Jan. 10, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Three student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent with the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team it was announced recently by head coach Kathy Gregory. High school seniors Nikki Doyle (Santa Maria, Calif./Pioneer Valley HS), Lily Lopez (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS), and Whittany Radcliffe (La Habra, Calif./La Habra HS) are expected to join the Gauchos for the fall 2008 season.

Nikki Doyle, a 5'11" outside hitter, is a four-year team MVP and captain at Pioneer Valley High School. Doyle is a two-time First Team All-Pac-7 League selection and was named to the Santa Barbara All-County volleyball team this past season. She earned the 2005 Los Padres League Co-MVP honor and has been honored by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table and the Santa Maria Sun Times with Athlete of the Week accolades in each of her four years playing prep volleyball. In each of the last three years she has posted over 300 kills and in 2007 she averaged 4.9 kills per game.

Not just a talent on the volleyball court, Doyle has also earned academic honors including CIF All-Academic, Scholar Athlete, and Academic Excellence accolades.

"Nikki is a good all around player and a talented passer," Gregory said. "She has exceptionally quick arms and will contribute to making us a better ball control team. She will add depth to both the left and the right sides for us and could also move into the role of primary passer."

Lilly Lopez, a 6'2" middle blocker, will come to Santa Barbara via Mater Dei High School. During her senior campaign, Lopez earned First Team All-Trinity League honors and was also named her varsity team captain and Most Valuable Player. During 2006-07, Lopez earned Second Team All-Trinity League honors and earned Mater Dei's Most Improved Player and Best Offensive Player honors. She also earned a silver medal at the 2007 Junior Olympics as well as at SCVA High Performance in Croatia.

Off the court Lopez is also a member of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, and Campus Ministry, in addition to participating in the Race for the Cure.

"The addition of Lily to the team helps us improve our size in the middle," Gregory commented. "She has good lateral quickness and has similar fast twitch abilities as graduating senior Brett Quirarte. Her ability to block is one of her greatest strengths and she will compete to start immediately and fill the gap left in the middle by Brett."

Rounding out the Gauchos' fall signing class is Whittany Radcliffe, a 6'2" opposite hitter from La Habra High School. Radcliffe was named the Freeway League's Most Valuable Player in addition to picking up First Team All-Freeway League honors. She has also been named to Whittier's All-Area Team. A dual sport athlete, Radcliffe was the two-time MVP on La Habra's women's basketball team.

In addition to her participation in athletics, Radcliffe has earned Scholar Athlete honors and has served as a D.A.R.E spokesperson.

"We are currently lacking a go-to hitter and we feel that the addition of Whittany to the roster could fill that void. She is an impact offensive player that can also help us improve our blocking," Gregory said.

The UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team ended the 2007 season in November with a 14-18 overall record. The Gauchos graduated just two seniors: Quirarte and Lauren Smith.