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Women's Volleyball Kirk Downs

Volleyball Signs Four In 2021 Early Signing Period

NASHVILLE – Head coach Brandon Rosenthal and the Lipscomb Volleyball program announced the signing of four standouts during the early signing period on Wednesday.

Residing in the states of California, Kansas, Indiana and Tennessee, the group includes Anna Aubele, Addison Pelham, Libby Steinhart and Jade Zaleski.

"I am extremely excited to add these four individuals to the LUV program and I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff that has worked so diligently in some of the toughest times we've ever had recruiting," Rosenthal said. "We've been pretty much shut down since March as far as the dead period goes. Early on we set out to be creative with recruiting and started to think outside the box with what we were dealing with. I was impressed with the efforts of Nate Thompson and Rachel Ferguson through this past year and the evaluations. This class immediately brings versatility and a good mixture of offense and defense. This is a group that is extremely athletic and fast which will add another element to our offense and defense that I think will continue to make us one of the top teams in the ASUN. Recruiting as a whole is the lifeblood of any program and the success we've had in the past 18 years is due to our approach and the styles of players we are recruiting on and off the court. I credit our staff for buying into the process and working hard day-in and day-out, and being open to trying new things.

"I also credit the four individuals for their patience. There were things we weren't able to do because of NCAA rules that could've set us back, but these four really understood what we were doing. We tried to put the emphasis on getting to know them over the phone and through FaceTime, where we normally would've been face-to-face. It's truly exciting to get to this day and to understand that not only is it signing day, but its signing day in an extremely challenging situation. I can't be any more excited about the future of this program as we are bringing in very talented players and continue to bring extremely bright individuals into our program that will help us have continued and sustained success for many years to come."
Learn more about the 2021 recruiting class and see Rosenthal's thoughts on the newcomers below.

   
Anna Aubele | 5-10 | MB/RS | Oceanside, California | Santa Fe Christian HS
  • Prepped at Santa Fe Christian HS under the tutelage of Amanda Miles and Jeff Sufferland.
  • Helped guide the Eagles to first in the DI California Interscholastic Federation as a freshman and sophomore, while earning runner-up honors as a junior.
  • Earned a silver medal in Open at Girls Junior National Championships and a bronze medal at the top division of GJNC.
  • Compiled 578 kills, 292 digs, 132 total blocks and 89 aces while hitting .226 over three years with Santa Fe Christian.
  • Named a 2020 Under Armour All-American.
  • Three-time All-District selection with four varsity letters in volleyball. Also earned a varsity letter in swimming in 2020.
  • 2018 Prep Volleyball Soph 79 and a member of the "Class of 2021 Watch List".
  • Went on a 14-day mission trip to Rwanda.
  • Chose Lipscomb over Liberty, Cal Baptist, UC Riverside, La Salle and Seattle Pacific.
  • Daughter of Deborah and Josef Aubele with three sisters (Emily, Ashley and Ella).
  • Favorite TV show is Friends and The Blacklist.
  • Favorite book is Papertowns.
  • Favorite professional athlete is Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • Her hidden talents include playing the Ukulele, spikeball, art and singing.
"The addition of Anna is truly exciting as she comes from one of the top clubs in the country in Wave Volleyball Club. Her recruiting story is an interesting one in the sense that I was able to go out and see her the week before COVID hit. I was actually on a flight back that Wednesday when the news hit that everything was being shut down.  It was fun for us to be able to get out and see her in her practice environment. It's funny how recruiting works. Just a couple days later and that trip doesn't happen with the NCAA dead period. Through those next couple months, we weren't real sure how we were going to progress, so I have to credit Anna for her patience with us as we were still trying to figure out our situation. She is a tremendous talent with an extremely fast arm, and one that we believe will score at a high rate. She too is one that can play multiple positions. I think her athleticism and her versatility will create a really tough matchup for other teams. Her speed in the way she's able to transition will give us an advantage right away. Having the chance to watch her play and practice, Anna is one of those players that is a leader on and off the court. It will be a lot of fun to see her in our culture and watch her continue to grow. As a university, we will be able to benefit from her presence. She is somewhat of a quiet individual, but one with a bright spot and a wonder disposition. We are very excited to have Anna and is one that could quiet possibly lead to future west coast recruiting. We're extremely excited about her versatility and the quickness she will bring to the offense and her ability to block balls defensively as well as play six rotations."
   
Addison Pelham | 6-1 | RS | Lenexa, Kansas | Maranatha Christian Academy
  • Preps at Maranatha Christian Academy under the tutelage of Sam Soliday.
  • Prep Volleyball's Top 150 Players for the class of 2021.
  • Under Armour All-American Watch List for 2020.
  • Two-time All-State selection in 2018 and 2019.
  • Selected as Team Captain three times (2018-20).
  • Earned four varsity letters in volleyball, one in soccer (2018) and one in track (2019).
  • Holds the MCA career record for kills (1,887) and hitting percentage (.385).
  • Also set records at MCA with 30 kills in a single match, 588 kills in a single-season and a .481 hitting percentage in a single-season.
  • Her 588 kills were the most of any player in the state of Kansas across all divisions.
  • Owns the MCA women's high jump record at 5'3.
  • Her favorite memory of her playing career was winning Substate as a sophomore and earning a trip to the State playoffs.
  • Three-time MaxPreps Player of the Week.
  • Voted as President of her National Honors Society.
  • Best of Kansas Preps Women's Volleyball in 2019.
  • Plans to major in Business Administration.
  • Chose Lipscomb over Kansas State, Missouri, Duke, Tulsa, New Mexico State, Illinois State and Cal Baptist among others.
  • Daughter of Aletha and Todd Pelham, and has one brother – Zach.
  • Favorite TV show is The Office.
  • Favorite movie is She's the Man.
  • Favorite music group is The Band Camino.
  • Her hidden talent is playing the piano.
"Addi is an absolute fantastic prospect coming out of Kansas City, an area that we know extremely well. She has really come on to the scene the last couple of years and has proved to be a dominant player, and one that can play multiple positions. We see her as somebody that can jump right in and compete for that starting position on the right side immediately. Early on in the process, we really coveted her ability to play in multiple spots. But as the recruiting went on, it became more and more evident that her best position to get kills at a high rate is on the right side. I believe she will be the same caliber of player as Megan Kuper, one that can play six rotations. It will be fun to see as she's fairly young in the club world. She is also a fabulous student both on and off the court. She continues to grow within the community and her leadership ability. We are extremely excited to be in a position to have Addi. At the height of recruiting, her name was one that was passed around as one that her stock was continuing to grow, and it's been fun to see her game rise to that occasion."
   
