Panthers Sign Four To National Letters Of Intent
Nov. 19, 2007
MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team has signed four high school standouts to National Letters of Intent, head coach Susie Johnson announced today. Morgan Kilberger of Crystal Lake, Ill., Mackenzie Millis of Black River Falls, Wis., Mary Beth O'Brien of Appleton, Wis., and Samantha Trawitzke of Burlington, Wis., will all join the Panthers for the 2008 season. "This is one of the best recruiting classes we have had in a long time," Johnson said. "It is an important class because I feel like they will be replacing a great class of players. We will be a very young team next year with at least nine freshmen and sophomores, and I think you will see some of these players, if not all, making a big impact on next season." Kilberger is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter who starred for four seasons at Crystal Lake South High School. A left-handed hitter, Kilberger has been an all-conference, all-area and All-Great Northwest First-Team honoree in each of the last two seasons. She helped Crystal Lake South to a pair of conference championships, a regional title and a top-20 state ranking during her career while tallying the team's best hitting percentage two years in a row. She was also named one of the Top 50 players by the Chicago Sun Times and was the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week this past season. On the club side, Kilberger has been a captain or co-captain for her Sky High Volleyball team each of the last six seasons, leading the team to the Junior Olympic Nationals each time. "We are excited to have Morgan join us," Johnson said. "She comes from a very strong high school team and volleyball club. She is a big lefty with a great arm swing and a very confident demeanor. She is an excellent all-around player who can really pass and play defense. Being a lefty, she adds something we haven't had in a few years. And, every team she has been a part of has enjoyed tremendous success."
Millis is a 6-foot-2 middle blocker from Black River Falls High School. She was a Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches' Association honorable mention all-state honoree this past season. Millis has also earned All-Coulee Conference recognition three times, earning first-team recognition each of the last two years and collecting honorable mention honors as a sophomore. Off the court, she is a National Honor Society member and received Tiger Academic Recognition honors in all four years of high school. "I am really happy Mackenzie decided to continue her volleyball career in Milwaukee," Johnson said. "She brings us good size in the middle and she is the first player we have gotten from her club (Wisconsin Power - Sauk County). Their players are known for being hard-working and I am excited to have another middle that works very hard. It can be difficult to find bigger players who are willing to work that hard, but Mackenzie will do that. I see very big things for her career in Milwaukee." O'Brien is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter who starred for the last four years at Appleton Xavier High School. O'Brien is a four-time all-state honoree who finished her career at Appleton Xavier as the school's all-time leader in kills (1,299), digs (1,267) and aces (183). She also earned all-league honors four times while leading Xavier to a pair of Wisconsin State tournaments. PrepVolleyball.com named her to the Frosh 59 list as one of the top high school freshman players in the country. On the club side, O'Brien helped Fox Cities Elite qualify for three Junior Olympic Championships while winning Junior Olympic All-America honors in 2005. "It is great to have Mary Beth coming to Milwaukee," Johnson said. "She was a really, really good club player at a very young age and she has kept up that high level of performance. She is a great in-state player for us to add, she has great size on the outside and she really posted some impressive numbers in high school. It is exciting to add someone who has had that kind of success and experience as a left-side hitter." Trawitzke is a 5-foot-9 setter who played at Burlington High School. She is a two-time all-state performer, having earned third-team honors after her junior season and first-team honors after her senior campaign. She is also a three-time All-Racine Count and All-Southeast Conference performer and earned Southeast Conference Player of the Year honors this past year. She was also named the Racine County Player of the Year this year. Earlier in her high school career, Trawitzke received special mention in the Frosh 59 list from PrepVolleyball.com. Off the court, she was a WVCA All-Academic honoree after her junior season. "It is great to add a setter of Sam's quality to our program, and I am happy she has decided to join us," Johnson said. "She is a really good athlete who possesses a lot of different volleyball skills beyond her setting abilities. She is the best senior setter in the state and comes from very good teams in both high school and club. She is a great addition and should continue the excellent tradition we have had at the setter position." UWM will lose a total of five seniors after this 2007 season, with current freshman Natalie Schmitting receiving the other available scholarship starting with the 2008 campaign. The Panthers (26-3) won their fifth-straight Horizon League regular season title this season before being knocked out in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament. UWM is now awaiting word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the pairings set to be announced Sunday. |
