North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Volleyball Signs Three In Spring Signing Period
4/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 16, 2002
RALEIGH, N.c. - NC State volleyball coach Mary Byrne has announced the signing of three recruits to grants-in-aid for the April 2002 signing period. The Wolfpack's three spring signees are currently high school seniors and will enroll at NC State in the fall of 2002. Byrne has signed Amy Cochran of Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Kayla Ragan of Golden Sierra High School in Lotus, Calif., and Casey Wyatt of Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, Va.
"In targeting our recruiting needs, we wanted to bring in athletic ability, and competitive, hard-working players," Byrne said. "We feel that we've done that with this recruiting class. We're very excited about what these players bring to our program and how they can help move our program forward.
"All of three of these players are very excited to be joining our program. They understand where we are in regards to our rebuilding, and they're looking forward to being a part of that. I think that says a lot about each of them. They all have tremendous work ethics."
Cochran, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, was named first-team all-state and Broward County Player of the Year as a senior. She helped lead Westminster to third place in the state championship as a sophomore and junior, and to a second-place finish as a senior. She was named to the all-tournament team as a junior and senior.
Cochran earned first-team all-conference honors four years in a row, and was a first-team all-county selection as a sophomore, junior and senior. She was named team MVP as a senior after leading Westminster in kills, blocks and service aces. She is a member of the Boomers 18-Black Club team, which qualified for the Junior National Championship Tournament.
Off the court, she is a 4.57 student who earned High Honor Roll status for four years.
"Amy is a very intense player who works extremely hard and is very competitive," Byrne said. "She is an excellent student, and we look for her to make an immediate impact on our program."
Ragan, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, was an all-league performer as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was named all-metro as a junior and senior by The Sacramento Bee. She helped lead Golden Sierra to the G.E.L. league championship four years in a row, and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-4 championship as a junior and senior.
Ragan won team MVP honors as a senior, and earned the Coaches Award as a junior. Academically, she was an Honor Roll student for three years, and was featured in the High School Who's Who in 2000 and 2001.
"Kayla is a very skilled player who will help us particularly with ball control," Byrne said. "She's a solid overall player, and she will be a very versatile player for us. She will mainly play on the right side for us, but she has played all positions."
Wyatt, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, was a two-time all-state performer, was District Player of the Year as a senior, and was named Metro Player of the Year as a junior and senior by The Virginia Gazette of Williamsburg, and The Daily Press of Newport News. She lettered in three sports for four years, and played for state championship teams in soccer as a sophomore and tennis as a junior. She plays for the Richmond Juniors Club volleyball team.
"Casey will help us with size, and should bring a little more offense to our program," Byrne said. "She's a very hard-working and very athletic player. She should have great potential as she makes the transition to the speed of the college game."
Wyatt, Ragan and Cochran join two fall recruits - Adeola Kosoko of Millard North High School in Omaha, Neb., and Kelly Althaus of Riverside High School in Durham, N.C. - to give the Wolfpack a five-member recruiting class for 2002.
