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Duke Volleyball Announces Four to 2021 Recruiting Class
12/22/2020 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke volleyball program and head coach Jolene Nagel announced the addition of four players to the 2021 squad as Ngozi Iloh, Rylie Kadel, Rachel Richardson and Nikki Underwood will join the Blue Devils in the fall.
"It gives us great pleasure to announce our incoming class in 2021," Nagel said. "We're excited for this group to join us! They're an athletic group who all play for highly regarded and nationally competitive club teams. We look for them to join our group and work very hard to understand and enhance the positive culture currently in place. Their athleticism and skill sets are going to contribute to a very competitive practice gym."
Ngozi Iloh
Peachtree City, Ga. | McIntosh High School | 6-2 Middle Blocker | A5
We welcome Ngozi Iloh from Peachtree City, Ga., where she is a 6-2 middle blocker for McIntosh High School and the A5 Mizuno Volleyball Club.
An Under Armour second team All-American selection this fall, Iloh was also honored as the 2020 5A Player of Year for the State of Georgia, after leading her high school team to their fourth straight state championship. She was also tabbed the 5A Co-Player of the Year in Georgia in 2019. With the A5 South Volleyball Club Iloh was named the 2017 15 National Division MVP at the Girls Junior National Championships and the 2016 AAUs 14 National Division MVP. Most recently, Iloh and her A5 club team won the 2020 Open Division NIT Championship.
"Ngozi is a physical, dominant presence in the middle blocker position," Nagel said. "Her natural gifts make her an intimidating force at the net. We look forward to seeing the heights she can reach with strength and conditioning, additional skill development and increased understanding of her position."
Rylie Kadel
Parker, Colo. | Legend High School | 6-0 Middle Blocker | Colorado Juniors
Rylie Kadel comes to Durham from Parker, Colo., where she played for Legend High School and Colorado Juniors Volleyball.
Kadel participated as part of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 junior national teams and most recently, as a senior, was named an Under Armour second team All-American. This year she was also named the best player in the state of Colorado by Max Preps and was on Prep Volleyball's top 150 players list. During her junior year (2019-20), Kadel was chosen as an All-America selection by Prep Volleyball and earned first team All-State and first team All-Conference recognition. She was also awarded Offensive Player of the Year honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
Additionally, Kadel was also tabbed Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2020, earned first team All-State Academic in 2019 and garnered an academic letter every year from 2017 to 2019.
"Rylie is competitive, quick and explosive especially off of one foot," Nagel said. Her fast arm will allow for her to be terminal in system. Running fast is her strength."
Rachel Richardson
Ellicott City, Md. | St. John's College High School | 5-9 Outside Hitter | Metro
Rachel Richardson joins the Blue Devil family from Ellicott City, Md., where she attends St. John's College High School and plays club for Metro Volleyball Club.
Richardson competed in the USA Girls Open Junior National Championships the last four years and is a three-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) first team honoree. She was named Player of the Year by the WCAC for 2019-2020 as well as Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year for the same season. As a three-time District of Columbia Public Schools MVP, Richardson was also tabbed to the AVCA All-Region Team and named an Under Armour Honorable Mention selection.
Outside of volleyball, Richardson is a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, serves as a senior class representative and is active as a tutor and part of the Best Buddies program.
"Rachel is an athletic, explosive outside hitter," Nagel said. "She continues to develop her game and can be offensive in six rotations. Her focus and mental toughness will continue to be an asset for her and our team."
Nikki Underwood
Manhattan Beach, Calif. | Mira Costa High School | 5-11 Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist | Sunshine South Bay
Nikki Underwood comes to Duke from Manhattan Beach, Calif., where she has played as a 5-11 outside hitter and defensive specialist for Mira Costa High School and Sunshine Volleyball Club South Bay.
In 2020, Underwood was elected a captain of her high school team and earned a second-place finish with her club team at a Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) tournament. In 2019 as a junior, Underwood was named the MVP of the Santa Barbara High School tournament and earned all-tournament team honors at the Dave Mohs Tournament. She participated in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championship and was honored as part of Prep Volleyball's February Class of 2021 Watch List. Additionally, Underwood has participated in multiple national qualifiers and junior national championships throughout her career.
Outside of volleyball, Underwood is a model scholar-athlete having made the honor roll the last three years with an unweighted 4.0 GPA . She also possesses a robust community service resume which includes hosting fundraisers for Homefront America, a non-profit group supporting American military families. In addition, Underwood has been an active volunteer with the Friendship Foundation.
