Fall 2017 Creighton Volleyball recruits: Kari Zumach, Jaela Zimmerman, Keely Davis, Annika Welty
Photo by: Rob Anderson
Volleyball Announces Signing of Four Recruits
11/9/2017 11:10:00 AM | Volleyball
Bluejays ink four standouts
OMAHA, Neb. -- As she aims to lead her team to a fourth straight BIG EAST title this weekend, Creighton Volleyball head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth announced a recruiting class that she hopes will continue to keep the Bluejays atop the league standings for years to come.
Today Booth announced a four-person recruiting class that includes outside hitter Keeley Davis (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), middle hitter Annika Welty (Riverside, Mo.), outside hitter Jaela Zimmerman (Malcolm, Neb.) and right side hitter Kari Zumach (Buffalo, Minn.). The highly-regarded quartet is expected to be listed among the nation's top recruiting classes when those rankings are released in the spring.
"We're not only trying to recruit great volleyball players, but great young women," said Booth. "I think these four will add to our team culture. We think it's a pretty phenomenal class and we're excited about what they'll bring to the program."
Below is a profile on each prospect:
Keeley Davis (6'0", Outside Hitter, Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS)
• Committed in October of 2015.
• Named nation's 42nd-best recruit by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour First Team All-American, which also earns her an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game on Dec. 15 in Kansas City at the Final Four.
• Currently leads the state of Colorado with 495 kills (5.7 kills per set) and also leads her team in aces (50) while ranking second in digs (315).
• Owns four matches of 30+ kills as a senior, with a high of 35 in a four-set win over Cherokee Trail.
• Plays for coach Angela Nylund-Hanson in high school.
• Named a MaxPreps Preseason High School All-American prior to her senior season.
• Named a PrepVolleyball.com All-American after the 2016 season.
• Led Rock Canyon to the state semifinals and a 25-3 record as a junior, when she averaged 4.2 kills and 3.0 digs per set in addition to collecting 73 blocks.
• Named Denver Post Player of the Year as a junior.
• Owns 1,510 kills, 1,099 digs, 174 blocks and 151 aces in her career in 369 sets played.
• Also considered Duke, Miami, Virginia, Iowa State and Tennessee.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Keeley Davis: "We think Keeley has the potential to be really special. She not only is great in the front row, but also can ball handle in the back row. On both her club team and high school team she carries a heavy load and she's been able to handle that pressure, which tells us a lot about her mental toughness."
Annika Welty (6'3", Middle Hitter, Riverside, Mo., Park Hill South HS)
• Committed in September of 2016.
• Owns 765 career kills on .419 hitting in 204 sets.
• Named AVCA Player of the Week for Missouri on Sept. 11, 2017.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour Third Team All-American.
• High School coach is Karen Rule.
• Has older brothers that play basketball at MidAmerica Nazarene (Hudson) and Northwest Missouri State (Ryan), and her brother Ryan was profiled by Sports Illustrated after shooting 52-of-78 (66.7 percent) from three-point range in 2016-17 for the Division II national champions.
• Plays club volleyball for the Kansas City Power, where she was a teammate of current Bluejay freshman Naomi Hickman.
• Also considered Iowa State, Kansas State, Tulsa and Arkansas.
• First name pronounced "AHN-a-ka".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Annika Welty: "We liked Annika from the first time we saw her play. She has really long arms and has good feet and we feel like she's got a lot of potential. She's coming from the same club as Naomi Hickman, KC Power, and we know she gets great training there."
Jaela Zimmerman (6'2", Outside Hitter, Malcolm, Neb., Malcolm HS)
• Committed in May of 2016.
• Named nation's 49th-best recruit by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour Second Team All-American.
• Had 39 kills in district final to clinch second straight trip to state and enters the state tournament on Thursday with 545 kills (6.7 kills per set) this season.
• High School coach is Amber Dolliver.
• Named Honorary Captain of the Lincoln Journal Star's First Team Super-State squad in 2016.
