Feb. 2, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford University head volleyball coach Vickie Nichols has announced the signing for four recruits for the 2000 season:

Stefanie Pickett is a 6-1 middle blocker from Birmingham, AL, where she played for Vestavia Hills High School. "Stephanie is a great all around player. She is a primary passer in serve receive and is a strong blocker on the net. Her size and strength will be a great addition to our team." said Nichols. Pickett started on the varsity team all four years and led Vestavia Hills in aces, blocks, and kills as a senior.

Ashley Fulton is a 5-9 outside hitter from El Segundo, CA. She will graduate from Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles, with a 3.6 GPA. "Ashley has grown up playing volleyball. She is a solid all-round player who brings experience and a winning tradition with her. She is self motivated and pushes herself constantly to improve her game." said Nichols.

Krista Kettering, a 5-5 setter from Dayton, OH, attended Dayton Christian High School and played for a successful Dayton Juniors club team. She led her club team in aces with 76 last season and averaged 19.5 assists per game. "We are very excited about signing Krista. She is a very well-trained setter who has a lot of experience and can set any play-set. She will allow us to speed up our offense while keeping our opponents off balance, hopefully setting our hitters against only one blocker." stated Nichols.

Angela Smith is a 5-11 outside hitter from Houston, TX, where she attended Cypress Falls High School. "Angela is an excellent athlete whose height and jumping ability will add quickness to our team. She could develop into a dominate player in our conference." says Nichols. Smith has a 29" vertical jump and recorded 58 blocks as a senior.

"These four players will add depth to our team as well as push our returning players for starting positions." remarked Nichols of her new recruits.

Samford will return five starters from its 1999 team that went 14-19 and lost in the first round of the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament in Nichols' first season as head coach.