"Nikki is an excellent six rotation player who we look to bring us ball control and defensive depth," Nagel said. "Her volleyball IQ will challenge her teammates daily."
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
"It gives us great pleasure to announce our incoming class in 2021," Nagel said. "We're excited for this group to join us! They're an athletic group who all play for highly regarded and nationally competitive club teams. We look for them to join our group and work very hard to understand and enhance the positive culture currently in place. Their athleticism and skill sets are going to contribute to a very competitive practice gym."
Ngozi Iloh
Peachtree City, Ga. | McIntosh High School | 6-2 Middle Blocker | A5
We welcome Ngozi Iloh from Peachtree City, Ga., where she is a 6-2 middle blocker for McIntosh High School and the A5 Mizuno Volleyball Club.
An Under Armour second team All-American selection this fall, Iloh was also honored as the 2020 5A Player of Year for the State of Georgia, after leading her high school team to their fourth straight state championship. She was also tabbed the 5A Co-Player of the Year in Georgia in 2019. With the A5 South Volleyball Club Iloh was named the 2017 15 National Division MVP at the Girls Junior National Championships and the 2016 AAUs 14 National Division MVP. Most recently, Iloh and her A5 club team won the 2020 Open Division NIT Championship.
"Ngozi is a physical, dominant presence in the middle blocker position," Nagel said. "Her natural gifts make her an intimidating force at the net. We look forward to seeing the heights she can reach with strength and conditioning, additional skill development and increased understanding of her position."
Rylie Kadel
Parker, Colo. | Legend High School | 6-0 Middle Blocker | Colorado Juniors
Rylie Kadel comes to Durham from Parker, Colo., where she played for Legend High School and Colorado Juniors Volleyball.
Kadel participated as part of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 junior national teams and most recently, as a senior, was named an Under Armour second team All-American. This year she was also named the best player in the state of Colorado by Max Preps and was on Prep Volleyball's top 150 players list. During her junior year (2019-20), Kadel was chosen as an All-America selection by Prep Volleyball and earned first team All-State and first team All-Conference recognition. She was also awarded Offensive Player of the Year honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
Additionally, Kadel was also tabbed Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2020, earned first team All-State Academic in 2019 and garnered an academic letter every year from 2017 to 2019.
"Rylie is competitive, quick and explosive especially off of one foot," Nagel said. Her fast arm will allow for her to be terminal in system. Running fast is her strength."
Rachel Richardson
Ellicott City, Md. | St. John's College High School | 5-9 Outside Hitter | Metro
Rachel Richardson joins the Blue Devil family from Ellicott City, Md., where she attends St. John's College High School and plays club for Metro Volleyball Club.
Richardson competed in the USA Girls Open Junior National Championships the last four years and is a three-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) first team honoree. She was named Player of the Year by the WCAC for 2019-2020 as well as Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year for the same season. As a three-time District of Columbia Public Schools MVP, Richardson was also tabbed to the AVCA All-Region Team and named an Under Armour Honorable Mention selection.
Outside of volleyball, Richardson is a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, serves as a senior class representative and is active as a tutor and part of the Best Buddies program.
"Rachel is an athletic, explosive outside hitter," Nagel said. "She continues to develop her game and can be offensive in six rotations. Her focus and mental toughness will continue to be an asset for her and our team."
Nikki Underwood
Manhattan Beach, Calif. | Mira Costa High School | 5-11 Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist | Sunshine South Bay
Nikki Underwood comes to Duke from Manhattan Beach, Calif., where she has played as a 5-11 outside hitter and defensive specialist for Mira Costa High School and Sunshine Volleyball Club South Bay.
In 2020, Underwood was elected a captain of her high school team and earned a second-place finish with her club team at a Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) tournament. In 2019 as a junior, Underwood was named the MVP of the Santa Barbara High School tournament and earned all-tournament team honors at the Dave Mohs Tournament. She participated in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championship and was honored as part of Prep Volleyball's February Class of 2021 Watch List. Additionally, Underwood has participated in multiple national qualifiers and junior national championships throughout her career.
Outside of volleyball, Underwood is a model scholar-athlete having made the honor roll the last three years with an unweighted 4.0 GPA . She also possesses a robust community service resume which includes hosting fundraisers for Homefront America, a non-profit group supporting American military families. In addition, Underwood has been an active volunteer with the Friendship Foundation.
"Nikki is an excellent six rotation player who we look to bring us ball control and defensive depth," Nagel said. "Her volleyball IQ will challenge her teammates daily."
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
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