• Named a PrepVolleyball.com All-American after the 2016 season.
• Earned First Team Class C-1 All-State honors as a sophomore, when she had 349 assists, 326 kills, 310 digs, 58 aces and 36 blocks for a 26-3 team.
• Plays club volleyball for VC Nebraska.
• Also considered Colorado State, Florida, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Wyoming.
• First name pronounced "JAY-la".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Jaela Zimmerman: "Jaela's outstanding because she is a 'package player'. You're going to notice her in the front row but she's just as good in the back row--both in serve receive and defense. She also is a great leader and motivator that will translate well onto our team."
Kari Zumach (6'2", Right Side Hitter, Buffalo, Minn., Buffalo HS)
• Committed in June of 2017.
• Named Second Team All-Metro by the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2017, when she had 428 kills (5.50 kills per set) and hit .400.
• Season-high kill total was 37 vs. Waconia.
• Named a Mississippi All-Conference selection as a sophomore and junior.
• Finished with 420 kills, 285 digs and 50 blocks as a junior.
• Plays club volleyball for Minnesota Select.
• Sister Kylee Zumach was Big 12 Freshman of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American in 2014 at Kansas State, and is currently a junior with the Wildcats.
• Also considered Colorado State and Kansas State.
• First name pronounced "CAR-ee"; last name is pronounced "ZOO-mock".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Kari Zumach: "Kari was a late pick-up for us. We just love her length. She's got a great arm and the ability to play both pins. Right side is where she likes to play more but she has the capability to play any place in the front row and we really like that versatility about her."
No. 14 Creighton (20-5, 13-1 BIG EAST), which honored seniors Kenzie Crawford, Lydia Dimke, Brittany Lawrence and Marysa Wilkinson last Sunday, returns to the floor on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. when it visits Xavier in a game that will air on BIG EAST Digital Network.
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Today Booth announced a four-person recruiting class that includes outside hitter Keeley Davis (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), middle hitter Annika Welty (Riverside, Mo.), outside hitter Jaela Zimmerman (Malcolm, Neb.) and right side hitter Kari Zumach (Buffalo, Minn.). The highly-regarded quartet is expected to be listed among the nation's top recruiting classes when those rankings are released in the spring.
"We're not only trying to recruit great volleyball players, but great young women," said Booth. "I think these four will add to our team culture. We think it's a pretty phenomenal class and we're excited about what they'll bring to the program."
Below is a profile on each prospect:
Keeley Davis (6'0", Outside Hitter, Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS)
• Committed in October of 2015.
• Named nation's 42nd-best recruit by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour First Team All-American, which also earns her an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game on Dec. 15 in Kansas City at the Final Four.
• Currently leads the state of Colorado with 495 kills (5.7 kills per set) and also leads her team in aces (50) while ranking second in digs (315).
• Owns four matches of 30+ kills as a senior, with a high of 35 in a four-set win over Cherokee Trail.
• Plays for coach Angela Nylund-Hanson in high school.
• Named a MaxPreps Preseason High School All-American prior to her senior season.
• Named a PrepVolleyball.com All-American after the 2016 season.
• Led Rock Canyon to the state semifinals and a 25-3 record as a junior, when she averaged 4.2 kills and 3.0 digs per set in addition to collecting 73 blocks.
• Named Denver Post Player of the Year as a junior.
• Owns 1,510 kills, 1,099 digs, 174 blocks and 151 aces in her career in 369 sets played.
• Also considered Duke, Miami, Virginia, Iowa State and Tennessee.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Keeley Davis: "We think Keeley has the potential to be really special. She not only is great in the front row, but also can ball handle in the back row. On both her club team and high school team she carries a heavy load and she's been able to handle that pressure, which tells us a lot about her mental toughness."
Annika Welty (6'3", Middle Hitter, Riverside, Mo., Park Hill South HS)
• Committed in September of 2016.
• Owns 765 career kills on .419 hitting in 204 sets.
• Named AVCA Player of the Week for Missouri on Sept. 11, 2017.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour Third Team All-American.
