ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Under 10th-year head coach Jeff Nelson, the University of New Mexico volleyball team has added four National Letter of Intent signees to its 2017-18 recruiting class on Wednesday.
Nicolette Clark, Hailey Rubino, Morgan Schreckler and Yasmin Tan all signed to play for the Lobos on the first day of the early signing period. They are the first four players to join the Lobos’ 2017-18 recruiting class.
“I think this is a good class,” Nelson said. “It encompasses a wide range of positions and experiences and it really fulfills a lot our needs with a solid class graduating. I think we’ve touched on every position and really added to our depth.”
Clark, a 6-foot outside hitter from Phoenix, Arizona, is a three-year letterwinner in volleyball under coach Karen Gray at Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix. She also has trained six years in taekwondo, earning a second-degree black belt.
“Nic is a really athletic kid,” Nelson said. “She plays in the one of the best clubs in the country. She has a big jump and is a solid blocker and I think with a good year of weights, she’s going to be an outstanding collegiate player. We just need to make her a little stronger, but athletically, she’s really gifted.”
She led Mountain Pointe to the state playoffs three straight years from 2013-15, and has been named to the AVCA Phenom List the last three years. She plays club volleyball for East Valley Juniors, helping EVJ qualify for USA Nationals.
In 2015, Clark was runner up in the House of Payne Tournament, and posted a pair of third-place finishes at the Nike Tournament of Champions and the Goldwater Tournament in 2014.
Rubino is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Leesburg, Virginia, who plays under coach Sherrilyn Hanna at Loudoun County High School. She recently eclipsed 1000 career kills, and has posted over 800 digs and 300 aces in her high school career.
“Hailey is a really complete player,” Nelson said. “She’s got really good skills, a wicked jump serve and great ballhandling skills. She’s one of the best beach players on the east coast. I think she’ll add right away to the program. She’s done a lot indoor and on the beach and she’ll do both for us.”
This season, Rubino has been named Second-Team Under Armour All-American, VHSL 4A Conference 21 East Player of the Year, First-Team VHSL 4A Conference 21, 2016 PrepVolleyball Pre-Season All-American Watch List and JVA Beach Watch List.
She was also honored as Washington Post All-Met Second Team in 2014 and 2015, and has earned a spot on the AVCA Phenom List from 2013-15.
Schreckler, a 6-foot, ½-inch outside hitter from Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, lettered in volleyball for two years under coach Molly West. Schreckler was named to the AVCA Phenom List in 2015, the same year she helped Desert Vista, the top-ranked team in the nation, to the 6A Arizona State Championship.
“Morgan plays on one of the best high school teams in the country,” Nelson said. “Her high school team, Desert Vista, won the state championship the last couple of years and they were the No. 1 high school team in the country last year. She has really great skills. She needs to come in and contribute right away, and with the skill level she has, she can.”
Playing with East Valley Juniors, the same club team as Clark, Schreckler earned third place at the USA Girls Junior Nationals and earned a bid to play at the AAU Sand Volleyball Nationals. In 2013, she was invited to the HP Girls Select National Invitational Program.
Tan, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker from Melbourne, Australia, rounds out the Lobos’ group of signees. Tan is a three-sport athlete at Yarra Valley Grammar School in Ringwood, Victoria, lettering in volleyball for three years plus five years each of basketball and track & field.
“Yasmin is a really athletic middle blocker out of Australia,” Nelson said. “We had the opportunity to watch her a little bit when we were over there last summer. She does some really nice things. She’s outstanding off of one foot and really elevates off of one foot. She’s also another outstanding student, which really fits our program and will continue our academic tradition.”
In 2016, Tan was accorded Honours Colours in volleyball and basketball, along with Colours in athletics. She also earned Coach’s Award Firsts in volleyball in 2014 and 2015 and Coach’s Award Firsts in basketball in 2013. She also was honored with the Yarra Valley Grammar School Adam Strachan Memorial Award for contribution to school sports.
Additionally, Tan played with the Australian Junior Women’s Team, and competed at the South East Asian Games and Asian Junior Volleyball Championships in 2016 and the USA High Performance Championships in 2015.