academic as well as team MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001. Alde is ranked No. 75 on the prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list, which ranks the top 100 senior volleyball players in the nation. She also is an honor roll, National Honor Society and Athletic Leadership Council member at Libertyville
"Stefanie Alde has been playing at a very high club level for years and is a proven winner," said Chan. "She is extremely versatile, has a great jump, and a lightning fast arm. Most of her experience has been in the middle, but were excited to train her on the on the left and right sides, as well. She comes from the same club program as Christie Gardner, so we know we are getting a great competitor in Stef."
Brittney Aldridge is a 6-3 middle blocker from Hampshire, Ill. Currently attending Hampshire High School where she is a captain, Aldridge also played four years for Club Fusion. The club team placed 11th at the Junior Olympic Championships in 2002 and placed first in 2003, while Aldridge was named All-American and to the all-Tournament team. The Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, Northwest Herald and Elgin Courier named Aldrige to their all-Area teams in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and she was named to the Tribune's all-State team in 2003. For Hampshire, she was a two-time MVP and unanimous all-Conference selection for three consecutive years. Aldridge is ranked No. 77 on the prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list. She also is an honor roll member at Hampshire and has earned numerous choral and instrumental awards at the school.
"We're really excited about Brittney Aldridge because she has only scratched the surface of her volleyball potential," said Chan. "She's a quick learner and after only two years of club, she led her team to a national championship and was named an All-American. She's big and physical, and is a prototypical Big Ten middle blocker. Brittney's size, blocking mobility, and ability to attack off one foot are reminiscent of Erika Lange, so we're really excited to have her in the program."
Lindsay Anderson, a 6-0 outside hitter, is staying local to attend NU as she is currently a student at New Trier High School in Wilmette, Ill. A captain, Anderson is a three-time all-Conference selection (2001-2003) and was named to the Chicago Sun Times all-State Second Team in 2003 as well as to the Pioneer Press North all-Star team three years running (2001-2003). At New Trier, Anderson led the Trevians to the 2003 Illinois state quarterfinals. She also is a member of the Sky High Volleyball club team, leading her team to a 9th place finish in the 17-Open division (2003) and a 3rd place finish in the 16-Open division (2002) of the Junior Olympic Championships. Anderson is ranked No. 86 on the prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list. In high school, she is also on the honor roll, a member of the National French Honor Society and is a 2003 scholar athlete.
"The fact that we were able to convince Lindsay to stay close to home and play for us is remarkable," said Chan. "She's is one of the most explosive outside hitters in the 2004 class, with a huge jump and great ball control. She can play on the left or the right, so she brings a great deal of versatility. She has a great feel for the game and has the ability to take over a match with both her front and back court skills."
6-0 middle blocker/outside hitter Courtnie Paulus rounds out the recruiting class. From Ozaukee, Wis., Paulus played for Ozaukee High School where she earned the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association First Team all-State honors in 2003. A three-time team MVP, Paulus was also a three-time First Team all-Conference player for the Warriors and holds the career record for kills and blocks. Ozaukee was conference champions two seasons running as well as the regional champ in 2003. Paulus is ranked No. 70 on the prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list. A teammate of Stephanie Alde with the Milwaukee Sting, Paulus is also her class secretary and is a member of the National Honor Society.
"Courtnie Paulus could possibly be the best athlete in the 2004 class," said Chan. "Like Brittney, she has limited big time club experience, but exploded onto the scene in her first year. She's one of the best natural blockers I've seen and has a whip of an arm. Her volleyball prowess is natural and instinctive, so we are excited to couple that with high level training. She's going to be a special player and we'll look for her to become quickly a go to player on the left or right sides."
After earning their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2003, the Wildcats return seven members of this season's squad in 2004. They will be led by upperclassmen Drew Robertson, Leah Delcourt, Lizzie Carlson and Christie Gardner. Lauren Greenwood and Julie Purcell will see more playing time as sophomores and redshirt Stephanie Jurivich will make her NU debut.
