SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head volleyball coach Debby Colberg announced today that West Valley High School outside hitter Desiree Hoyum has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Hornets and will enroll at the University in the fall of 2006.The signing of Hoyum completes Sacramento State’s signing class for the 2006 season. A six-foot native of Anderson, Calif., Hoyum was named the Northern Athletic League MVP last fall after leading West Valley High School of Cottonwood, Calif., to a 43-3 record (including a 35-match winning streak), a Northern Section Div. III championship and an appearance in the state playoffs. The Eagles also posted a 10-0 record to win the league title for the third year in a row.
A three-time all-league selection, Hoyum was also named the Northern Section MVP by the Redding Record Searchlight after finishing the 2005 season with a .329 hitting percentage, 340 kills, 443 digs, 49 blocks and 189 aces. The jump server averaged 4.1 aces per match, which ranked as the second-best mark in the state. Her 443 digs also ranked as the fifth-highest mark in the section.
“Dez is a complete athlete who is going to be a very strong outside hitter for us,” Colberg said. “She plays for a club in Northern California that does not always attend the more well-recruited junior tournaments and therefore has not had the same level of exposure as players in more populated areas.
“She has good size, is physically strong and is a very competitive person. We think she will make a significant impact as a freshman, and we are very excited she has decided to become a Hornet.”
Hoyum is currently playing for the Shasta Creations club volleyball team (Redding, Calif.), the same program which produced current Hornets Lindsay Haupt and Jennifer Ferguson. Prior to her time with the Creations, she played for the Creekside Volleyball Academy (Chico, Calif.) in 2005.
Hoyum will join a Sacramento State team that has won nine-consecutive Big Sky Conference championships, including a 26-9 overall record and a 13-1 league mark last season. The Hornets have advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times in the last nine years, and finished the 2005 season ranked fourth in the nation in digs per game, and 18th in blocks per game.
2006 Sacramento State Signings
Name Pos Yr Ht Hometown/Previous School
Desiree Hoyum OH Fr. 6-0 Anderson, Calif./West Valley HS
Melissa Melcher S Fr. 5-10 Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley HS
Anna Schoener MH/OPP Fr. 5-11 Placerville, Calif./Union Mine HS
