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Jessica Yanz will join Flyer volleyball this fall. |
DAYTON, Ohio – University of Dayton head coach Kelly Sheffield has announced the addition of setter Jessica Yanz to the 2010 Flyer volleyball roster. Yanz played last year at the University of Nebraska and was recently granted a waiver of an NCAA rule that restricts the immediate eligibility of transfers from multiple four-year institutions.
Yanz will be playing for her third highly successful volleyball program. The Bolingbrook, Ill. product, played at Penn State for her freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to Nebraska.
"Jess was one of the top setters in the country coming out of high school, but found herself playing behind two First Team All-Americans at Penn State and Nebraska,” Sheffield said. “When I talk to her, I can tell that I'm talking to someone that has a lot of drive to be on the court. Jess is mature and competitive. She has a great presence at the net and has great hands."
Yanz played one season for the Huskers backing up AVCA All-American Sydney Andersen. She saw increased playing time after Nebraska switched its offense to the 6-2. Against UL-Lafayette, the six-foot setter tallied a season-high 17 assists. She practiced with Nebraska, but was unable to compete in 2008 due to NCAA transfer rules.
Prior to Nebraska, Yanz played for two seasons at Penn State where she helped the Nittany Lions to a 34-2 record and the National Title in 2007. She made four starts as a sophomore and averaged 12.55 assists per set, which included 42 assists against Virginia Commonwealth. Her attackers also had a .477 hitting percentage during that time. In 2006, she appeared in 17 matches playing in both a 6-2 and 5-1 offense, while helping Penn State to a 32-3 record.
She was the 23rd-best recruit in the country coming out of Naperville Central. Yanz helped lead the Redhawks to a Class AA state title in 2005. She was named the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year and was chosen as a first-team all-state student-athlete by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Champaign Gazette after setting a school record 902 assists.
Yanz was instrumental in her Sports Performance club’s success, leading the team to championships in the 2005 and 2006 National Junior Classics as well as the Junior Olympic National Open Championship. She was named the top setter in the National Junior Classic in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005.
Yanz is one of five newcomers to the Flyers for the 2010 season. She will join Megan Campbell, Evelyn Carus, Allyson Morey and Samantha Selsky on campus in the fall.
Last season, Dayton advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Frericks Center in a nationally-televised broadcast of the championship match. Lindsay Fletemier was named Third-Team All-American by the AVCA. UD Arena was named a 2010 NCAA Volleyball Championship Regional Site.
