Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Signs Trio to National Letters of Intent
11/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 9, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan has announced the signing of a trio of future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja), Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) will matriculate to Northwestern in the fall of 2006.
"This is one of the best classes we have ever recruited during my time here at Northwestern," Chan said. "These are three very talented players who will add great competition and will fight for playing time right away."
Baxterbeck is an outside hitter ranked No. 53 on Prepvolleyball.com's "Senior Aces" list. She led her club team to the silver medal in the U-17 Open Division at the 2005 Junior Olympics, earning all-tournament team honors.
"Ariel is probably one of the top 10 outside hitters in the country," Chan said. "She is one of the most well-rounded athletes we have every recruited here. She already has the tools to succeed at the collegiate level and we expect her to step in and compete right away."
Gray has been in the Youth National development program the last couple of years and is an all-state selection. Her club team finished fifth in the nation as 17-year-olds.
"Brittani is a great athlete who has received great training the last couple of years," Chan said. "We are very excited about her potential and room for growth. She has tremendous upside and just needs some time to train. We expect big things from Brittani."
Nobilio is a libero with Junior National experience. She earned all-tournament honors two years in a row after leading her club to back-to-back third-place finishes in the club national division.
"Kate is one of the fastest players we have ever seen," Chan said. "She has excellent passing skills and a strong volleyball IQ. We graduate both our starting libero and DS this season, so we expect her to fill a need and compete for time immediately."
Following are complete biographies for all three of Northwestern's signees.
Ariel Baxterbeck
6-0 • OH
High School: Named to all-tournament team in 17-Open division at the 2005 Junior Olympics ... WBAL MVP in 2004 ... Named team MVP in 2004 ... Second-team all central-coast section in 2004 ... All-league in 2003 ... Ranked No. 53 on prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list ... Captain in 2004 and 2005 ... Led high school team to NorCal semifinals in 2004 ... Posted 24 kills and hit .523 in 2004 NorCal semifinals ... High school team compiled a 128-24 record in four years ... Club team claimed silver medal in 17-Open Division at the 2005 Junior Olympics ... Club team won SoCal and Farwestern Qualifiers in 2005 ... National Merit Semifinalist.
Personal: Born Ariel Nicole Baxterbeck on 2/9/88 ... Daughter of Jane Baxter and Steve Beck ... Chose Northwestern over Rice, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgetown ... Sister Allison is a sophomore at Northwestern ... Mother swam at UC Santa Barbara ... Major is undecided.
Brittani Gray
6-0 • OH
High School: Youth National A2 Team selection ... All-state selection ... All-city team selection ... Named team MVP ... Played in 65 games as a junior ... Recorded 289 kills and hit at a .374 clip ... Posted 189 blocks ... Did not play senior season due to injuries ... Captain three years ... GMC All-Academic Sports Award recipient ... Honor roll all four years of high school ... Athletic honor roll ... Club team finished 13th in the nation as 16 year olds and fifth as 17 year olds.
Personal: Born Brittani Michelle Gray on 3/29/88 ... Daughter of Michael and Angela Gray ... Chose Northwestern over Duke, Miami (Fla.) and Washington ... Lived in Japan and Mexico prior to freshman year of high school ... Plans to major in psychology.
Kate Nobilio
5-4 • LIB
High School: Ranked No. 112 on PrepVolleyball's "Senior Aces" list ... 2004 Big Northern all-conference selection ... Named team MVP and Best Defensive Player in 2004 ... 2005 Northwest Herald "Top Five Players to Watch" ... 2005 Minocka all-tournament team selection ... High school team advanced to regional championship before falling to No. 1 team in state ... Participates with Sky High volleyball club ... Club finished third in 2003 and 2004 in the club national division at the U.S. Junior Nationals ... Named to all-tournament team in both years ... Named first-team "Defensive Dandy" as a junior ... Club finished 14th in open division at the U.S. Junior Nationals in 2005 ... National Honor Society and High Honor Roll member ... Who's Who Among American High School Students.
Personal: Born Kate Kendall Nobilio on 7/17/88 ... Daughter of John and Christine Nobilio ... Sister Brittany plays volleyball at Eastern Kentucky ... Chose Northwestern over Miami (Fla.), Western Michigan and Penn State ... Plans to major in education or nursing.
