May 18, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The UNC Greensboro volleyball team has added Karrian Chambers, Sarah Eldridge, Savannah Tomlinson and Karen Stedman to the squad for the 2010 season, head coach Patrick Nicholas announced on Tuesday.

"The addition of these four girls, along with Samantha [Deutchman], Kellie [Orewiler] and Lara [Keyes] who we got in the fall, will give us a nice infusion of talent to the players already in our program," said Nicholas. "These girls come in with winning backgrounds and we expect to continue that next season and going forward"

Chambers, an outside hitter, comes to the Spartans after having played four years of volleyball at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas for coach Cydryce McMillian. During her four seasons, she earned two varsity letters and earned honorable mention all-district honors.

She also helped lead her team to a No. 5 ranking in the state, which set a new record for her school. In addition to volleyball, she played four years of basketball, as well as three years of track & field. She played club with Brazos Valley Volleyball Club, which is directed by North Carolina native Jackie Pence.

"Karrian is a high-flying and explosive athletic outside hitter who has the ability to give our offense a big boost," said Nicholas. "She is a great young lady who is the prototypical student-athlete we are looking for as she is involved in the church, school and community. I feel she is going to have a great collegiate career and we are excited to have her."

Eldridge, a setter from Wichita, Kan., already has two years of collegiate experience as she has played two seasons for Jenifer Bahner at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan. As a freshman, she helped lead her team to a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II National Championships and did even better as a sophomore as her team came away with runner-up honors. She went a combined 62-12 in her two-year career at Cowley.

In her first season at Cowley, she earned all-region honors and was honorable mention all-conference. She was the captain at Cowley this past season on her way to being name to the all-academic team. Also, she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, which is the international honor society of two-year colleges.

"Sarah brings a great skill set to the setting position and should have an instant impact," said Nicholas. "She is a proven winner having won the conference tournament twice at Cowley College and finishing second at the NJCAA Division II National Championships this past season. She is also highly competitive who will make us better right away, as well as being an excellent student."

Tomlinson, a middle blocker from Remsenburg, N.Y., played four years on the varsity team for coach Leonard Zaloga at Westhampton Beach High School in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. While playing at Westhampton Beach, she was a first-team all-conference selection as well as being named to the all-league team. She was also a co-captain her senior season.

As a freshman and sophomore, she helped lead her team to back-to-back league titles and the New York State Final Four Championship her sophomore season. She is a member of the National Honor Society and played four years of club volleyball for The Island Volleyball Academy coached by Rick Cole where her team was ranked No. 1 in the GEVA (Garden Empire Volleyball Association) region.

"Savannah has been given as solid start to her career after working with Rick [Cole] and we are looking forward to helping her reach her full potential collegiately," said Nicholas. "She is another exceptional person on and off the court and is the type of person we want representing our program."

A native of nearby Durham, N.C., Stedman, a setter, comes to UNCG after playing four seasons at Northern Durham High School in her hometown. While playing at Northern, Stedman was named the team MVP as a junior and senior and was also the team captain both of those seasons. She also played in the all-star games in her final two seasons.

She earned the scholar-athlete award three times during her four years and was a member of the honor roll all four seasons. She played six years of club volleyball for NC Elite, which is based in Raleigh, N.C. and coached by Gary DeJames.

"Karen is another quality player who will add depth to our program both on and off the court," said Nicholas. "She is a player who loves to compete and we are excited to see what she will become within our program."

- UNCG -