Volleyball Adds Two for 2012-13 Season

Youngstown -- Lauren Thompson (Valley City, Ohio) and Alyson Ryan (Novi, Mich.) have signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division I volleyball at Youngstown State University starting in 2012-13, YSU head coach Krista Burrows announced.

Thompson is a 6-foot-1 middle blocker who played at Lutheran West High School near Cleveland. Ryan is also a middle blocker who played at Novi High School, which is approximately 30 miles northwest of Detroit.

"We are very excited to be adding Aly and Lauren to the Penguin family," Burrows said. "Both Aly and Lauren are hard workers and great teammates. I look for both of them to continue to add to our depth and assist us in building the program."

Thompson earned First-Team All-Patriot Athletic Conference honors for the Longhorns in each of her first three seasons. She was Lutheran West's MVP as a senior when she led the team with 1.58 blocks per set, three digs per set and 244 kills on 489 attempts. A member of the Cleveland Volleyball Company, she appeared on the Under Armour Girls' High School Volleyball All-America Watch List prior to her senior year.

"Lauren is a late bloomer. We watched her play quite a bit last year and we loved her athleticism and heavy arm that we saw at camp this past summer," Burrows said. "I believe she will be playing the highest above the net for us in the middle next year, and that is something you just cannot teach."

Ryan earned all-conference and all-region honors during her high school career, and Novi won district titles each of her first three seasons. A member of the Legacy Volleyball Club, she was named to the Under Armour Girls' High School All-America Watch List prior to her senior year. As a senior, Ryan had 248 kills, 88 blocks, 58 aces and 100 digs for the Wildcats, who finished the season 41-6-1. She had 181 kills and 93 blocks as a junior as Novi went 43-5-1.

"Aly will be a versatile player for us," Burrows said. "She has the experience of playing middle, but we look to possibly train her on the outside. I believe her ceiling is high, and she has plenty of growth in front of her."