VANCOUVER - The three-time defending CIS women's volleyball national champion UBC Thunderbirds have reloaded with one of the best recruiting classes in head coach Doug Reimer's 14-year tenure.

Headlining this year's newcomers are a trio of top-tier talents in Lisa Barclay (Brandon, MB), Rosie Schlagintweit (Abbotsford, BC), and Abbey Keeping (Surrey, BC) who should immediately impact a squad that was a perfect 27-0 last season.

"We are very excited to be welcoming these three players to UBC and I see all of them having tremendous Thunderbird careers," said Reimer.

Barclay, a 6-foot-2 left side attacker, has the pedigree to instantly contribute at the CIS level and is currently training with Canada's Senior National Team in Winnipeg. She was the only high school player invited directly to the national team's 'A' camp earlier this year after compiling one of the most impressive pre-university careers in the country.

"Lisa is, if not the strongest high school recruit in the country, at the very near top of that list. And while she has has a tremendous resume so far, I see great potential for development and improvement in the years to come," noted Reimer about the heir apparent to recently graduated CIS female athlete of the year and attacking dynamo, Liz Cordonier, who was a big reason for the T-Birds success over the last three seasons.

Named the 2009 U17 National Player of the Year, Barclay has sparkled at every level of volleyball. She claimed back-to-back MVP awards at the high school and club level in addition to winning gold with Team Manitoba at the 2009 Canada Games in PEI.

Barclay also excelled in the classroom and collected a number of prestigious academic awards including the Mike Burchuck and Krug Crawford awards. Her efforts off the court have been recognized by UBC, as she earned a Major Entrance Scholarship which is the most prestigious award available to students beginning studies at the university.

The future Human Kinetics student knew UBC was the place to continue her academic studies and athletic goals after visiting the Point Grey campus.

"When I met the coaches and all the players it really felt like home, everyone was so welcoming and friendly, it really was just the right thing for me. I also knew coming in that UBC would challenge me academically as well as athletically which is something I really wanted. It is also a chance to get away and experience everything on my own two feet."

Joining Barclay as talented newcomers next year are a pair of standouts who both starred with the Fraser Valley Blitz (FVVC) at the club level and were honoured by the Province newspaper as the top two high school players in BC last year.

Schlagintweit, who can play either of the outside hitting positions, was the top-rated BC recruit after a dominant career at Yale Secondary. She was a first-team AAAA BC high school all-star and collected an impressive 128 kills in seven matches at the 2009-10 provincial championship.

Along with Keeping, she has helped the Blitz to three straight U18 national titles and was named the MVP at the 2010 BC club provincial championships.

"We are thrilled that Rosie will be attending UBC. She has many strengths as a player - she's a good blocker, a strong attacker and I have been impressed with the improvement in her backcourt play," observed Reimer. "But more than the obvious physical strengths, she will fit in very well with our team, bringing great character, maturity and intelligence both on and off the court as well as in the classroom."

A President's Entrance Scholarship winner, Schlagintweit is following in some strong family footsteps as both her parents graduated from UBC. Her older sister, Sofie, was recruited to play at Arizona State and although she was tempted by other offers, UBC was always top of mind.

"Once I started looking at other schools, I realized that I was always comparing them to UBC. So I just realized that it was the right place for me to go. There is the strong volleyball program and the atmosphere of the team is great. It is a nice distance from home and is very strong academically."

Keeping, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker, had a lot of the same impressions about a future at UBC.

"I chose UBC because it is close to home, a beautiful huge campus, I know lots of people who recommend the school, and because the volleyball team is outstanding," said the Surrey native whose grandfather played basketball for the T-Birds.

Reimer was extremely happy to add Keeping to his recruiting class as the 'Birds will likely be without CIS All-Canadian middle Jen Hinze for the start of the season. Hinze, a senior, is set to be part of Team Canada at the 2010 World Championships, an event that runs well into the first semester this coming academic year.

"Abbey is a very welcome addition to our team as a middle player with great attacking skills and strong net presence," said the 2010 CIS coach of the year. "She has the skills and drive to compete right away with our group and adds depth to this position immediately."

Keeping was the no. 2 ranked BC high school recruit after a standout career that saw her earn multiple all-star and MVP awards throughout her on-court career.

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Ben Schach
UBC Sports Information Director
604-822-9115 (office)
604-809-1485 (cell)
604-822-6011 (fax)