University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER VOLLEYBALL ANNOUNCES RECRUITING CLASS
11/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Byrnes, a 6-2 outside hitter from Minnetonka, Minn., will join the Gophers after an outstanding career at Minnetonka High School. Byres landed a school-record 1,087 career kills and was a three-time All- Classic Lake Conference selection, as well as a 2001 All-Metro First Team honoree. In her senior season alone, she set school single-season marks in kills (458), attack percentage (.378) and total blocks (99). In one match in 2001, she tallied a school-record 43 kills.
"Jessica reminds me of Stephanie Hagen (senior middle blocker for the Gophers) at the same age," said Hebert. "She is a great athlete with a great work ethic. Nothing will stop her from becoming a great Big Ten middle hitter."
Gentil, a 5-9 outside hitter/defensive specialist, is a native of Fortaleza Ceara', Brazil, who played the final two years of high school volleyball at Lake Highland Prep School in Orlando, Fla. She led her high school team to a 23-5 mark this fall and a 28-4 mark in 2000. Over her high school career, she averaged a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs per match as a junior and 14 kills and 14 digs as a senior. Mallakis was a 2001 Junior Olympic All-American and the FACA Player of the Year in both 2000 and 2001. She led her club team to the AAU National Championships in 2000 and 2001, earning AAU All-America acclaim both years.
"Paula is an exceptionally gifted defensive player," said Hebert. "She has mature ball handling and passing skills. She plays the game with a high level of volleyball intelligence."
Mallakis, a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter from Simi Valley, Calif., attends Simi Valley High School but gets her volleyball experience on the club level as a member of the Thunder Volleyball Club for the last two years. In 2001, Mallakis averaged 4.01 kills and 2.67 blocks per game, while starting every match at middle blocker. She has attended the USA High Performance Camp and was a member of the Elite 8 in the 2000 Davis Tournament.
"Athena can play middle or outside," said Hebert. "She's a very versatile player with high level club experience in Southern California. She has great speed, a quick arm and is blessed with an abundance of fast twitch muscle fiber."
