Husker Volleyball Announces Recruiting Class

Lincoln ? University of Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook announced Friday that four high school seniors have decided to join Husker volleyball program. The recruiting class features outside hitters Gina Mancuso (Omaha, Neb.) and Hannah Werth (Springfield, Ill.), libero Megan Pendergast (League City, Texas) and middle blocker Hayley Thramer (Ewing, Neb.). All four players have earned all-state accolades and are rated among the top-70 players in the country by recruiting services

“I think the Husker Nation is going to love watching this class develop over the next four years,” Cook said. “It is a group that combines skill and athleticism with great competitiveness. We believe it is one of the top-five classes in the country, and may be the most competitive group of players that we’ve recruited here.”

“As a class, it addresses many of our needs and adds depth to three positions,” Cook said. “We feel that Hannah, Gina and Megan can come in here and make an impact for us as early as next season.  Hannah and Megan are joining our program in January and that is a big statement for the impact they want to make in this program.”

Name<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown (High School)

Gina Mancuso

OH

6-1

Omaha, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista)

Megan Pendergast

L

5-7

League City, Texas (Clear Creek)

Hayley Thramer

MB

6-3

Ewing, Neb. (Ewing)

Hannah Werth

OH

6-1

Springfield, Ill. (Glenwood)

Gina Mancuso (OH, 6-1, Omaha, Neb./Papillion-LaVista)
Mancuso is one of the country’s top outside hitting recruits playing for coach JJ Toczek at Papillion-LaVista High School. She spent part of the summer playing for the U.S Junior National Team. Mancuso helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 NORCECA Continental Women’s Junior Championships in Mexico, leading the squad with nine kills and 13 points in the gold medal match against the Dominican Republic. This season, Mancuso has led Papillion-LaVista to a 39-1 record and a No. 10 national ranking heading into this weekend’s state tournament. She leads the state with 656 kills on .472 hitting, while also chipping in 37 aces and 48 blocks. A two-time first-team all-state performer, Mancuso entered the state tournament with 2,306 career kills and is within 150 kills of the all-time state high school record. As a junior, she totaled 669 kills on .373 hitting and added 418 digs and 76 blocks to repeat as a first-team all-state performer from the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald.  Her best performance came in the state title match against Grand Island, when she totaled a match-high 32 kills in a five-set victory.  Mancuso has led the state in kills in each of the last three years, including 568 as a sophomore to garner first-team all-state laurels. At the club level, Mancuso plays for the Nebraska Volleyball Academy, leading the 17-and-under team to the 2007 Junior Olympics national title and earning all-America honors in the process.  Mancuso also plays basketball and track at Papillion-LaVista. Gina is the daughter of Mike and Billie Mancuso and will follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Dani, who started on Nebraska’s 2006 NCAA title team.

“I have known Gina since the 7th grade and have seen her mature into one of best high school players to come out of the state,” Cook said. “She has proved herself not only at the high school level, but with the Junior National Team and in club competition. She has worked hard to develop into an outstanding all-around player and takes as much pride in her defense as her ability to attack and hit shots. Gina has a chance to develop into a great player in our program, and we are excited to have her at Nebraska for the next four years.”

Megan Pendergast (L, 5-7, League City, Texas/ Clear Creek)
One of the top libero recruits in the country, Megan Pendergast comes to Nebraska after playing for Coach Scott Simonds at Clear Creek High School.  Pendergast has led Clear Creek to a 39-4 record heading into this weekend’s regional semifinals. She averages 4.3 kills and 3.0 digs per set from her outside hitter spot, while also serving as one of the team’s primary passers. Pendergast, who was named District 24 5A MVP after hitting .377 and chipping in 53 aces for the Wildcats in 2008, is a two-time all-greater Houston selection and all-district performer. Last year, Pendergast collected first-team All-Texas honors from Lonestar.com, averaging 4.1 kills and 4.1 digs per set. She also plays club volleyball for South Shore Juniors and Coach Todd Porter, leading her team to a fifth-place finish at the 2008 Junior Olympics U-18 event to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.  The daughter of Jim and Betsy Pendergast, Megan looked at a number of schools, including LSU, Oklahoma and Texas before selecting Nebraska

“Megan is a great all-around player who has a toughness to her game,” Nebraska Coach John Cook said. “One of the things we have been successful in doing is turning athletic outside hitters into liberos, and Megan has all of the skills we are looking for at the position. She is athletic enough to lead her team in kills and digs as well as being her team’s primary passer. When we saw her at Junior Nationals, she dislocated her thumb, but stayed in the match. That says a lot about the drive she has. She is someone who can develop as an outstanding defensive player and can be on the court early in her career.”

