Gophers volleyball coach Mike Hebert has announced the signings of two players to national volleyball letter of intent.
Lisa Axel of Buffalo, Minn., is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter who was a five-time letter winner and a three-time all-state player at Buffalo High School. She was also honored as the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association’s 1998 Ms. Volleyball as the state’s top player.
She was also a key member of a Buffalo team that won four straight undefeated conference championships.
“Lisa is exactly what we were looking for as we assemble the pieces necessary for a run at a championship,” Hebert said. “She’s a volleyball junkie from a volleyball family and she’s a local player who really wants to be a Gopher. Her defensive and passing skills are at an elite level.”
Minnesota’s second recruit is Charnette Fair of Riverside, Cal. Fair is a 6-foot-1 middle blocker who transfers to Minnesota as a junior from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Cal. She was named a second-team junior college All-American in 1998. Minnesota will be her third school, after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho to Golden West College.
“Charnette’s athletic ability will turn some heads,” Hebert said. “Her jump reach is reported to be in the 10-foot-4 range and she can bring some major heat as a quick hitter. She was the top junior college middle blocker available this year.
The incoming recruits will join a team that finished with a 17-14 record last season, and was nationally ranked for nine consecutive weeks in the AVCA/USA Today Poll.