Middle blockers Heather Hausfeld and Natalie Marsh and setter Sarah Rumely have each signed a national letter of intent to play volleyball for Kentucky next season, UK Coach Craig Skinner announced Wednesday.
“Sarah, Natalie, and Heather are extremely athletic, competitive, and know how to win,” Skinner said. “This was important for us in recruiting the 2006 class. There is no doubt that these women will do whatever it takes to compete for SEC championships.”
Hausfeld, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a senior for St. Bernard Roger Bacon High School which plays in the Ohio state semifinals this Friday night. The defending state champions recently claimed the district and regional titles and have put together a 27-0 record so far this season. Hausfeld already has 338 kills and 141 blocks this season.
“Heather is a very powerful player who has an edge about her that helps her team find a way to win,” Skinner commented. “She can attack from any position and will have a big presence at the net for the Wildcats.”
Hausfeld, who plays club volleyball for Team Z, has recently been named a first-team all-League, All-City and All-State selection for her senior. She was second-team All-city and All-District as a junior as her Roger Bacon team claimed the state title. Her club team finished third at nationals last year.
The three-year volleyball starter also is a three-year member of the varsity basketball team where she was named first-team All-League and second-team All-District last season. Hausfeld is a merit student and a member of the honor roll.
Natalie Marsh, ranked one of the top 100 recruits in the Class of 2006 by prepvolleyball.com, hails from the Cincinnati area as well and played for Walnut Hills High School. The 6-0 middle blocker has started all four years and recently finished her career as the school’s all-time kills leader. She’s been named the FAVC Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference this season. She also was named Player of the Year in the all-city vote by the coaches and just this week earned first-team All-State recognition.
“Natalie is a Junior Olympic All-American who can play all the way around,” Skinner said. “There are few middles coming out of high school that can perform all the skills on the volleyball court and she is one of them. Her versatility will allow her to contribute right away.”
She guided her squad to a 24-2 record in 2004 and a sectional championship and was named first-team All-City, second team All-State and the FAVC Conference Player of the Year last year. Last summer, Marsh was named to the all-tournament team at the Junior Olympic National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, playing for the Mizuno Cincinnati Classics Red.
Marsh played for Coach Tim Mersch at Walnut Hills and was coached in club by Tom Hogan. She is the daughter of Randie and William Marsh. Natalie’s sister, Emily, was her assistant coach at WHHS and played college volleyball. Marsh’s cousins Cindy and Kim Stern played at Clemson and Wake Forest, respectively. Cindy Stern was an All-American and Kim currently coaches at Wingate in North Carolina.
Rumely comes to Kentucky from New Palestine, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. The 5-11 setter attends Scecina Memorial High School where she guided her team to the sectional championship this season. She is ranked as one of the top 100 recruits in the 2006 class by prepvolleyball.com.
“Sarah is a gifted setter who can execute all facets of the position,” Skinner said. “She has unlimited potential and can be one of the best setters in the country before her career is over at UK.”
Rumely was recently named first-team All-State and was invited to play in the Indiana All-Star match. She was a four-year varsity letterwinner in volleyball and played softball for her first three years. She was honorable mention All-City as a sophomore and went on to be named first-team All-City and All-East her junior year. That season, she also was named the All-East Player of the Year and most valuable player of her high school squad, an honor she earned again this year.
This season, Rumely totaled 902 assists, 218 digs, 93 aces and 74 blocks while hitting .357 for the season. She becomes Scecina High School’s first ever athlete to earn a Division I volleyball scholarship.
Rumely has previously played club for Team Indiana, but will play with Munciana this season. She was coached at Scecina Memorial by Brian Hawkins. Rumely is the daughter of Bill and Elyse Rumely and hopes to pursue a career in medicine at Kentucky.
Front row (R-L): Bill Marsh, Natalie Marsh, Randie Marsh
Back row: Tim Mersch (HS coach), Chris Weaver (Walnut Hills Athletic Director), Marvin Koenig (Walnut Hills Principal)
Front Row (L to R): Elyse Rumely, Sarah Rumely, Bill Rumely.
Back Row (L to R): Tom Davis, Scecina Principal; Dr. Kevin Casperson, Scecina President; Kristen Ahaus, Team Indiana Club Coach; Brian Hawkins, Scecina Head Coach; Steve Ward, Scecina Assistant; Lisa Melendez, Scecina Assistant; Ott Hurrle, Scecina Athletics Director.
