As UVSC women's basketball coach Cathy Nixon went about her recruiting efforts, the Wolverine coach wanted to find players who were committed to the process of building a Division I program.
Nixon feels she has signed three players that fit the mold.
Joining a UVSC team that finished 11-13 in its first year as a Division I program are Susana Cornejo, Rebekah Fales and Bistra Mihayloua.
Cornejo, a 5-foot-6 guard out of Aberdeen, Idaho led the state in scoring and steals and was second in rebounds.
"She is a spunky little guard," Nixon said on Cornejo. "She has good athleticism and she can put the ball on the floor and go. She has good instincts and can anticipate. She is a really exciting player."
Fales is a 5-10 three guard from Salinas, California. On Fales Nixon said, "She is a real competitor. We feel like she is going to get a lot better.
She's a good offensive player who will fit into our system and help us out."
Mihayloua, who is originally from Bulgaria, is out of Olympia High School in Florida. She stands 6 feet and Nixon sees her playing the post and perimeter.
"She is good with her back to the basket and she has good perimeter skills," she said. "She can step out and take the 15-18 foot jumper. I really think she will be a good basketball player for us. Her day was a coach in Bulgaria and she just loves the game."
Nixon is losing Molly Hillyard, Kaylynn Hann, Liz Kelly and Nathalie Bertholet off last year's team and a big priority for the UVSC staff was to get somebody to play the point guard position. Courtney Lynn started 22 of 23 games at point and played 30 minutes a game as a junior.
Nixon is expected to sign one other player before the recruiting period ends.
VOLLEYBALL: Coach Sam Atoa has received commitments from two junior college players and three high school athletes for the upcoming 2004 season. Jamie Wiscombe, a transfer from Dixie State College, and Anne Olsen, a transfer from Cal-State Ponoma, are already in enrolled at Utah Valley.
Wiscombe, originally from Morgan High School, is a 5-7 setter/libero. Olsen will also play libero for the Wolverines.
In November, Atoa received a commitment from Jessica Endres, a 6-1 middle blocker out of Gilbert, Ariz. Carlyn Cadmus, a 6-1 middle blocker from Menifee, Calif.; and Chelsea O'Neal, a 5-6 libero from Magnolia, Texas, will join the program in the fall.