Nov. 23, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame head volleyball coach Debbie Brown recently announced the addition of three high school student-athletes to the Irish program who have signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the University beginning in the fall of 2011.
The trio of Toni Alugbue (pronounced UH-lube-WAY), Jeni Houser and Meg Vonderhaar (pronounced VONN-derr-HARR) is poised to give Notre Dame plenty of depth all around the court for the next four years.
“I know that this is an incredibly strong class for us, and I’m so eager to get them here on campus,” Brown said. “Each of them, individually, brings to much to the program. And collectively, it’s such a great all-around class. They are very polished and accomplished, and we’re going to see really good things out of them. The physical skills they bring to our program are tremendous, and their competitive fight and spirit will be a huge bonus for us.”
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Toni Alugbue ̢蠉”¢ 6-1 ̢蠉”¢ Del Aire, Calif. ̢蠉”¢ El Segundo ̢蠉”¢ Sunshine
Toni Alugbue
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The Alugbue File: Prepped at El Segundo (Calif.) where Irish head coach Debbie Brown also spent her high school days … two-time team captain and MVP as a junior … named to all-city squad as a junior … PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace (ranked 37th) … PrepVolleyball.com Top Junior Recruit … 2010 AVCA All-American Watch List … led team to Pioneer League second-place finishes in 2009 and 2010 while being named to the North High Invitational all-tournament team in 2007 and 2010 … first-team all-Pioneer League and Daily Breeze All-Area Team member in 2009 … team’s most improved player during her freshman campaign … member of school’s Link Crew, Interact Club and Save the Angels Club … born Jan. 10, 1993, in Inglewood, Calif. … full name is Antoinette Ijeoma Alugbue … daughter of Sylver and Anthony Alugbue … one of four children … brother, Roy, was on the track and field team at USC.
Debbie Brown on Alugbue …
“Toni is relatively new to the sport but has a tremendous upside. She has played middle and outside and has great versatility as she can play all the way around the court. Since she has played a number of positions and she’s developed a number of different shots. Her height above the net is phenomenal. Toni is a great jumper, physically strong and has a great arm. When watching her during the summer, I don’t know that I’ve seen a better right-side blocker. She gets her hands so far over the net and can absolutely shut down opponents.”
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Jeni Houser ̢蠉”¢ 6-3 ̢蠉”¢ LaGrange, Ky. ̢蠉”¢ Assumption ̢蠉”¢ KIVA
Jeni Houser
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The Houser File: Come to Notre Dame from Assumption (Ky.), a high school that also produced former All-American Christina Kaelin … AVCA Under Armour All-American first team … Kentucky’s 2010 Miss Volleyball … region’s player of the year in 2010 … state tournament MVP after leading Assumption to the 2010 title … part of PrepVolleyball.com’s listings of top seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen during her respective prep seasons … named first-team all-state as a junior … named to the following all-tournament teams: Durango Fall Classic (2008, 2009, 2010), ASCIS Challenge (2008, 2010), KHSAA 7th Region (2009, 2010), KHSAA 24th District (2008) … on the club scene, named MVP of the 2010 JVA 17-open Championship … 2008 and 2006 AAU All-American … best blocker at the 2009 Great Lakes Tournament … led Assumption to a pair of regional titles … the Rockets won the district crown in 2006, 2007, and 2010 while capturing the LIVT Tournament title in 2007 and 2010 … three-time winner of the ASICS Challenge (2007, 2008, 2009) … Assumption also won the state title in 2007 … led KIVA to the AAU national championship in 2007, 2008 and 2010 … runner-up in the 2010 JVA 17-open … national champions at the USAV Jr. Olympics in 2007 … won five letters at Assumption, playing with the varsity team since eighth grade … volunteered as a preschool teacher’s aide while also assisting the local senior citizens center … part of high school’s President Honor Roll … born Feb. 2, 1993, in Honolulu, Hawaii … full name is Jennifer Elaine Houser … daughter of Danielle and Rob Houser … one of five children.
Debbie Brown on Houser …
“The thing I’m most excited about for Jeni is her competitive fire. She simply refuses to lose. That type of attitude is contagious. And physically, she’s very, very developed. She hits the ball really hard behind a great arm. Her feel for blocking is very strong and she has great hands over the net. It addition to that, she’s developed into a six-rotation player who can pass, play defense and hit out of the backrow. She hits the slide really well, so we went to keep her in a position where we can take advantage of that. We expect big things from her and know she’ll be able to deliver.”
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Meg Vonderhaar ̢蠉”¢ 6-2 ̢蠉”¢ Wheaton, Ill. ̢蠉”¢ St. Francis ̢蠉”¢ Sports Performance
Meg Vonderhaar
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The Vonderhaar File: Four-time letterwinner and four-year starter for St. Francis (Ill.) while competing on the club circuit for Sports Performance … led club team to five tournament titles in 2010, including the AAU 18-open and the National Juniors Championship (NJC) 18-open … earned Best Blocker Award at the 2009 NJC 16-open as her team placed second at the event … all-tournament team member at the 2008 JVDA 15-open … led St. Francis to a four-year record of 137-23 … team placed second in state tournament in 2007, the same year she was part of PrepVolleyball.com’s Frosh 59 listing … St. Francis won a sectional title in 2008 and shared the conference title as she was an all-conference and Wheaton Leader All-Area Team member … named to PreVolleyball.com’s Soph 79 ranking … prep team was undefeated in conference play in 2009 while winning a regional title … named to the all-conference squad while earning a spot on the Daily Herald All-Area Team … one of PrepVolleyball.com’s Top 50 Junior Recruits … captained St. Francis to regional and conference trophies in 2010 … all-conference choice … Suburban Christian Conference Player of the Year … captain of the Daily Herald All-Area squad and the publication’s Player of the Year … Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Team … ranked 48th among PrepVolleyball.com’s Top 100 Senior Aces … totaled 991 kills, 147 blocks, 61 aces (all in 2010) and 306 digs at St. Francis … 200 of those digs came during her senior campaign … member of National Honor Society … born Dec. 8, 1992, in Fairview Park, Ohio … full name is Margaret Becker Vonderhaar … daughter of Nancy and Tom Vonderhaar … has three sisters (Kate, Liz and Anna) and one brother (Bob) … carries a 4.8 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale … ranks ninth in her graduating class of 198 students.
Debbie Brown on Vonderhaar …
“Meg is a six-rotation player who knows what it takes to win, having been a part of last year’s 18-open national championship team. She’s a strong hitter from the right side but was trained primarily as a left-side hitter. She can play very well from either side and developed very well as a player through her high school and club programs. Meg is a player who loves and sport and loves to compete.”
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