DePaul University Athletics
Volleyball Completes Recruiting Class for 2017 Season
5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
CHICAGO - Head coach Nadia Edwards and the DePaul volleyball team welcome five signees to the program to join the squad for the 2017 season.
The class of signees, Isabelle Banez, Isabell (Izzy) De La Rosa, Avarie Evans-Allen, Shayla Santos and Summer See, rounds out the roster for the 2017 campaign that features 13 returners, including BIG EAST All-Conference First Team member Brittany Maxwell.
"We are very excited to welcome these young women into our program," said Edwards. "This class is loaded with talent and will add the ball control, offense and depth to our existing group that will help us to compete at a high level this upcoming season."
Banez comes to DePaul from Northside College Prep where she started all four years as a libero on the varsity team and led the team in digs all four years. The Chicago native was a team captain for three years and earned Northside's Outstanding Achievement Award twice.
Coach Edwards on Isabelle Banez: "Isabelle is a high energy player, who makes plays defensively. She is super light on her feet, knows the game and makes the hard plays look easy. We look forward to her coming in and enhancing our ball control this season."
The libero was named to the top-10 Players to Watch at the JVA Midwest Challenge and was a 2016 Illinois All-Star, hosted by Sportstown Chicago. Banez led her team to the final four in the city playoffs in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and won the regional in 2013.
De La Rosa hails from San Antonio, Texas where she competed four years at the varsity level for Reagan High School. In 2016, she led the team in blocks, made two all-tournament teams and was named to the First Team All-District and Academic All-District.
Coach Edwards on Izzy De La Rosa: "When we first began the recruiting process with Izzy we were excited about how springy she was and her knack for blocking. On the court, she has a serious and competitive demeanor, but off the court she is very funny. On her visit, she caught everyone's attention right away when she shared her fun fact was that in her spare time she enjoyed yodeling and on the spot she demonstrated in front of everyone."
At the state level, the middle blocker earned spots on the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) Class 6A All-State Team and TGCA Academic All-State Team. During her senior year, De La Rosa was part of a Reagan team that finished 42-5 on the season and went undefeated in conference play. De La Rosa capped her high school career by earning a chance to play in the 2017 Texas Association of Volleyball Coaches Legacy All-Star Game for the South Team.
Evans-Allen joins the Blue Demons from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is the fourth international student-athlete on the 2017 roster. The middle blocker was co-captain of her club team Leaside Lightning 17U this past year. She was invited to try out for Team Canada in 2015.
Coach Edwards on Avarie Evans-Allen: "Avarie is an athletic player. She jumps out of the gym and is a huge presence on the block. It has been really exciting to see the growth that Avarie has shown over the past club season. She is fun to watch and will certainly be fun to coach. We know she has a huge upside and we cannot wait to see what she can do for the Blue Demons this upcoming season."
Evans-Allen played for Team Ontario's 16U team in 2015 and earned a gold medal at the Canadian Nationals that same year.
Santos has had a decorated high school career at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. The defensive specialist was a three-time Interscholastic League of Honolulu Second Team All Star (2014-16) and was named the Sacred Hearts Academy MVP and Hawaii All-State Honorable Mention in 2017.
Coach Edwards on Shayla Santos: "The BIG EAST is a familiar place to Shayla. She had the opportunity to watch her older sister compete for St. John's, and now it is her time to create her own legacy at DePaul. You can tell that Shayla has grown up around the sport of volleyball. She has the opportunity to play indoor and outdoor year round, possesses a high level of natural talent and is a playmaker . We look forward to Shayla making those plays for DePaul and continuing to strengthen our passing and defense this season."
The defensive specialist was a two-time member of the Aloha Region Youth Team and named to the 2016 USA Volleyball Continental Team. Santos was part of the team that took first place at the Aloha State Games in 2015.
Oland Park, Ill. native See was a two-time regional champion at Providence Catholic. The libero made First Team All-Conference and was a captain for her varsity team.
Coach Edwards on Summer See: "Summer first caught our attention when she attended one of our Advanced Skills camps a few years ago. She displayed nothing but high energy and played with determination and incredible heart. At the end of the camp Summer ended up winning the "Gatorade Hustle Award". The one thing that continues to stand out about Summer is that she plays the game with an abundance of energy and incredible heart."
See was one of the top student-athletes in the conference with 250-plus digs on the year. She led her team to two first-place finishes at the Oak Lawn Tournament.
The five new signees join a 2017 DePaul volleyball team looking to build on the success of 2016 that saw a program-best seven BIG EAST wins and two student-athletes make the BIG EAST All-Conference Teams.
