Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Add Four to 2019 Signing Class
November 14, 2018 | Volleyball
Three Signees Top-100 Recruits
BOULDER – The University of Colorado volleyball Head Coach Jesse Mahoney announced Wednesday the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent to begin the 2019 recruiting class.
The Buffs added a quartet of coastal athletes with a pair from California and Florida. They are: Jill Schneggenburger (OH | Tustin, Calif.), Elissa Alcantara (OH | Tampa, Fla.), Alexia Kuehl (MB | St. Augustine, Fla.) and Sterling Parker (MB | Martinez, Calif.).
"We are thrilled to welcome such a talented class of student-athletes to Boulder," said Head Coach Jesse Mahoney. "With the addition of this group we've added great size, skill and athleticism to our program while adding depth at several positions. Each are exceptional student-athletes who will represent the University of Colorado well on the court, in the classroom and in our community. We expect Jill, Alexia, Sterling and Elissa each to make a substantial and immediate impact and we are excited about the future of Colorado Volleyball."
Jill Schneggenburger joins Colorado from Beckman High School in Irvine, Calif., where she has turned into one of the top six-rotation high school players in the country. The 6-0 outside is strong in serve/receive and can hit from anywhere on the court on the offensive end. PrepVolleyball.com has her listed as their 54-ranked recruit and quotes her as 'one of the rare prep players who can be a threat from the backrow."
"Jill is one of the premier six-rotation outside hitters in the 2019 class," said Mahoney. "She has the entire package: can score offensively with a great arm and range of shots as well as pass, defend and ball-handle like a libero. She is very much in the mold of Alexa Smith and once she gets comfortable in the PAC she has the potential to play at that same level."
Schneggenburger tallied 393 kills as a senior for the Patriots, including 165 digs and nearly 50 blocks. She led her team to the Pacific Coast League Championship and was named the Most Valuable Player of the league. She finished her career at Beckman as a three-time First Team All-League selection.
In the club side of the sport, Schneggenburger played for the A4 Volley 18 Purple team since she was 15 years old. Her team finished fifth in the nation her first season and ninth her second.
Schneggenburger, who has been committed to Colorado since the first year of Coach Mahoney's tenure, has a sister that plays middle for Campbell University.
"I selected Colorado for many reasons, such as the amazing college town feel, their business school – which is top in the nation – the coaches and the student-athlete environment," said Schneggenburger. "Overall, I absolutely love the school and think it is beautiful."
Schneggenburger was recruited by more than a dozen other schools, including; Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington State, Cal and Illinois.
Elissa Alcantara comes to Boulder from Tampa, Fla., where she was a breakout star for Tampa Catholic High School. Alcantara was recently named an Under Armour Third Team All-American and was earlier named the 82-ranked recruit by PrepVolleyball.com who described her as a 'bouncy outside hitter with terrific court presence and unmatched charisma.'
Alcantara flourished through her time as a Crusader, capitalized by a senior campaign that featured 321 kills and a .344 hitting percentage. She also put down 34 blocks, 41 aces and had 144 digs. She finished fifth in the 5A ranks in kills and four in hitting percentage.
She continued to get better throughout her career, earning 293 kills with a .252 hitting percentage as a sophomore and increasing her hitting to .341 as a junior. That progress showed in an All-State honorable mention as a junior and being named an Esmark High School All-American.
Alcantara has a large volleyball background that stems from her mother llina, who played for the Dominican Republic National Team. She is bilingual and is interested in studying sports psychology or sports journalism.
"Colorado's campus is breath-taking and the overall atmosphere with the coaches and team is very welcoming," said Alcantara.
She was recruited by a dozen teams, including; Denver, Oregon, Arizona State and Illinois.
"Elissa is one of the more dynamic attackers in the 2019 class," said Mahoney. "She has a heavy arm and also the versatility to play on both the left as well as on the right. She contacts the ball at a very high point and is used to carrying a heavy offensive load on her teams up to this point. We look forward to continuing her development as an attacker and we see her as a future six-rotation player at the collegiate level."