Hayley Thramer (MB, 6-2, Ewing, Neb./Ewing)
Thramer (pronounced Tray-mer) is one of the state’s dominant middle blockers. A two-time all-state performer, Thramer has led Ewing High School and Coach Suz Funk to a perfect 33-0 record heading into this weekend’s state tournament. She has totaled 1,450 kills, 507 blocks, 224 service aces and 624 digs during her career, garnering first-team all-state honors as a sophomore and junior. This fall, Thramer has 417 kills, 104 blocks and 90 aces, as Ewing looks for its first-ever state crown after runner-up showings each of the past two years. As a junior, she totaled 450 kills, including 37 in a state title loss to Paxton, earning Class D-2 Player of the Year and second-team All-Nebraska (all-class) honors from the Omaha World-Herald. In addition to her volleyball exploits, Thramer is a two-time all-state performer in basketball and is on pace to finish her career with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and also placed seventh in the state in the high jump last spring. Thramer also excels in the classroom, carrying a 4.0 GPA and earning academic all-state laurels, as she was a state finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman. Thramer plays club volleyball for the Nebraska Volleyball Academy and Coach Gwen Egbert.  The daughter of Greg and Carm Thramer, Hayley looked at Wisconsin and Creighton before deciding to become a Husker.

“Our nickname for her is Phil, as in U.S. Gold medalist Phil Dalhausser, as that is the way she plays volleyball,” Cook said. “She is very long and plays over the net, and we believe she has the ability to become a great middle blocker in our program after a little development. Hayley is multi-sport athlete who was also all-state in basketball and a state qualifier in track and is someone whose best days of volleyball are ahead of her. The other thing we like about her is that she knows how to win, as her teams have reached the state championship the last two years in both basketball and volleyball.”

Hannah Werth (OH, 6-1, Springfield, Ill./ Glenwood)
One of the top all-around players in this year’s senior class, Werth comes to Nebraska from after a decorated career at Glenwood High School in Chatham, Ill. A four-year performer for Coach Larry Sample, Werth established the Illinois state high school record for kills, racking up 2,022 kills during her career. Werth has been involved with USA Volleyball, helping the U.S. Junior National team to a gold medal at the 2008 NORCECA Continental Women’s Junior Championships in Mexico. As a senior, Werth was named the Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year after ranking sixth in the state with 606 kills while hitting .414. A three-time all-state honoree by the Champaign News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune, Werth totaled 699 kills and 350 digs as a junior, finishing her career holding school marks for career kills, digs (936), aces (183), blocks (252) and hitting percentage (.331). A two-year member of the U.S. Junior National Team, Werth played for Coach Andy Erins at Illini Elite, earning MVP honors at the AAU National Championships after helping her team win the event title.  The daughter of Dennis and Kimberly Werth, Hannah’s family has a rich athletic heritage, as her older brother is Jayson Werth of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and her older sister, Hillary, is a member of the UCLA track team. In addition, Hannah’s mother, Kim Schofield Werth, was a track star at the University of Florida who competed in the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump and 100 meters, while Dennis played four years for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals. Hannah’s uncle (Dick Schofield) and grandfather (Dick “Ducky” Schofield) also played in the Major Leagues. Hannah looked at Illinois, Florida, UCLA, Stanford and Wisconsin before choosing to become a Husker.

“Hannah is a tremendous athlete and comes from a highly competitive family,” Cook said. “She is the youngest sister and may be the most competitive of them all, and that says a lot about her makeup. She has a very live arm and has all of the skills you look for at the outside hitter position, especially with Jordan (Larson) graduating after the season. Her best trait may be the passion that she brings to the game, and that is something great players are just born with.”