Volleyball Adds Marian Prep Kelsey O'Connell
4/23/2015 12:56:00 PM | Volleyball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Marian High School standout Kelsey O'Connell will join the Creighton Volleyball team in the fall, head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth announced on Thursday.
O'Connell joins a highly-touted recruiting class that includes fall signees Megan Ballenger (Ankeny, Iowa), Samantha Bohnet (Council Bluffs, Iowa), Taryn Kloth (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Jaali Winters (Ankeny, Iowa).
O'Connell has spent the past three years on the varsity team at Omaha (Neb.) powerhouse Marian, helping the Crusaders to back-to-back state titles and earning a pair of All-Metro honors from the Omaha World-Herald. The 6-foot-2 middle blocker had 171 kills and 37 blocks while hitting .380 last fall as she overcame a knee injury suffered earlier in the year. O'Connell had earned all-state accolades as a junior after hitting .368 with 321 kills and 52 aces.
As a junior, she had 20 kills in the championship match that clinched Marian's first state title since 2009. O'Connell then had 10 kills and five blocks in the 2014 state title match victory against previously undefeated Papillion-La Vista, the nation's No. 7-ranked team.
O'Connell will be the third Marian product on the Creighton team this fall, joining rising seniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen, and extending the program's streak of at least one Marian alum to 13 straight seasons.
"We're thrilled with the addition of Kelsey. To get a player of her caliber and character this late in the process is really outstanding for the program," said Booth. "Kelsey's a really hard worker who is very well-trained. She's played at a top high school program and a top club program (Premier). She missed the key time for recruiting with a knee injury, but we've known for years what an outstanding person she is. I think she's going to add a lot to our culture in addition to what she brings to the court."
Coached at Marian by Rochelle Rohlfs, O'Connell also considered Iowa State and Seattle.
Creighton went 25-9 in 2014, sweeping the BIG EAST regular-season and Tournament titles, while making a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bluejays return 11-of-16 letterwinners and four starters from last year's club.
O'Connell joins a highly-touted recruiting class that includes fall signees Megan Ballenger (Ankeny, Iowa), Samantha Bohnet (Council Bluffs, Iowa), Taryn Kloth (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Jaali Winters (Ankeny, Iowa).
O'Connell has spent the past three years on the varsity team at Omaha (Neb.) powerhouse Marian, helping the Crusaders to back-to-back state titles and earning a pair of All-Metro honors from the Omaha World-Herald. The 6-foot-2 middle blocker had 171 kills and 37 blocks while hitting .380 last fall as she overcame a knee injury suffered earlier in the year. O'Connell had earned all-state accolades as a junior after hitting .368 with 321 kills and 52 aces.
As a junior, she had 20 kills in the championship match that clinched Marian's first state title since 2009. O'Connell then had 10 kills and five blocks in the 2014 state title match victory against previously undefeated Papillion-La Vista, the nation's No. 7-ranked team.
O'Connell will be the third Marian product on the Creighton team this fall, joining rising seniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen, and extending the program's streak of at least one Marian alum to 13 straight seasons.
"We're thrilled with the addition of Kelsey. To get a player of her caliber and character this late in the process is really outstanding for the program," said Booth. "Kelsey's a really hard worker who is very well-trained. She's played at a top high school program and a top club program (Premier). She missed the key time for recruiting with a knee injury, but we've known for years what an outstanding person she is. I think she's going to add a lot to our culture in addition to what she brings to the court."
Coached at Marian by Rochelle Rohlfs, O'Connell also considered Iowa State and Seattle.
Creighton went 25-9 in 2014, sweeping the BIG EAST regular-season and Tournament titles, while making a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bluejays return 11-of-16 letterwinners and four starters from last year's club.
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