Volleyball Announces Class of 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont volleyball head coach Deane Webb announced the signing of a trio of graduating high school seniors as newcomers for the fall of 2010 on Monday.

Hannah Miranda - S - Covington, La. (Northlake Christian School)
Jamie Lundstrom - L - La Grange, Ill. (Lyons Township HS)
Jen Myer - OH - New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels HS)

Hannah Miranda comes to Belmont as a highly-decorated setter from Northlake Christian School in Covington, La., where she was named the 2009-10 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year. The 5-foot-9 floor general ended her high school career with three straight state titles and three straight state tournament MVP honors with the Lady Wolverines.

"Hannah is a winner," Head Coach Deane Webb said. "We had Hannah evaluated higher than any player on our radar, partially because of her physical attributes - very fast, good jumper - but mostly the understanding of the game, leadership and a background of winning. When you win multiple state titles, state MVPs multiple times, and Gatorade Player of the Year it shows what you have meant to an organization. Not just that you are good at what you do, but what you have meant to the people around you and how you have made them better."

In her senior season the Miranda amassed 1,125 assists, 903 digs, and 535 kills as Northlake won its third-straight state title even after the school moved up from Division V to Division IV in 2009-10. On top of being the Belmont volleyball's first Gatorade Player of the Year, Miranda shows the fruits of a highly-successful career at Northlake and Louisiana Volleyball National Club through three First Team All-State selections, three AAU National All-Tournament Team selections, and the Times-Picayune 2009 All-Metro Setter of the Year.

Libero Jamie Lundstrom looks to add depth to Belmont's defensive after playing for Lyons Township High School and 1st Alliance Volleyball Club in La Grange, Ill. Her 1st Alliance Club won the AVCA's Junior Volleyball Association National Championship in 2009 and she was the only defensive player named to its All-Tournament Team.

At Lyons Township, the 5-foot-5 defensive specialist was a two-time All-West Suburban Conference selection, listed on Prep Volleyball's Defensive Dandy list, and was a 2009 All-State Honorable Mention by the Champaign News Gazette. Lundstrom led the Lions to a second-place finish in the 2009 IHSA 4A State Tournament, Illinois' largest classification.

But more than her list of accomplishments, it was Lundstrom's passion for the game which makes her a perfect fit for Belmont.

"Jamie is very highly regarded by anyone who has seen her play," Webb said. "I watched her play at a couple of national tournaments last year and there were times were I just had to watch her team as a fan. She played with a passion that you couldn't help to be a fan. I'm looking forward to her bringing that to our gym and seeing what she can do at the next level. I think that she can be one of the most outstanding liberos in the history of our program."

Outside hitter Jen Myer comes from New Braunfels, Texas with a foundation of skills which will expedite the transition to Division I volleyball in order to compete for a starting position at Belmont in the fall. Myer was named among the Top 150 High School Seniors of 2010 by Prep Volleyball.

"Jen brings a balanced and versatile all-around game that we haven't seen in very many freshmen here," Webb said. "She comes in with a high-level serve and that will help her. Most freshmen have to learn to be a lot more aggressive, which is the way that we attack other teams, she is steps ahead of many freshmen in that regard. She can certainly get better, but enters our program with a nice jump top-spin serve that we can use right away along with good ball control, defending abilities."

The Bruins return 11 of 12 players who saw action in 2009, leading to an 18-15 record and a fifth-straight appearance in the Atlantic Sun Tournament semifinals. As spring practice is currently in full swing those returning know that each fall will bring new competition for a starting spot.

"We tell our returning players every year that no position is guaranteed and if they are competitors they want that," commented Webb. "It helps our returning players because if they know ahead of time that they will be pushed by someone in the fall, that just serves as extra motivation. Most of our players don't need that because they are more concerned about motivating themselves to make our team great and win. Regardless of the player or sport, having someone push you is a good thing. Each of these three have to opportunity to do that and challenge for playing time. That was our goal in recruiting and we have been able to do that."