Beach Greatly Expands 2023-24 Signing Class
UW Athletic Communications
6/16/2023
SEATTLE – Washington Beach Volleyball Head Coach Derek Olson has continued to build the Huskies' 2023-24 signing class, which now is up to 11 new Beach Dawgs. The diverse group will help Washington reload after graduating six members of its 2023 squad that finished a program-best No. 15 in the national rankings.
The 11 athletes include three transfers from Top-20 programs, and eight freshmen. One of those freshmen, Kierstyn Barton, is an indoor/outdoor player, while the other seven are beach-only. It includes UW's first ever sister duo on the beach, Lauren and Sarah Wilcock, as well was UW's first ever international recruit, Magdalena Rabitsch, from Austria.
Along with UW's first commit from Europe, the rest of the class comes from all around the U.S., a sign of Washington's growing recruiting reach in just two seasons with Olson at the helm. Two players come from Washington, three from California, two from New Jersey, and one each from Arizona and Georgia.
Brooke Balue
Manhattan Beach, Calif. | Mira Costa H.S.
6-1 | Blocker
Coach Olson: "A Southern California product we’re excited about. She’s a blocker with good height, but also has good ball control. She has a soft platform and is also a good hand setter. So she has that unique blend of size and ball control. She’s coming from the South Bay in Los Angeles where beach volleyball is a way of life."
Kierstyn Barton
Chandler, Ariz. | Corona Del Sol H.S.
6-2 | Blocker
Coach Olson: "Kierstyn committed as a dual sport athlete so will split time indoors and on the sand. We are really fortunate to have her as a part of this class. She has the potential to make an immediate impact and continue the legacy of strong dual sport athletes at UW. She is one of the most physical prospects in her class and is an all around great volleyball player and person."
Zoey Henson
Cypress, Calif. | Cypress H.S.
5-11 | Defender
Coach Olson: "In my opinion, there isn't a better recruit in the country for this year's class. She has won multiple national championships at the junior level and has the skills and characteristics to go really far in this sport. I have been fortunate to coach Zoey within the USA pipeline and her ability to play with anyone and get the most out of them speaks to the type of person she is. She will make an immediate impact and Husky fans are going to love getting to know her."
Natalie Martin
Mission, Texas | Oak Ridge H.S. | California
5-11 | Defender
Coach Olson: “I've known Natalie for a couple of years now and recruited her at Cal. She is a physical defender who plays aggressively. She loves the game and is going to give our lineup lots of experience. I can't wait to get her in our environment and watch her continue to develop.”
Magdalena Rabitsch
Magdalensberg, Austria
5-9 | Defender
Coach Olson: “A great junior player from Austria, I have not gotten a chance to see Maggi play live, but I've watched a ton of video of her playing at the highest level playing against pros and she is somebody that is going to be huge for our program. She's really physical, really good on defense, and has everything we’re looking for. So we’re really excited to see what she brings and to get to work with her. Hopefully she's just the start of a pipeline of international athletes."
Kelsey Richards
University Place, Wash. | Curtis H.S.
5-6 | Defender
Coach Olson: “Another in-state player that we’re excited to keep close to home. She’s a great defender who has been playing at a high level for a while. She has won seemingly most of the in-state tournaments over the last few years and has been one of the most dominant juniors in the state the last couple of years."
Piper Stephenson
Powder Springs, Ga. | Mount Paran Christian School
6-2 | Blocker
Coach Olson: "Piper flew under the radar a bit because she was playing a lot of indoor volleyball when schools were recruiting their '23 class. What stood out to me was her improvement in each of her recruiting videos. She has a big presence at the net and hits really good angles. She has a ton of upside and will no doubt build a name for herself in the Pac-12."
Josie Ulrich
Ventura, Calif. | Ventura H.S. | Cal Poly
5-7 | Defender
Coach Olson: “Josie came to us early spring. She’s somebody that I’ve seen play over the last four years or so at Cal Poly. She's been a leader for them, and somebody that has had a lot of success in their lineup. She’s won at Gulf Shores in the NCAA Championships so she brings experience we’re going to need.”
Lauren Wilcock
Mendham, N.J. | West Morris Mendham H.S. | South Carolina
5-10 | Blocker/Defender
Coach Olson: “Lauren we played against this last season; she beat us. She’s somebody I worked with in the USA junior pipelines. Obviously the older sister of Sarah. She's someone that can play left-side, right-side, defend or block. She's physical, knows the game really well. I'm excited to see what she can bring to our team and see how she can help us, and more importantly how we can help her.”
Sarah Wilcock
Mendham, N.J. | West Morris Mendham H.S.
5-9 | Defender
Coach Olson: “Sarah was somebody that came to us late in the cycle but we’re glad that she did. She's someone I worked with in the USA pipeline the last couple years. She also has a lot of familiarity with (Assistant Coach) Steve so we felt really comfortable bringing her in. She’s a scrappy defender who knows how to win.”
Ella Wimmer
Issaquah, Wash. | Issaquah H.S.
5-8 | Defender
Coach Olson: "Ella is a really athletic, versatile athlete. She can pretty much do it all. I think she’s going to get a ton better in college. She comes from a Husky family; her dad played baseball here. So she’s been a Dawg her whole life, and we’re excited to keep the in-state talent at home."