Wheaton, Ill. - Thunder head volleyball coach Brittany Smith and the Wheaton College volleyball staff have announced the addition of five newcomers that have submitted their deposit to attend Wheaton College, with the intent to play for the Thunder volleyball team beginning in the fall of 2014.
 
Of the group, Smith says, "I'm incredibly excited about the athleticism and high level of competition this group is bringing to our program. With several players having had national level club exposure, and all of them having quality high school experiences, this group is seasoned with competition and full of potential impact for our program."
 
"With nine returning players on the Wheaton Volleyball roster, including spring transfer junior Brittany Creel from Ohlone Community College, the incoming five bring great depth to the offense with four of the five players being attackers, and one a setter," notes Smith.
 
"As our program continues to build to compete at the national level, this year is a great year for us to raise our practice standards and let the players compete hard for starting positions on the court. Without a doubt, every player returning and coming in could start this fall, and that competition will make us better every day."
 

Incoming Freshman
Katie Rohrer	6'2	Outside Hitter	Kizugawa-shi, Kyoto-fu, Japan
Hannah Japp	6'2	Middle Hitter	Blair, Neb.
Brooke Haskins	6'0	Middle Hitter	Greenwood Village, Colo.
Alley Lindner	5'7	Setter	Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Emily Potts	5'11	Middle Hitter	Holland, Michigan

In addition to five incoming freshman, Wheaton volleyball will have several new faces on the sideline in the coaching ranks. Ben Fisher, former high school varsity coach at DeKalb along with club experience at Illini Elite and Club Fusion, will be joining the Thunder as the top assistant. Wheaton College graduate and volleyball alum, Megan Thornton, will be the team graduate assistant. In addition, Wheaton College graduate and volleyball alum, Emily Buyse, will be a part-time program assistant.
 
"It's fantastic to have our former players involved in the program and desire to go into coaching," says Coach Smith. "I am thrilled that they enjoyed their experience so much at Wheaton and in our program that they want to stay on and help. Plus, having the seasoned experience that Ben brings to the table and his familiarity with our program being married to a Wheaton volleyball alum, I am confident our players will get all they can this fall from our coaching staff and grow in significant ways."
 
The Thunder volleyball team will open the season at the University of La Verne in southern California where the squad will match up against national runner-up, California Lutheran. Wheaton will see 11 teams this fall that finished last year receiving votes in the national rankings, including the 2013 national champions, national runner-up, and five sweet sixteen teams. Fans can see the team in action at the first home game of the season on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00 PM in King Arena when the Thunder take on Lake Forrest College. You can follow Wheaton Volleyball on Twitter @WheatonVB or watch the team in action at athletics.wheaton.edu.