June 1, 2008

DETROIT - Wayne State University first-year head volleyball coach Phil Nickel has announced the signing of four prospective student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to enroll at WSU in the fall of 2008.

A trio of Macomb Community College transfers - Sarha Gosselin, Candis Jenich, and Lauren Mallast - will join freshman Ashley Burgess as the Warriors start the 2008 campaign August 29-30 at the Otter Classic, hosted by California State University Monterey Bay.

"This recruiting class will make an immediate impact on Wayne State Volleyball," said Nickel. "I couldn't think of a better way to start my career at Wayne State than with the addition of these four young ladies. Lauren, Candis, and Sarha add height, talent, and experience to our team, while Ashley is athletic and enthusiastic about being a Warrior. All four of these young ladies share the vision we have for the Warrior Volleyball program."

A two-time All-American at Macomb, Gosselin is MCC's all-time leader with 1180 career kills, having led the team with 535 kills in 2006 before breaking the single-season school record with 645 kills last season. She led the nation with 185 aces, another school record, and an average of 1.15 aces per game in 2007. Gosselin, a native of Harrison Township and 2006 graduate of Warren Lincoln, was a two-time all-region and three-time all-conference selection for the Abes, leading the team to two conference titles in her high school career.

Jenich also played two seasons at Macomb, earning All-Region XII, All-MCCAA and All-MCCAA Eastern Conference First Team honors last year. She finished second on team with 435 kills, 390 digs, 98 service aces, and a 2.70 kills per game average while serving as team captain. A Warren native and 2006 graduate of Warren Cousino, Jenich played four years of varsity volleyball and holds single-season school records for kills, aces and digs.

After being named the team's Most Improved Player in 2006, Mallast finished second in the nation and led the Monarchs with 238 blocks, warranting All-Region XII, All-MCCAA and All-MCCAA Eastern Conference First Team honors. The Chesterfield native graduated from Anchor Bay in 2006 and played three years on the varsity volleyball and basketball squads. In addition to earning all-conference, all-county, all-region and team MVP accolades, Mallast was an academic all-state selection.

Burgess, a native of Rochester Hills and 2008 graduate of Avondale, was a member of the varsity volleyball team as a sophomore and junior, primarily playing as a setter. She was a two-year MVP and earned all-league honors as a junior.

The 2008 recruiting class will look to offset the loss of four seniors with exhausted eligibility - Karri Kuczajda, Mary Leverentz, Mallory McEnroe, and Gina Zielonka.