Melanie Wade will be facing Jordan Burgess, Inky Ajanaku and Madison Bugg in Pac-12 women’s volleyball action next season when Wade suits up for Washington and Burgess joins with Ajanaku and Bugg at Stanford.
The quartet also has something else in common — all four helped their respective high school teams win state titles and all four have been named to the MaxPreps All-American first team in girls’ volleyball, according to Kevin Askeland of MaxPreps.
The 6-foot-5 Wade helped Palo Alto win a second straight CIF Division I state crown earlier this month in a five-set thriller over Marymount. Wade had 27 kills in the title match and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Division I finale.
Wade had 594 kills, 65 aces, 53 blocks, 255 digs and 28 assists while helping the Vikings fashion a 36-3 record this season and a 77-4 mark over two years.
Burgess, a 6-1 outside hitter from Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla., led her team to a 30-2 record and third straight state championship. She was a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year and finished with 553 kills, 366 digs, 48 aces, 38 assists and 32 blocks.
Ajanaku, a 6-4 middle hitter from Bishop Kelley High in Tulsa, Okla., led her team to a 32-3 record and Class 6A state championship while earning MVP honors. She also won state titles as a freshman and junior. She had 537 kills, 127 blocks and 29 digs.
The 6-1 Bugg, from Cardinal Gibbons in Raleigh, N.C., helped her team finish 22-3 and win a third straight North Carolina 3A state crown. She is a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year (also winning in 2009) and a three-time Class 3A state tournament MVP. She totaled 271 kills, 182 digs, 31 aces, 20 assists and 20 blocks this season.
All four players were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American first team this season, as well.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports