DePaul University Athletics
Volleyball Welcomes Six New Additions
11/25/2019 10:08:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
CHICAGO – DePaul head coach Marie Zidek announced this week that Hanna Karl, Jill Pressly, Julia Nagy, Phoenix Lee, Rachel Krasowski and Sierra Ellison have completed all necessary paperwork and will join the women's volleyball program starting with the 2020 season.
Hanna Karl is an outside hitter from Carlsbad, Calif. and is a senior at Sage Creek High School. At SCHS, Karl played in 151 sets, totaling 550 kills, 275 digs, 45 service aces and hit a .307 in her career.
"Pumped to add a well-rounded volleyball player in Hanna that comes from one of the most competitive volleyball hot beds in the country (San Diego),'' said head coach Marie Zidek. "Her volleyball pedigree and club training make her the perfect fit for what we need right now in order to continue to migrate this program forward. She's been in endless competitive situations and her work ethic and never quit attitude will elevate our gym such an important way.
"Hanna is versatile – she can play left or right, and she has all of the skills required to play long rallies and play smart. Her leadership on and off the court make her the perfect fit for our program and DePaul. She will come in polished and disciplined and her love for DePaul will have an immediate effect on those around her in positive ways."
Jill Pressly joins the Blue Demons from Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas. The outside hitter has played in 164 sets and has totaled 648 kills, 444 digs, 72 service aces, 35 total blocks and hit a .305.
"We are thrilled to add a pure point scorer to our offense. Jill will flat out score points for us on the attack and she will do it with many different shots. She is the killer and has the killer mentality that we need in order to come out on top in long matches and long seasons. She's used to playing against the top competition in Texas and has made a living having to work harder and longer than some other physically inclined players. Her line shot will be one of the best we've had in a while, which will help us against the pinched blocking systems in our conference and her middle back defense rivals anyone in the country. As well, her competitive identity make her perfect for tight match situations. We found a great player in Jill, and we can't wait to start working with her."
Julia Nagy is a defensive specialist and libero from Blackhawk Christian in Fort Wayne, Ind. She has played in 306 sets and has notched 1,092 digs, 943 kills, 185 service aces and hit a .202 in her career.
"Julia will bring stability to our serve receive that will continue to allow our offense to climb up spots in this conference in kills per set. She also comes from a volleyball background that is built on hard work. Her infectious personality, ball control and competitive identity will elevate our gym exponentially. As well, her academic performance and character make her a great match for DePaul.
"We could tell immediately during the recruiting process that the energy she brings to everything she does matched the energy that's here at DePaul with the students, faculty and staff that make this place so special."
Phoenix Lee joins us from Oakville, Ontario. In her time playing for Team Ontario she was selected Provincial All-Star and MVP, Canadian Nationals MVP, selected to the USAV HP All-Tournament Team in 2018 and won a silver medal with Youth National Team Canada at NORCECA 2018.
"I can still remember the first impression Phoenix made when I saw her play for Team Canada at the High Performance Championships a couple years back. She was slinging the ball around, putting her attackers in great position and running a very mature offense well beyond her years. She is also an exceptional defender and has a great serve.
"Her international experience, competitive identity and her well-rounded game put her immediately in the mix to make an impact on our roster and within our conference. She has exceptionally high character and sees the integrity that we operate with at DePaul and Chicago is the perfect fit for her goals."
Rachel Krasowski is a libero from Carl Sandburg High School. The local Orland Park native played in 319 sets totaling 2,112 digs, 1,346 service receptions, 136 aces and averages 6.6 digs per set.
"We are getting the local standout we needed in Rachel and stay true to our pursuit of local talent in volleyball-hot Chicago. She continues to cement herself as one of the top, if not the top, libero in the Chicagoland area. Her defensive prowess has also been recognized nationally as she has been named many times as one of the liberos in the country to look out for as she translates to college.
"As we continue to migrate our offense forward, it's paramount in our system to have a defender that can dig with tremendous range and touch in order to create opportunities for our offense to become potent in years to come. As well, her competitive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes is exactly what we need to continue our push towards the top, which only gets harder the more progress you make year to year. She is old school DePaul volleyball that I grew up watching – willing to outwork anybody that stands in the way of team success."
Last but not least, Sierra Ellison is an outside hitter and a sophomore at Powhatan High School. The Powhatan, VA. native played in 29 sets and totaled 13 kills, 12 digs and 11 blocks during her freshman season alone.
"Sierra was a player that made a tremendous impression on us during our summer camp. She's a work horse that is just on the front end of her development and I can't wait to start working with her in our system. Her competitive personality, high character and elite level goals make her a perfect fit for DePaul and what we are building here. She also has incredible goals when it comes to studying film at DePaul and we are thrilled to add someone of her ambition on and off the court to this program."
Social Media
For everything DePaul volleyball, follow the Blue Demons across multiple social media platforms: Twitter or Instagram. Join in the conversation using #DPUvb.
Be sure to like DePaul on Facebook and check out some of the sights and sounds around DePaul on Twitter or on Instagram.
Miss any of the action? Subscribe to the Blue Demons on Youtube.
