Jessica Fey • 6-0 • Fr. • H • Crete, Neb. • Crete HS
McKayla Gowen • 6-1 • Fr. • MH • Grand Island, Neb. • Grand Island HS
Hillary Hughes • 5-10 • Fr. • H • Black Earth, Wis. • Wisconsin Heights HS
Jessica Kopp • 5-11 • Fr. • OH/RH • Lee's Summit, Mo. • Lee's Summit West HS
Sami McHenry • 5-8 • Fr. • DS • Topeka, Kan. • Shawnee Heights HS
Abby Wittman • 5-8 • Fr. • S • Salina, Kan. • Sacred Heart HS
Tessa Brophy • 5-5 • Fr. • DS/L • Papillion, Neb. • Papillion La-Vista South


Washburn head coach Chris Herron announced Thursday the signing of six high school seniors to national letters of intent to attend Washburn and play volleyball during the 2009 season. The group includes four hitters, a defensive specialist and a setter.

Herron signed Topeka native and Shawnee Heights High School senior Sami McHenry, the sister of assistant coach, Dani McHenry and daughter of head women's basketball coach, Ron McHenry. Also coming from Kansas is Salina native, Abby Wittman from Sacred Heart High School.

Signing out of Nebraska are Crete native Jessica Fey from Crete High School and Grand Island native McKayla Gowen from Grand Island High School. Herron also signed Jessica Kopp from Lee's Summit, Mo., and Lee's Summit West High School and Hillary Hughes from Black Earth, Wis., and Wisconsin Heights High School.

The Lady Blues are 30-5 this year in Herron's seventh season at Washburn. They finished third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association with a 15-5 record and they begin their fifth straight NCAA tournament Friday at noon against Central Missouri. The three rounds of the South Central Region tournament are hosted by Emporia State.


Jessica Fey • 6-0 • Fr. • H • Crete, Neb. • Crete HS

Crete High School
A four-year letterwinner in volleyball, basketball and track and field for the Cardinals … she earned first team all-state as a senior and second team all-state as a junior … Named to the second team super state (all classes) team as a senior … an honor roll member every year … played her club ball with the Nebraska Juniors.


McKayla Gowen • 6-1 • Fr. • MH • Grand Island, Neb. • Grand Island HS

Grand Island High School
A member of the Islanders volleyball, basketball and track and field teams … she helped her volleyball team to a state runner-up finish in 2007, her junior year, a conference championship her senior year and district championships her final two years and was an honorable mention all-state selection in 2008 … she also helped her basketball teams to two conference championships and to a state tournament and she qualified for state twice in track, medaling her final year … she is a member of the National Honor Society and played her club ball for the Grand Islander VBC.


Hillary Hughes • 5-10 • Fr. • H • Black Earth, Wis. • Wisconsin Heights HS

Wisconsin Heights High School
A four-year starter on the Vanguard volleyball team … her senior year she was named first team all-state and all-conference, conference MVP and a member of the all-state tournament team and MVP of the Division III state tournament as her team won the state title … named Capital Times Player of the Year and a first team All-American by Prepvolleyball.com … she was also named all-conference her first three years and honorable mention all-state her sophomore and junior years … she was team MVP her junior year … she also was on the track and field team for two years and she went to state her junior year in the 100-meter dash.


Jessica Kopp • 5-11 • Fr. • OH/RH • Lee's Summit, Mo. • Lee's Summit West HS

Lee's Summit West High School
A first team all-state, all-region, all-district and all-conference her senior year as her team was state runner-up … also named first team all-metro and was the winner of the prestigious Evelyn Gates Award, which is given annually to the top high school volleyball player in the Kansas City area … was named a first team All-American by Prepvolleyball.com and a second team AVCA High School All-American … she earned second team all-state honor her junior year in 2007 as her team won the state championship … she was also first team all-conference and all-district her sophomore and junior year … she finished in the top one percent of her class her sophomore and junior years and ranks No. 2 in a class of 350 as a senior.


Sami McHenry • 5-8 • Fr. • DS • Topeka, Kan. • Shawnee Heights HS

Shawnee Heights High School
She was named second team All-State as a senior after earning first team all-Centennial League and first team all-city honors … she helped her team to a state runner-up finish her sophomore year … she also played basketball for the Thunderbirds and was named honorable mention all-state her junior year as she helped her team to a third-place state finish … played her club ball for Asics Mavs 18's … a member of the National Honor Society.

Personal
The sister of Washburn assistant volleyball coach Dani (McHenry) Schmidt and the daughter of Washburn head women's basketball coach Ron McHenry.


Abby Wittman • 5-8 • Fr. • S • Salina, Kan. • Sacred Heart HS

Sacred Heart High School
A four-year letterwinner in volleyball and basketball for the Knights and she's lettered her first three years in softball … she helped her team to state runner-up finishes her freshman and junior years and her senior year her team went 39-1 with a perfect regular season … she has earned all-state first team, all-league and all-county during her career as her team has gone 149-10 … she also earned all-league and all-state in softball and her team was state champion her first two years.


Herron also announced the addition of another signee to the incoming class, Tessa Brophy, a defensive specialist/libero from Papillion, Neb.

Tessa Brophy • 5-5 • Fr. • DS/L • Papillion, Neb. • Papillion La-Vista South

Papillion La-Vista South High School
A four-year letter winner and two-year captain for the Titans … helped lead her team to a runner-up finish at the 2008 state tournament … named the best libero at the 2008 Junior Classic in Chicago, Ill.