Marquette women’s volleyball announced the signing of four recruits on Wednesday. Kortlyn Henderson, Elizabeth Orf, Sarah Rose and Hope Werch all signed National Letters of Intent to play at Marquette, allowing them to report to campus in summer 2017 and be eligible to play for the next four years.
“We are very excited about this class, it certainly is one of the deepest classes in Marquette history,” head coach Ryan Theis told GoMarquette.com. “We think this group offers a great mix of skill and athleticism that will add to our team.”
Orf, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is the highest ranked recruit as she comes in as No. 39 on prepvolleyball.com’s top-100 Senior Aces. The middle blocker was also honored as a PrepVolleyball Club All-American. Orf holds her high school’s kill record with over 1,100 kills, while also recording 545 digs. She was named first team all-state, all-region, all-district and all-conference as a junior. Furthermore, she helped her club reach first place MEQ, first place NLQ and third place at the USAV Nationals open division.
“Elizabeth is dynamic, plays high above the net and has a good arm. Those are three great attributes for a middle blocker,” Theis said.
Werch is ranked No. 78 on Prep Volleyball’s Senior Aces. She is another outside hitter and hails from Neenah, Wis. Werch has collected several major accolades including an Under Armor All-American honorable mention, two first team all-state, three unanimous Player of the Year in the FVA Conference and the 2016 Northeast Wisconsin Player of the Year. This past season, she helped Neenah High School to their first Division I state championship since 1978. In her high school career, she has 1,918 kills, a .322 hitting percentage and 1,543 digs.
“Hope’s skill level will be an immediate impact on the program,” Theis said. “She is a true competitor and we are excited to get her in the gym.”
Henderson, an outside hitter, is listed as a top-250 senior ace by prepvolleyball.com. The Waco, Texas native was 2015 and 2016 first team All-District and was the district MVP runner-up last year as a junior. She also holds her school record in kills with 455.
“Kortlyn brings a physical presence to the floor and is a high-level athlete that will score a lot of points for us down the road,” Theis said.
Finally, Rose, a setter from Elmhurst, Ill., has picked up 2,605 assists and 865 digs in four years. She helped her high school team to a 2016 regional championship and a sectional semi-final appearance. In club, her team won the 17 Open in the 2016 Spring Classic and the SPVB Pre-Nationals. Rose was a 2016 AVCA All-American nominee, a 2016 West Suburban All-Conference selection and a 2016 All-Area team member.
“Sarah is terrific at getting hitter in good situations and her overall ball control skills and volleyball IQ are already at a high level, which will benefit our team,” Theis said.
