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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Recruiting Class Ranked 23rd Nationally, Second In SEC
7/17/2009 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss volleyball team got some good news and added another first to the program's list of accolades when PrepVolleyball.com named the incoming recruiting class as one of the nation's Top 25 on Friday.
The Rebels' class of 2009 was rated as the No. 23 class in the nation by the organization and the second-best class in the Southeastern Conference. Only Kentucky finished higher in the national recruiting rankings than the Rebel,s and they are the only two league teams to rank in the top 25.
"We're very proud of the coaching staff putting together such a fine recruiting class and Molly Alvey is a fine recruiting coordinator who worked very hard on this class," said Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin . "This class should make an immediate impact on our program and the future of Ole Miss volleyball."
The 2009 freshman class will see eight new faces arrive on campus, including a high-school All-America selection and three players ranked in the top 100 seniors by PrepVolleyball.com: right side hitter Allegra Wells (No. 88), middle blocker Courtney Cunningham (No. 89) and outside hitter Whitney Craven (No. 100). Also lauded by the organization is setter Marielle Oestermeyer, who was tabbed as a freshman with the potential to emerge as a "dominant assist maker."
Wells lettered two years at Sachse High School in Garland, Texas, where she was named Newcomer of the Year in 2007 and was also named as an All-District second-team selection. She followed that up with selection to the All-District first team in 2008 and was an All-District blocker the same year. She helped Sachse claim the District Championship both years and extended the school's streak of District titles to five straight.
Cunningham was a four-year letter winner at Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago where she had an accomplished career. She helped lead her high school to back-to-back Chicago Public School City Girls Championships in 2007 and 2008, while also helping the squad to the IHSA State Final Four in 2008. Cunningham finished her career as the all-time kill leader at Walter Payton and tallied 435 kills in 2008.
Cunningham was named the 2007 and 2008 Public Schools Player of the Year by the Chicago Sun Times and was also a 2007 All-Area third team selection and 2008 first team selection by the Sun Times. She was also named an All-Area second team selection in 2008 by the Chicago Tribune.
Craven was a first team All-State selection at Assumption High School in Louisville, Ky., in 2008. She also competed with the KIVA volleyball club in Louisville, one of the top volleyball clubs in the nation. At Assumption last season, Craven helped her team win a pair of tournament titles, including the Nike Challenge.
Ole Miss opens its season on Aug. 28 when the Rebels participate in the Missouri Tiger Invitational at the University of Missouri.
