Glenbrook South senior Ellen Chapman, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, leads a Wisconsin volleyball recruiting class that ranks seventh in the nation, according to prepvolleyball.com.
Chapman led the Titans to third in Class 4A in 2010 and currently plays for Crystal Lake-based Sky High 18 Black, which qualified for the USA Junior Nationals starting June 25 in Atlanta. Three of Chapman’s club teammates — Kelly Lamberti, Colleen Smith and Allie Whimpey — won the state championship for Cary-Grove in 2010.
The release from Wisconsin on its recruiting class:
The Badgers signed Ellen Chapman, a 6-4 outside hitter from Glenview, Ill.; Crystal Graff, a 6-3 outside hitter from Madison, Wis.; Deme Morales, a 5-8 defensive specialist/middle blocker from Amherst, Ohio; and Courtney Thomas, a 6-0 setter from DeKalb, Ill.; as well as Katie Kvas, a 5-9 setter/defensive specialist from Eagan, Minn; and Caroline Workman, a 5-4 defensive specialist from Los Angeles, for the fall. According to PrepVolleyball.com’s John Tawa, The 2011 recruiting class may be the most talented class to arrive on the Wisconsin campus during head coach Pete Waite’s tenure. Chapman, Graff, Thomas and Morales are all Top 100 Senior Aces. The physical presence of both Chapman and Graff will immediately improve the Badgers’ ability to score and defend on the left side. Chapman will provide the versatility to score from any zone on the net while Graff will also be a critical addition to the Badgers’ serve receive and floor defense game. Thomas is considered by many to be the best setter in the class but is also an accomplished attacker. Whether in a 5-1 or a 6-2 offense, look for Thomas to compete her way into a critical role for the 2011 Badgers. Wisconsin is the third Big Ten Conference class in the ranking behind No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Illinois. Nebraska (13th), Purdue (14th); Ohio State (24th); and Minnesota (30th) complete the league rankings.