• High School coach is Karen Rule.
• Has older brothers that play basketball at MidAmerica Nazarene (Hudson) and Northwest Missouri State (Ryan), and her brother Ryan was profiled by Sports Illustrated after shooting 52-of-78 (66.7 percent) from three-point range in 2016-17 for the Division II national champions.
• Plays club volleyball for the Kansas City Power, where she was a teammate of current Bluejay freshman Naomi Hickman.
• Also considered Iowa State, Kansas State, Tulsa and Arkansas.
• First name pronounced "AHN-a-ka".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Annika Welty: "We liked Annika from the first time we saw her play. She has really long arms and has good feet and we feel like she's got a lot of potential. She's coming from the same club as Naomi Hickman, KC Power, and we know she gets great training there."
Jaela Zimmerman (6'2", Outside Hitter, Malcolm, Neb., Malcolm HS)
• Committed in May of 2016.
• Named nation's 49th-best recruit by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Recently recognized as an Under Armour Second Team All-American.
• Had 39 kills in district final to clinch second straight trip to state and enters the state tournament on Thursday with 545 kills (6.7 kills per set) this season.
• High School coach is Amber Dolliver.
• Named Honorary Captain of the Lincoln Journal Star's First Team Super-State squad in 2016.
• Named a PrepVolleyball.com All-American after the 2016 season.
• Earned First Team Class C-1 All-State honors as a sophomore, when she had 349 assists, 326 kills, 310 digs, 58 aces and 36 blocks for a 26-3 team.
• Plays club volleyball for VC Nebraska.
• Also considered Colorado State, Florida, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Wyoming.
• First name pronounced "JAY-la".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Jaela Zimmerman: "Jaela's outstanding because she is a 'package player'. You're going to notice her in the front row but she's just as good in the back row--both in serve receive and defense. She also is a great leader and motivator that will translate well onto our team."
Kari Zumach (6'2", Right Side Hitter, Buffalo, Minn., Buffalo HS)
• Committed in June of 2017.
• Named Second Team All-Metro by the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2017, when she had 428 kills (5.50 kills per set) and hit .400.
• Season-high kill total was 37 vs. Waconia.
• Named a Mississippi All-Conference selection as a sophomore and junior.
• Finished with 420 kills, 285 digs and 50 blocks as a junior.
• Plays club volleyball for Minnesota Select.
• Sister Kylee Zumach was Big 12 Freshman of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American in 2014 at Kansas State, and is currently a junior with the Wildcats.
• Also considered Colorado State and Kansas State.
• First name pronounced "CAR-ee"; last name is pronounced "ZOO-mock".
Kirsten Bernthal Booth on Kari Zumach: "Kari was a late pick-up for us. We just love her length. She's got a great arm and the ability to play both pins. Right side is where she likes to play more but she has the capability to play any place in the front row and we really like that versatility about her."
No. 14 Creighton (20-5, 13-1 BIG EAST), which honored seniors Kenzie Crawford, Lydia Dimke, Brittany Lawrence and Marysa Wilkinson last Sunday, returns to the floor on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. when it visits Xavier in a game that will air on BIG EAST Digital Network.
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Our All-American Keeley Davis signing her NLI to play at Creighton. Couldn't be more proud and excited. Congrats @keelsdavis and @CreightonVB Blue looks good on you Keeley. We've thought so for a while now... ;))) pic.twitter.com/Bi1T4iiD7U
— Momentum Volleyball (@momentumvbc) November 9, 2017
Officially a Creighton Bluejay!!! ???? beyond blessed with this opportunity, thank you for all the support! pic.twitter.com/YPBHnTSlk4
— Jaela Zimmerman (@jaela_zimm) November 8, 2017
It's official! Thank you to everyone who has helped make my dreams come true! Go Jays! @CreightonVB @gocreighton pic.twitter.com/kYBvIhKy4H
— Karinthia (@kzumac18) November 8, 2017
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Players Mentioned
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