Libby Steinhart | 5-7 | DS/L | Mt. Vernon, Indiana | Mt. Vernon Senior High School
  • Attends Mt. Vernon Senior High School under the guidance of head coach Megan DeVault.
  • Helped the Wildcats to a Sectional Championship in 2020.
  • Named a First Team All-Conference selection in all four seasons at MVSHS.
  • Two-time 3A All-District selection in 2018 and 2020.
  • Named a team captain her last three seasons.
  • Earned varsity letters in volleyball (4), basketball (3) and track & field (3).
  • Became the first player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
  • MVP of the Track & Field team as a freshman.
  • Winner of three Volleyball Hustle Awards (2017-19).
  • Plans to major in Biology.
  • Chose Lipscomb over Georgia Tech, Evansville, IUPUI, UAB, North Dakota and Bellarmine.
  • Daughter of Lucy and Ron Steinhart, and has two older brothers – Jacob and Luke.
  • Her grandfather played basketball at the University of Mississippi, and her dad played hoops at Rose-Hulman University. Her two brothers played basketball at Hanover College and DePauw University, while her mother cheered at Indiana University.  
  • Favorite move is The Upside.
  • Favorite book is The Glass Castle.
  • Her hidden talent is playing the harp.
"Libby has an awesome recruiting story. She came to camp as we were evaluating players and it became evident right away the type of player she was throughout camp. I liked to check back with coaches to see who impressed them and even reached out to our players who were working camp to get their feedback. Libby's name continued to come up and up and up. Leaving that camp it became evident to me that she was someone we needed to pursue. To make such an impression to both the coaches and players who were working that camp really spoke to me. Almost everyone I spoke with mentioned her name right away. Her tenacity and thoroughness is fun to watch. She really knows how to play the game and goes about it with all-out effort all the time. Libby is an absolute tremendous leader, not only with her teams, but also in her school and community. To have that character in someone that is fun to be around is going to bring a level of play to our program that will help right away. She is one of those players that I have no doubt that other players are going to want on their side. She really works hard on every play and is a great communicator. It's easy to see why she's been picked for so many leadership conferences in her school and community. I believe she is going to really bolster our defense. I can't say enough about the character of Libby and who she is on and off the court. We are thoroughly excited to have her and have no doubt that she will really do some amazing things for Lipscomb volleyball."
   
Jade Zaleski | 5-10 | DS/OH | Brentwood, Tennessee | Father Ryan High School
  • The local standout preps at Father Ryan HS under former Lipscomb volleyball legend and ASUN Hall of Famer Ann Mullins.
  • Helped lead the Irish to a Division II Class AA State Championship in 2020.
  • Named to the 2020 Under Armour All-American Watch List by the AVCA.
  • Voted First Team All-Region and All-Region Tournament Team.
  • Selected as team captain of her club volleyball teams.
  • Earned four letters in volleyball at FRHS.
  • One of 300 girls nationwide selected for USA Volleyball High Performance 2019.
  • One of just 25 volleyball players in middle Tennessee named to The Tennessean's 2020 watch list.
  • Participated in the Best Buddies Club where she helped people with Down Syndrome.
  • Named to the Honor Roll and Academic Dean's List.
  • Plans to major in Sports Marketing/Management.
  • Chose Lipscomb over DePaul University, Coastal Carolina, UNC Asheville and UT Chattanooga.
  • Daughter of Maria and Mark Zaleski, and has one older sister – Jordan, who played two seasons of indoor volleyball and one season of beach volleyball at Tusculum University.
  • Favorite TV show is That 70's Show.
  • Favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
  • Favorite professional athlete is Michael Jordan.
"Jade is a local talent and one that we are very familiar with as Ann Mullins is her coach. Ann has been extremely high on Jade and we've had a couple different opportunities to work with her through camps. She is a tremendous talent and one that plays six rotations in high school and in club. We believe that she will be able to bring that type of play and give us the type of versatility we will need in practice settings and maybe in games as well. We think she will eventually settle into a defensive role, but we understand her ability to score and play six rotations will help us. Jade is a great defender and continues to work on her passing ability. She's one that has been a leader and has played at an extremely high level through her state run the last couple years. It's been fun to get to know her and work with her in the camp settings. She's a talent that is going to add depth that I believe will be young in the 2021 season, but I believe will be such that the future will be extremely bright for us as we work through those first couple of years. It's exciting to see that come to fruition. On paper, it's one thing as we get players in the gym and see how each of them step up. She can hit and is so in-tune defensively that I believe her versatility is going to help right away. As a volleyball player, it's hard to take a player off the court that can pass and play defense. We believe Jade is going to be one that can do as such. We are excited to have that local talent and bring her into the fold of the Lipscomb volleyball program."


 
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Players Mentioned

Megan Kuper

#1 Megan Kuper

OH
6' 0"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Megan Kuper

#1 Megan Kuper

6' 0"
Senior
OH
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