PISCATAWAY, N.J. (December 22, 2010) – The Rutgers volleyball team has signed three prep standouts-Sofi Cucuz, Alyssa Monka and Alex Nyman-for the 2011 season head coach CJ Werneke announced today.
“We feel that we have a very talented and experienced recruiting class coming in for 2011,” Werneke said. “We feel that it’s a complete class that addresses all of our needs and will help make our gym better.”
The first member of the class of 2015 is Sofi Cucuz, a 6-foot outside hitter from Crown Point, Ind. Cucuz has piled up the accolades during her time at Crown Point High School, as she is a four-year letterwinner, three-year team MVP, and a two-time first team all area and all conference honoree. Additionally, Cucuz is her schools all-time record holder for kills (over 1000), blocks (266) and digs (397).
On the club level, Cucuz was a team captain for Chicago Juniors which qualified and competed at the Open, National and American levels. Cucuz currently competes with the nationally ranked Alliance volleyball club.
“Sofi is kind of a hybrid player, as she is making the transition from middle to outside and has the ability to play at both pins,” Werneke said. “Coaches love options and she’s got a hammer of an arm. We need to help her shore up some of her back row playing ability and increase her vertical a little bit. I think that she will definitely be someone who can terminate the ball at this level.”
The next member of RU’s class is 5-foot-6 libero from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Alyssa Monka. As three-year letterwinner at Los Osos High School, Monka excelled on the court at the libero position being named her team’s defensive player of the year in 2009 and 2010. Monka was also an All-Baseline League honoree in 2009 and 2010 and helped led Los Osos to the CIF quarterfinals in 2010.
On the club level, Monka has competed for the Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball club (2009-present) and the RanchoValley volleyball club (2007-09).
“One of the things with last season is that we didn’t feel like we had a designated libero,” Werneke said. “We feel that we really addressed that need with Alyssa. We think that she can come in right away to that position and have a chance to play. She has tremendous quickness and a very, very high volleyball IQ. She’s just an all around volleyball player. She can pass, play great defense and I think some of the intangibles she brings to the table, as far as competitiveness and attitude, will really help our program.”
The final member of the class is Alex Nyman, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker from Lake Balboa, Calif. As a four-year varsity starter and two-year team captain at Chaminade Prep, Nyman was named her team’s top defensive player as a sophomore and top offensive player as a junior and senior. During her senior season, Nyman led the Mission League in hitting percentage and tied for second in total blocks and blocks per game en route to being named an All-League performer. Nyman also shined in tournament play, earning all-tournament honors at the Royal Tournament and helped her team qualify for the CIF-SS 1AA playoffs three of her four years at Chaminade.
On the club level, Nyman competed for the Santa Monica Beach Club for two seasons and currently competes for Sunshine Volleyball, one of the top clubs in the nation.
“Size has been an issue for us and Alex is going to be brining in some of that much needed size,” said Werneke. “Anytime you can bring in somebody who can be a physical presence at the net, that’s only going to help a program take the next step. Alex has a tremendous upside and I anticipate her coming in, learning the college game and learning our system and then flourishing.”
The class will look to help RU continue its upward swing under Werneke, as each of the past two seasons the squad has improved on its win total.
“All three are ultra competitive and they hate losing,” Werneke said. “They want to step in and help expand on the building process and go to the next level. I think it’s one of the most complete classes we’ve brought here since we’ve been here and the future is pretty bright for our program.”