PHILADELPHIA – Temple volleyball head coach Bakeer Ganes has announced the signing of three talented recruits for the 2015 season. Iva Deak (Zagreb, Croatia/IV Gimnazija Zagreb), Mia Heirakuji (Kailua, Hawaii/Kamehameha High School), and Hannah Vandegrift (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County High) have signed national letters of intent to join the Owls' squad.
"I'm very excited about this recruiting class, it's very strong and these players address specific needs for us," said Ganes. "I'm proud of the academic aspect as well. All are very talented as volleyball players but in addition, they are committed and strong academically, and that's something we're very proud of." Heirakuji signing her NLI Heirakuji is a 5-5 libero/defensive specialist out of Kailua, Hawaii. She plays for Ka Ulukoa Volleyball Club qualifying for Junior Nationals in the open division in each of the last four years. Heirakuji has played on the Kamehameha varsity team for the past two seasons, leading the squad to a state title in 2013 and a runner-up finish in 2014. The defensive specialist was an All-American honorable mention selection and was named the 2013 All State #5 Player of the Year. Heirakuji is an honor roll student who plans on Business/Entrepreneurial Program
"Mia is an excellent player with very high volleyball IQ," noted Ganes. "Like a lot of players from Hawaii, she was trained very well from a young age and plays at a really high level. We're very excited to have her in the gym to start working with her, she's going to be a big asset to us on the back row on serve-receive and defense."Vandegrift signing her NLI
Vandegrift is a 6-0 setter from Leesburg, Va., playing for Loudoun County High School and Metro American 18's volleyball club. She recently led her high school team to a 29-2 overall record and the Virginia state championship. Vandegrift was an All-America honorable mention selection earlier this season and was also named All-Region. An honor roll student and varsity team captain, she plans on majoring in Kinesiology or Nursing at Temple.
"Hannah is an outstanding young player with very good size for a setter," mentioned Ganes. "She has good feet and hands, and that combination is rare, so we're very happy to have her. Hannah also has a great opportunity at Temple to learn from an excellent setting coach in Akiko Hatakeyama, and play with a great setter in junior Sandra Sydlik. It's a great fit for both her and us, and we're very excited to have her."
Deak is a middle blocker from Zagreb, Croatia. She currently plays for HAOK Mladost in Croatia.
"We're very excited about the signing of Iva because the middle is a very important position for us," said Ganes. "We need to get some more depth in the middle and she'll provide that and even more. She is a very experienced player for her age and competes at a high level in her country. We expect her to be an important part of the team and expect her to contribute very soon."
Temple volleyball finished the 2014 season with a 24-8 overall record. The Owls went 15-5 in the American Athletic Conference, to tie for second place, and boasted the most All-Conference selections in the league with five. Temple will graduate three seniors from the 2014 team, middles Jennifer Iacobini and Alex Schmitt, and setter Tiffany Connatser.
