North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Volleyball Signs Four in Spring Signing Period
4/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 29, 2004
NC State volleyball coach Mary Byrne has announced the addition of four student-athletes to the recruiting class of 2004. The newest additions to the Wolfpack family include three high school seniors, Emily Bertrand of Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas and Ashley Wallace of Amherst High School in Amherst, Ohio and Andrea Bentley from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, along with Stefani Eddins, a transfer from North Carolina A&T.
"The 2004 recruiting class will bring us both experienced and skilled volleyball players," Byrne said. "This is a very talented group of young women who will add to our returning veterans. I'm very excited about the work ethic, athleticism and competitiveness of this class of recruits. Their strong commitment to academics and their strong character will make it exciting to follow Wolfpack volleyball."
Bertrand, a 5-foot-11 outside/rightside hitter brings with her a resume loaded with accomplishments at both the high school and club levels. Among those, came her being named to the 2003 Texas All-Star team as a senior. A three-time varsity captain, Bertrand was named to the First Team All-District 9-5A squad as a sophomore, junior and senior, as well as being selected to the Dallas Morning News All-Area team each of those years. She was also named as the 9-5A District's Best Hitter in 2002 and 2003.
Bertrand's honors spreads to club volleyball, where she has recently been a member of the Dallas Skyline Juniors. She was named the Dallas Skyline Juniors 15 National MVP in 2001, and then the captain of the Skyline Juniors 16 National Team and MVP in 2002, as well as an AAU All-American. During the 2004 season as a member of the Skyline Juniors 18 team, Bertrand had 165 kills off a .311 hitting percentage, to go with 99 digs, 24 total blocks and 24 service aces in 90 games played.
Wallace, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter was a second team All-South West Conference (SWC) as a senior. In addition, she was named to the second team All-Lorain County and second team All-District after leading her team to the district championship. Wallace is also a member of the Toledo volleyball club, which qualified for Nationals in June.
Bentley, a 5-foot-8 libero was a co-captain of her senior team and helped lead the Crusaders to their sixth straight state title. In her career, she set four new school records: single match digs (26), single season digs (276), career digs (744) and career aces (191). Bentley, a two-time all-conference player, was named the TISAC (Triangle Independent School Athletic Conference) Player of the Year in 2003, as well as being selected to the All-State team. She was also honored as the Raleigh Sports Club Player of the Week and a member of the North Carolina High Performance Team in 2003. Like Wallace, Bentley's club team, the Triangle volleyball club, also qualified for Nationals.
Eddins, a 6-foot middle hitter led the Aggies offensively in 2003 with 375 kills off a .337 hitting percentage. But her talent also shined on the defensive side of the net, as she was the team's leading blocker with 125 total blocks (third-highest in MEAC) to go with 75 digs. Statistics like those helped earn Eddins Second Team All-MEAC honors. As a freshman, Eddins was a First Team All-MEAC selection after finishing with a team-best 379 kills and .319 attack percentage. She also led the Aggies with 186 total blocks.
