April 9, 2009
ATLANTA – Anne Czarnecki and Hannah Tucci have elected to join Susan Carlson, Jordan Kissman, Monique Mead and Nicki Meyer as part of the 2009 Georgia Tech volleyball freshman class, head coach Tonya Johnson announced Wednesday.
Czarnecki and Tucci both signed the necessary paperwork Tuesday, the first day of the spring signing period, to play volleyball for the Yellow Jackets beginning this fall.
Carlson, Kissman and Meyer both inked NLI’s in the fall, and Mead is currently participating in spring drills with the Yellow Jackets after enrolling at Georgia Tech in January.
“The 2009 class is shaping up to be a great one,” Johnson said. “I’m excited about the level of talent that we have coming in this fall. What’s so great about this class is not only are these young ladies great volleyball players, but they are great people as well who will represent Georgia Tech in a first-class manner, both on and off the court.
“Our staff is looking forward to getting everyone in the gym together in the fall to train and prepare for the 2009 season.”
Czarnecki returns to the state where she began her prep career after spending her senior season at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. The 6-3 middle blocker led the MAC conference with 1.06 blocks per game in 2008, and she finished third in kills (3.41) and aces (0.81) per game while earning first-team all-conference accolades. She was elected MVP and team captain in her one and only year at Pleasant Valley after receiving all-area and all-region honors as a two-year letterwinner at Greenbrier High School in Evans, Ga., in 2006 and 2007. An alternate on the 2007 USA Volleyball Youth National A2 Training Team, Czarnecki led her Pleasant Valley squad in kills (289), hitting percentage (.351), blocks (80) and aces (48) in 2008.
“We’re excited to have Annie as a part of our program,” Johnson said. “She provides much needed depth for us in the middle blocker position. We are looking for her to come in and compete, and we expect that she will make an immediate impact in our program.”
A member of the Girls 17 Open Division Champion AJV 17 Mizuno squad at the 2008 USA Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships, Tucci is an all-state libero from the Regents School of Austin. Her prep program has advanced to the semifinals each of the last two years after capturing the state title in 2006. A member of the All-Tournament team for the Junior Olympics’ 16 Open Division in 2007, Tucci was named the first-team TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) libero in 2008 in addition to being tabbed to the All-Texas Team this season.
“What excites me about Hannah is that she has competed at a high level with a great deal of success,” Johnson added. “We look forward to her being a great addition to our program and adding to the winning mentality here at Georgia Tech.”
2009 Georgia Tech Volleyball Freshman Class
Name Pos. Ht. Hometown (High School/Club) Susan Carlson OH 5-11 Pasadena, Calif. (Mayfield/TCA) Anne Czarnecki MB 6-3 Slinger, Wisc. (Pleasant Valley/Platform Elite) Jordan Kissman S 5-10 Aurora, Colo. (Eaglecrest/Front Range) Monique Mead RS/S 5-10 Fairburn, Ga. (Landmark Christian/A5) Nicki Meyer Lib. 5-6 Gainesville, Fla. (Bucholz/Gainesville Juniors) Hannah Tucci Lib. 5-5 Austin, Tex. (Regents School/Austin Juniors)
