Nov. 23, 2005

Santa Clara, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's volleyball team will graduate four seniors at the end of the season, including starter Cassie Perret and key contributor Kristen Luxton, but head coach Jon Wallace will be reloading his troops for another record-breaking season with the addition of three blue-chip recruits. Wallace announced that Nina Sevastopoulos, Lindsy Evans, and Lauryn Dowd will attend Santa Clara University beginning in 2006 and compete for the West Coast Conference champions.

"Our incoming class is great. We signed everybody that we wanted to in that class and we're really excited to work with them next season," said Wallace.

Sevastopoulos hails from Saratoga, Calif. and attends Los Gatos High School. The 6-2 outside hitter recently led the Wildcats to a league title in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, De Anza Division. A terminator on the left side and one of the hardest hitters in the Class of 2009, Sevastopoulos guided her club team, Vision Volleyball Club, to the silver medal at the 2005 Junior Nationals in the 17s Division this past summer. She was named to the All-Tournament team for her spectacular performance and is ranked No. 28 according to PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces.

Evans is perhaps one of the most versatile high school seniors this year, with the power to hammer the ball on the outside and the strength and soft touch to quarterback a team to victory. The 6-3 Evans comes to Santa Clara from Sonora, Calif. and competes for Sonora High School, where she was named the 2004 Modesto Bee Volleyball Prep Player of the Year. She also plays club volleyball for Mother Lode Volleyball. A member of the 2004 Youth National A3 Team, Evans checks in at No. 60 in PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces.

Dowd is another local player to sign with the Broncos, as she lives in San Jose, Calif. and attends Leigh High School. A versatile athlete, the 5-11 Dowd will be mainly utilized in the middle, but will also be looked upon to provide depth on the outside. A club teammate of Sevastopoulos, Dowd also contributed to Vision's second-place finish at Junior Nationals.

"I think Nina is going to be a great outside hitter for us. Lindsy will be a player who will be really hard to defend, whether she is setting or hitting. I think Lauryn is a quick, fast middle who will add to our depth on the team," said Wallace.