TAMPA - Head coach Claire Lessinger and the University of South Florida volleyball team added junior college transfer J'beria Davis to wrap up the most talented recruiting class to date under Lessinger's tenure.
Davis, a 5'11" outside hitter/middle blocker, played at Hillsborough Community College for a year after graduating from Clearwater High School in 2009.
At Clearwater High, Davis helped lead the team with 52 blocks, 183 kills and 33 aces. For her efforts, Davis was named Second Team All-County and Most Improved in 2007. At Hillsborough Community College Davis was named to the Pensacola Junior College Classic All-Tournament team and the Miami Dade College Invitational All-Tournament team. Her team ended the 2009 season ranked seventh in the nation, and Davis was named First-Team All-Conference.
Davis played club volleyball for the Gulf Coast Juniors and the Tampa Bay Juniors while in high school. In the spring of 2009, Davis played on the Tampa United club team under Coach Jeff Lamm. In addition to playing volleyball, Davis volunteered at Morton Plant Hospital and excelled on the basketball court at Clearwater High. As a Bull, Davis plans to major in sports medicine.
Wrap Up of 2010 Signees
Along with Davis, Lessinger and the Bulls will look forward to adding Andrea Rodriguez Gomez, Bruna Bon, Liz Barton, Kimika Rozier and Kayla Walton to the 2010 roster.
A middle blocker/outside hitter, Rodriguez Gomez comes to USF with many accolades on the volleyball court. At Ronald Reagan Doral Senior High School, Rodriguez Gomez was named to the Tidewater Volleyball Association's 15 Best All-Around Player list. Before transferring to Ronald Reagan Doral Senior High School, Rodriguez Gomez helped Landstown High School win its first district championship, regional championship and state championship. In club play at Coastal Gold, Rodriguez Gomez and her team made it to the Junior Olympic Nationals in Miami.
Bon, an outside hitter from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, is an athletic, all-around player. Bon played for the Tijuca Club team and won eight state championships. Along with those championships, Bon also won five national championships in Brazil. In 2004, Bon was named Best Player on her club team and in 2006 she was named Best Passer.
Another middle blocker recruit, Barton will add depth and competition to the position. Barton is a product of Kentucky and was named to the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association First Team and the 2010 Sports Imports Girls Fab 50 list. In 2009, Barton tallied 320 kills, 153 digs, 37 aces and 41 solo blocks for Notre Dame Academy. She has been named to the All-Tournament District Team, NKGHSVCA Division I First Team, NKAC All-Conference Team, Enquirer All-State Team and the KVCA Second Team All-State.
As a transfer from Washington State University, outside hitter Rozier will have two years of eligibility at USF. As part of the Pac-10, Rozier gained valuable NCAA tournament experience with her Washington State team. In high school, Rozier earned six letters, three in volleyball and three in track and field. Rozier participated in the 100m hurdles, triple jump, and the long jump. In 2005, her volleyball team won the Southwestern League with an undefeated 10-0 record. In 2006 Rozier's team kept its title with a 9-1 record. In her high school career, Rozier was named to the all-league first team twice and the second team once.
As a 6'-3" right side hitter, Walton will add height to the Bulls roster and depth to the right side position. Walton comes to USF with tremendous experience, playing at the junior international level on the HP USA Youth BLUE Team. Also, Walton was named to the St. Petersburg Times All-County Second Team as a sophomore. After sitting out her junior year due to a knee injury, Walton came back her senior year to lead Northside High School in kills as the captain. Walton also excelled on the basketball court, earning All-County Honorable Mention her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Courtesy: USF
