Nebraska Announces Additions for 2014

Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook has announced the addition of three high school standouts to the Huskers’ 2014 roster. The class includes Olivia Boender, Maddie Haggerty and Sydney Townsend.

“Our 2014 class is a solid class,” Cook said. “It fills our needs as we’ll be replacing two outside hitters that graduate and will also add depth at our libero and defensive specialist positions. All three players have been very successful in their high school and club careers and have experienced a lot of winning. Along with these additions, we will continue to recruit in 2014 as we hope to add another player in April.”

Olivia Boender | 6-2 | Outside Hitter (Waverly, Neb. – Waverly)
Olivia Boender will join the Huskers from Waverly High School in Waverly, Neb.

Boender has led the Waverly Vikings to a 31-4 record in 2013 and a berth in the Nebraska Class B state championship this weekend. She has 489 total kills on the year and is hitting at a clip of .446.  Boender was recently named a 2013-14 Under Armour Honorable-Mention All-American.

Boender was honored as a Lincoln Journal Star first-team Super-State outside hitter in 2012 and was a prep girls multi-sport honoree. As a junior, she posted 461 kills (.374 hitting efficiency), 376 digs and 51 aces. She also tallied 57 kills in the Class B state tournament as Waverly finished third. As a sophomore, she was a second-team Super-State and a first-team Class B all-state selection, recording 474 kills (.315 hitting efficiency), 42 aces and 307 digs. She was also honored with Class B second-team all-state accolades from the Lincoln Journal Star as a freshman. In addition, she helped the Nebraska Juniors finish in the top 20 at the 2013 AAU 18 Open National Championship.

“Olivia is a great in-state recruit,” Cook said. “She is an extremely powerful hitter, but has also has impressed us with her all-around skills, especially in the back court. She can be a true six-rotation player and has a great opportunity to compete for a starting position next fall.”

Maddie Haggerty | 6-2 | Outside Hitter (Glen Ellyn, Ill. – Wheaton-St. Francis)
Maddie Haggerty will join the Huskers from Wheaton-St. Francis in Wheaton, Ill.

Haggerty was recently named a 2013-14 Under Armour Second-Team All-American and was a 2013 PrepVolleyball.com Third-Team Club All-American.  She was also listed as a Top 50 Junior by PrepVolleyball.com. Haggerty recently guided Wheaton-St. Francis to an appearance in the semifinals at the 2013 Asics Challenge. She also helped Sports Performance win the 2013 AAU 18 Open National Championship.

Haggerty tallied 133 kills and 155 digs during her senior season and posted a hitting clip of .322. As a junior she helped St. Francis to the 2012 Illinois 3A state championship. She posted 280 kills on the season and notched 145 digs.  As a sophomore she helped Benet Academy to the Illinois 4A state title. She notched 195 kills on the season and posted 106 digs.

“Maddie has played with some very successful high school programs and an elite club program in Sports Performance out of Chicago,” Cook said. “She is also a very physical, powerful hitter and has played all the way around on her club teams, both on the left and right side. We’re proud of the fact that she was named the club captain for Sports Performance, which demonstrates her strong leadership ability. She also has a great opportunity to compete for starting position next fall.”

Sydney Townsend | 5-8 | Libero (Lincoln, Neb. – Lincoln Pius X)
Sydney Townsend will join the Huskers from Pius X High School in Lincoln.

Townsend has earned All-Nebraska honors as a libero, but moved to outside hitter for her senior season. She has helped Pius X to a 34-6 overall record in 2013 and a berth in the Nebraska Class B state championship this weekend. She has 213 kills on the season and is hitting at a clip of .228. Townsend was recently named a 2013-14 Under Armour Second-Team All-American.

As a libero, Townsend helped the Thunderbolts to a third-place finish at the 2012 Nebraska Class A state tournament, as she was named to both the Class A and all-class all-tournament teams. She posted 663 digs as a junior and notched 36 aces. She tallied a Class A single match-record 39 digs in a first-round win in the 2012 Nebraska state tournament, when she finished with 75 digs for the entire tournament. Townsend played outside hitter until switching to defensive specialist in 2011 on the Thunderbolts’ Class B state championship team. She also helped the Nebraska Juniors finish in the top 20 at the 2013 AAU 18 Open National Championship.

“Sydney is also another in-state recruit coming from a tradition-rich Pius program,” Cook said. “We’ve seen her perform at a high level as a libero, and she is also multi-talented in that she has played outside hitter for her high school team. She has experience in big matches both on the club and high school level and she should be able to come in and contribute as a freshman. She is also an exceptional student and will be attending Nebraska on a Regent’s scholarship.”