Recently appointed Lancer women's volleyball head coach Lucas Hodgson is pleased to announce the commitment of six talented players to his inaugural recruiting class at the University of Windsor for the 2012-13 season.

Highlighting the group is a pair of top local talents in Roshanna Matthews and Gabriella Miletic from St. Joseph's HS. They will be joined by provincial standouts Shannon Dean, Emily Durand, Megan Pike and Marissa Thomson.
 
Widely regarded as an outstanding recruiter in the OUA, Hodgson believes this group of incoming athletes will be part of the foundation for his program going forward.
 
“We are really excited about our first recruiting class here at Windsor and the level of talent we're bringing in,” commented Coach Hogdson. “This is a starting point for us to become a consistent contender in the OUA. We expect these girls to make an impact with our program right away.”
 
Locally, Roshanna Matthews is a 6'0 middle blocker from Windsor who played for the South County Bandits of the Ontario Volleyball Association.  Considered to be one of the top local players in the city, she joins the Lancers from St. Joseph's Catholic School where she helped lead them to an OFSAA berth for the second straight year.
 
“Roshanna is a dynamic player who brings an exciting style of play to the court,” said Hodgson. “She has the size and athleticism to play right away and we expect her to be a cornerstone of the program for years to come.”
 
Gabriella Miletic is a 6'0 setter also out of Windsor who also played for the South County Bandits. A teammate of Matthews at St. Joseph's High School and also a top local standout, she is also expected to make an impact with the team immediately.
 
“Gabie is a left handed setter that has huge potential at the university level,” said Hodgson. It's no secret that we wanted to get bigger and more athletic and Gabie fits that bill. She is a fierce competitor that wants to win and pushes to be better all the time.”
 
Shannon Dean, a 5'11”outside hitter will arrive at the University of Windsor from the Durham region where she played for Henry Street High School in Whitby. Considered to be one of the top junior players in the province, she recently completed her final season with Durham Region Volleyball Club of the Ontario Volleyball Association.
 
“We are thrilled that Shannon has committed to join our Lancer program,” added Hodgson. “In addition to being an elite athlete, she is that rare hybrid player that can play all positions on the court because of her tremendous athleticism.”

Emily Durand is a 5'8” Libero out of Niagara who played for the Niagara Rapids in the Ontario Volleyball Association. A skilled player with great poise, she attended E.L. Crossley High School where she will be valedictorian at her June graduation.
 
“I've been fortunate to coach Emily for the past few seasons with the regional team and previously with our club team in Niagara,” added Hodgson. “She has very high volleyball IQ and has an ability to read plays so she is in the right position defensively. We're excited she'll be wearing the blue and gold next season.”

Megan Pike is a 6'2” middle blocker out of Stratford where she led her high school to the city championship this past season. She is another skilled incoming player who will provide great size in the middle.
 
“Megan clearly gives us the size we've been looking for in the middle and she also moves very well laterally,” commented Hodgson. “We think with her skill set that she is going to surprise a lot of people in the OUA with her blocking ability.”
 
Marissa Thomson is a 5'9” outside hitter also out of Stratford, Ontario.  This past season, she helped lead her OVA Stratford Stingers squad to a gold medal in their division while also helping her St Michael's high school team to a silver medal at AAA OFSAA that was held in Windsor in March.
 
“Marissa is very calm and cool under pressure on the court and does not get rattled easily which will help her adapt quickly at the next level,” added Hodgson. “She is another great athlete with very good ball control which is going to allow us to run our offense effectively.”
 
With six recruits currently committed for the upcoming 2012-2013 season. Coach Hodgson is excited about where his program is headed in the future.
 
“This is not only a great group of volleyball players but also a committed group of student-athletes,” said Hodgson. “It's great progress for our program to have a talented group like this set to attend the University of Windsor and be part of our Lancer Volleyball team. My coaching staff and I are looking forward to helping them grow and succeed at the university level in all aspects of student life.”