NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame volleyball team has signed Phyona Schrader and Paris Thompson to national letters of intent for the early signing period, head coach Mike Johnson announced today (Nov. 11). Both players are set to join the Irish for the fall 2021 season.
“We are fired up to welcome Phyona and Paris, said Johnson. “Both are exceptionally talented players capable of playing at the highest level. Both are incredible people from wonderful families. They will be excellent representatives of the university and will aide us in our pursuit of a National Championship. We can’t wait for them to get here!”
The Phyona Schrader File
Position: Setter
Height: 6-0
Hometown: Ankeny, Iowa
High School: Ankeny High School
Club: Nebraska VBC
Schrader, #17 on PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list, earned Iowa State Tournament MVP honors while leading Ankeny High School to the 5A state title. Schrader served as team captain each of the last three seasons, and earned All-State accolades as both a junior and senior.
A three-time Central Iowa Metropolitan League All-Academic honoree, Schader was also named to the 2019 Iowa 5A All-Tournament Team after helping Ankeny reach the state semifinals.
Schrader also competed for the Nebraska Volleyball Club and earned All-Tournament Team honors in the 2018 USA Volleyball National Championship.
I believe that Phyona is the very best setter in this class, said Johnson. “She is an impressive talent. Phyona has all of the tools that great setters possess. She has the ability to keep her hitters in rhythm by locating the ball with accuracy. Beyond that, she is also a physical offensive presence capable of scoring points as an attacker. What separates Phyona is the discipline with which she works. She is a motivated self-starter and someone we can count as she eventually takes the reigns of running our offense.”
The Paris Thompson File
Position: Outside Hitter
Height: 6-1
Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
High School: Fort Myers High School
Club: Florida Gulfside VBC
Thompson is currently ranked #38 on PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list and was named an AVCA Preseason Second Team All-American before the 2020 campaign. Thompson was named Lee County’s Volleyball Player of the Decade by the Fort Myers News-Press and holds both the single-game (37) and career (1315+) records for most kills at Fort Myers High School.
In the last four seasons, Thompson helped guide Fort Myers to an 80-23 record with four district championships while serving as a team captain since her sophomore year. She was named Florida’s 6A Player of the Year a season ago and earned Florida Region 3 Player of the Year honors as both a sophomore and junior.
Thompson also earned three varsity letters in tennis, two letters in weightlifting and one in both weight lifting and unified basketball.
“Paris is one of the most sought after players in the country,” said Johnson. “She hits the ball with an impressive amount of pace and possesses the ability to score points in bunches. Paris has also shown a commitment towards excelling in all facets of the game as she continually works to improve. Lastly, Paris is one of the most dynamic people you will ever meet. She brings great enthusiasm to everything she does. We love welcoming people like Paris who continually raise the energy level in the gym.”
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