Alexia Kuehl is a 6-6 middle from St. Augustine, Fla., who can do it all. She is the 92-ranked player in PrepVolleyball.com Top-100 and quoted as 'towers over opponents at the net and dominates offensively and defensively.' Kuehl will leave Bartram Trail as the school record holder in blocks with 235. She also is second in all-time kills with 816. As a junior she put down 306 kills, 107 blocks and hit an incredible .488 in hitting percentage. She closed her career hitting .412 and also recording 60 aces.
"Alexia is one of the tallest players in the 2019 class but what really sets her apart is at 6'6" she has great agility and body control," said Mahoney. "As a middle attacker she is comfortable hitting in front of the setter as well as behind on the slide. As Alexia gets comfortable with the speed of the college game, she has the potential to be at elite blocker in the PAC because of her great feet and length."
Kuehl led her high school to district championships as a sophomore and senior and was named the FHSSA Class 8A District 4 Player of the Year in her final campaign. As a junior she advanced her team to the Elite 8 in the 8A State Championships.
She also has an outstanding serve with a serve percentage of 91 and leading her club team, Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Academy, in aces.
Her athleticism comes from both parents that competed in collegiate athletics for UNC Charlotte. Her mother, Angela, played for 49ers volleyball team for four years. Her father, Alex, played basketball for Palm Beach Community College for two years before transferring to UNC-Charlotte. Following his collegiate career, Kuehl played professionally in Europe for six years and played for the Germany National Basketball team for two years.
Kuehl was recruited by several other teams, including CSU and Washington State.
"Besides loving everything about the volleyball program, I fell in love with the campus and the people I met," said Kuehl. "It all just made it feel like I belong there."
Sterling Parker comes to Colorado from Martinez, Calif., where she played for Alhambra High School. The 6-2 middle and right side hitter was a three-time League CoMVP and a four-time member of the Academic Honor Roll.
Parker finished her career with an outstanding senior season where she hit 495 kills with a .361 hitting percentage. She also had 259 digs, 53 blocks and 49 aces. In her career with the Bull Dogs, Parker had more than 1,000 kills (1,175) with a .398 hitting percentage. She also had more than 100 aces, 150 blocks and 300 digs.
"Sterling was always an elite athlete but has really matured her skill-set this past season and added to her volleyball IQ," said coach Mahoney. "Although primarily a middle blocker in club she has the potential to play on the pin as well. With her athleticism and added versatility we see her contributing right away in our program."
Parker was a part of her varsity team as a freshman that made the North Coast Section for the first time in three decades. In her club, Absolute Volleyball Club, she was a Junior National Qualifier in 2017.
Parker was recruited by several other schools, including; CSU, Washington State, Pitt and Oregon.
"The relationship developed with the coaching staff during the recruiting process," said Parker when asked on why she selected Colorado. "They made CU feel like home."
"We are still actively recruiting for our 2019 class and we will be announcing a few more additions to our roster this spring," added coach Mahoney.
The Buffs added a quartet of coastal athletes with a pair from California and Florida. They are: Jill Schneggenburger (OH | Tustin, Calif.), Elissa Alcantara (OH | Tampa, Fla.), Alexia Kuehl (MB | St. Augustine, Fla.) and Sterling Parker (MB | Martinez, Calif.).
"We are thrilled to welcome such a talented class of student-athletes to Boulder," said Head Coach Jesse Mahoney. "With the addition of this group we've added great size, skill and athleticism to our program while adding depth at several positions. Each are exceptional student-athletes who will represent the University of Colorado well on the court, in the classroom and in our community. We expect Jill, Alexia, Sterling and Elissa each to make a substantial and immediate impact and we are excited about the future of Colorado Volleyball."
"Jill is one of the premier six-rotation outside hitters in the 2019 class," said Mahoney. "She has the entire package: can score offensively with a great arm and range of shots as well as pass, defend and ball-handle like a libero. She is very much in the mold of Alexa Smith and once she gets comfortable in the PAC she has the potential to play at that same level."
Schneggenburger tallied 393 kills as a senior for the Patriots, including 165 digs and nearly 50 blocks. She led her team to the Pacific Coast League Championship and was named the Most Valuable Player of the league. She finished her career at Beckman as a three-time First Team All-League selection.
In the club side of the sport, Schneggenburger played for the A4 Volley 18 Purple team since she was 15 years old. Her team finished fifth in the nation her first season and ninth her second.
Schneggenburger, who has been committed to Colorado since the first year of Coach Mahoney's tenure, has a sister that plays middle for Campbell University.
"I selected Colorado for many reasons, such as the amazing college town feel, their business school – which is top in the nation – the coaches and the student-athlete environment," said Schneggenburger. "Overall, I absolutely love the school and think it is beautiful."
Schneggenburger was recruited by more than a dozen other schools, including; Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington State, Cal and Illinois.
Alcantara flourished through her time as a Crusader, capitalized by a senior campaign that featured 321 kills and a .344 hitting percentage. She also put down 34 blocks, 41 aces and had 144 digs. She finished fifth in the 5A ranks in kills and four in hitting percentage.
She continued to get better throughout her career, earning 293 kills with a .252 hitting percentage as a sophomore and increasing her hitting to .341 as a junior. That progress showed in an All-State honorable mention as a junior and being named an Esmark High School All-American.
Alcantara has a large volleyball background that stems from her mother llina, who played for the Dominican Republic National Team. She is bilingual and is interested in studying sports psychology or sports journalism.
"Colorado's campus is breath-taking and the overall atmosphere with the coaches and team is very welcoming," said Alcantara.
She was recruited by a dozen teams, including; Denver, Oregon, Arizona State and Illinois.
"Elissa is one of the more dynamic attackers in the 2019 class," said Mahoney. "She has a heavy arm and also the versatility to play on both the left as well as on the right. She contacts the ball at a very high point and is used to carrying a heavy offensive load on her teams up to this point. We look forward to continuing her development as an attacker and we see her as a future six-rotation player at the collegiate level."
"Alexia is one of the tallest players in the 2019 class but what really sets her apart is at 6'6" she has great agility and body control," said Mahoney. "As a middle attacker she is comfortable hitting in front of the setter as well as behind on the slide. As Alexia gets comfortable with the speed of the college game, she has the potential to be at elite blocker in the PAC because of her great feet and length."
Kuehl led her high school to district championships as a sophomore and senior and was named the FHSSA Class 8A District 4 Player of the Year in her final campaign. As a junior she advanced her team to the Elite 8 in the 8A State Championships.
She also has an outstanding serve with a serve percentage of 91 and leading her club team, Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Academy, in aces.
Her athleticism comes from both parents that competed in collegiate athletics for UNC Charlotte. Her mother, Angela, played for 49ers volleyball team for four years. Her father, Alex, played basketball for Palm Beach Community College for two years before transferring to UNC-Charlotte. Following his collegiate career, Kuehl played professionally in Europe for six years and played for the Germany National Basketball team for two years.
Kuehl was recruited by several other teams, including CSU and Washington State.
"Besides loving everything about the volleyball program, I fell in love with the campus and the people I met," said Kuehl. "It all just made it feel like I belong there."
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Parker finished her career with an outstanding senior season where she hit 495 kills with a .361 hitting percentage. She also had 259 digs, 53 blocks and 49 aces. In her career with the Bull Dogs, Parker had more than 1,000 kills (1,175) with a .398 hitting percentage. She also had more than 100 aces, 150 blocks and 300 digs.
"Sterling was always an elite athlete but has really matured her skill-set this past season and added to her volleyball IQ," said coach Mahoney. "Although primarily a middle blocker in club she has the potential to play on the pin as well. With her athleticism and added versatility we see her contributing right away in our program."
Parker was a part of her varsity team as a freshman that made the North Coast Section for the first time in three decades. In her club, Absolute Volleyball Club, she was a Junior National Qualifier in 2017.
Parker was recruited by several other schools, including; CSU, Washington State, Pitt and Oregon.
"The relationship developed with the coaching staff during the recruiting process," said Parker when asked on why she selected Colorado. "They made CU feel like home."
"We are still actively recruiting for our 2019 class and we will be announcing a few more additions to our roster this spring," added coach Mahoney.
Players Mentioned
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