All-American Middle Leads Three Husky Additions
May 07, 2017 | Volleyball
SEATTLE โ Husky Volleyball Head Coach Keegan Cook announced the addition of three players today, including a three-time All-American senior transfer. Marion Hazelwood, a standout middle blocker from the University of Oklahoma, will play her final season for the Dawgs, while high school seniors Natalie Robinson, a setter, and defensive specialist Emma Calle will join the Husky family as well.
ย
All three players will be set to compete for the Huskies this coming fall. They make up the class of 2017 along with Lauren Sanders, who graduated early and started at UW at the start of spring quarter and is now practicing with the team.
ย
Robinson and Calle have long been committed to the Huskies, while Hazelwood recently made her decision to finish her career at UW after completing her undergrad coursework at Oklahoma. Hazelwood will pursue a Master's in Intercollegiate Athletics Leadership at Washington.
ย
Hazelwood, at 6-foot-3, has been one of the best middles in the Big 12 conference each of the past three seasons. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2016 and 2015, and was on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team in 2014. She was the AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year in 2014 and was named to the All-Region squad every season. All three years at Oklahoma, Hazelwood ended the year named an AVCA All-America honorable mention.
ย
"From the very beginning of the recruiting process, it was very clear to me that Marion would fit in well within our program and our current roster in particular," said Cook. "It is far from an easy thing to join an established team with big aspirations as a graduate transfer. It will be a sprint of a season for Marion and she will give us the additional depth we've sought at the middle blocker position. After her official visit, our team and staff let me know daily how much they wanted Marion to join us for the 2017 season."
ย
A native of Beach City, Texas, Hazelwood had a career-high 263 kills in 2016, averaging 2.63 kills per set along with a career-best 1.22 blocks per set while hitting .308. She has a career attack percentage of .324 with 753 career kills and 344 career total blocks. Washington became well acquainted with Hazelwood over the past two seasons, as the Huskies and Sooners played once each year. In 2015, Hazelwood had eight kills on 13 attacks to hit .538 against the Huskies, and she was even better last year, putting down 11 kills on a .556 attack percentage plus five blocks.
ย
"We have competed against her firsthand," said Cook, "and what stands out to me about Marion is her diverse offensive skill set and her knack for performing well in the most challenging matches. I have tremendous respect for (Oklahoma Head Coach) Santiago Restrepo and the University of Oklahoma volleyball program for helping Marion develop into a special student-athlete. Marion will be the sixth volleyball player in the last three years to pursue her graduate education at Washington, and I look forward to preparing her for a future professional career on and off the court."
ย
Natalie Robinson is a setter from Mercer Island, Wash. and Mercer Island High School. She was the 2016 KingCo Most Valuable Player, and led MIHS to third-place in the state championships her senior season. She was chosen as a "Star Times" selection by the Seattle Times after her senior season. Robinson was named a MaxPreps Medium School First Team All-American in 2016 and MaxPreps named her an Underclass All-American in 2014 and 2013. Robinson also played for the Sudden Impact Volleyball Club.
ย
Coach Cook was impressed by Robinson's competitive spirit and versatility. "Natalie could have chosen to play many places, but ultimately decided to come to Washington where she will make both our indoor volleyball team and beach volleyball team better," he says. "She is eager for the challenge, and in the past year has really demonstrated a drive to find out how skilled she can become. She's been a leader on both her high school and club teams, and will continue to develop as a teammate on the court and in the sand."
ย
Calle comes to Seattle from Villa Park, California in Orange County and the Tstreet Volleyball Club that produced current Huskies Crissy Jones, Tia Scambray, and Bailey Tanner. An outside hitter in high school, Calle is expected to transition to a back row defensive role at Washington. Calle was the Crestview League MVP as a junior and she was named a "Defensive Dandy" by PrepVolleyball.com following the 2015 season. She was an All-County honorable mention as a senior.
ย
"Simply put, Emma makes every team and organization she is part of better," says Cook. "She recently recovered from an injury and upon returning, immediately helped her club team to a top-three finish in the top division of the 2017 U.S. Girls Junior National Championships. That performance encompasses Emma.ย She is particularly skilled with her forearms as both a serve receiver and defender. Her drive and improvement over the past year has been especially fun to watch. Above all, she already communicates very well as a teammate and is an excellent student."
ย
Washington graduated just one player, Kameron McLain, from the 2016 roster so with four new players, the 2017 squad will have its most depth in a number of seasons.
ย
ย
All three players will be set to compete for the Huskies this coming fall. They make up the class of 2017 along with Lauren Sanders, who graduated early and started at UW at the start of spring quarter and is now practicing with the team.
ย
Robinson and Calle have long been committed to the Huskies, while Hazelwood recently made her decision to finish her career at UW after completing her undergrad coursework at Oklahoma. Hazelwood will pursue a Master's in Intercollegiate Athletics Leadership at Washington.
ย
Hazelwood, at 6-foot-3, has been one of the best middles in the Big 12 conference each of the past three seasons. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2016 and 2015, and was on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team in 2014. She was the AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year in 2014 and was named to the All-Region squad every season. All three years at Oklahoma, Hazelwood ended the year named an AVCA All-America honorable mention.
ย
"From the very beginning of the recruiting process, it was very clear to me that Marion would fit in well within our program and our current roster in particular," said Cook. "It is far from an easy thing to join an established team with big aspirations as a graduate transfer. It will be a sprint of a season for Marion and she will give us the additional depth we've sought at the middle blocker position. After her official visit, our team and staff let me know daily how much they wanted Marion to join us for the 2017 season."
ย
A native of Beach City, Texas, Hazelwood had a career-high 263 kills in 2016, averaging 2.63 kills per set along with a career-best 1.22 blocks per set while hitting .308. She has a career attack percentage of .324 with 753 career kills and 344 career total blocks. Washington became well acquainted with Hazelwood over the past two seasons, as the Huskies and Sooners played once each year. In 2015, Hazelwood had eight kills on 13 attacks to hit .538 against the Huskies, and she was even better last year, putting down 11 kills on a .556 attack percentage plus five blocks.
ย
"We have competed against her firsthand," said Cook, "and what stands out to me about Marion is her diverse offensive skill set and her knack for performing well in the most challenging matches. I have tremendous respect for (Oklahoma Head Coach) Santiago Restrepo and the University of Oklahoma volleyball program for helping Marion develop into a special student-athlete. Marion will be the sixth volleyball player in the last three years to pursue her graduate education at Washington, and I look forward to preparing her for a future professional career on and off the court."
ย
Natalie Robinson is a setter from Mercer Island, Wash. and Mercer Island High School. She was the 2016 KingCo Most Valuable Player, and led MIHS to third-place in the state championships her senior season. She was chosen as a "Star Times" selection by the Seattle Times after her senior season. Robinson was named a MaxPreps Medium School First Team All-American in 2016 and MaxPreps named her an Underclass All-American in 2014 and 2013. Robinson also played for the Sudden Impact Volleyball Club.
ย
Coach Cook was impressed by Robinson's competitive spirit and versatility. "Natalie could have chosen to play many places, but ultimately decided to come to Washington where she will make both our indoor volleyball team and beach volleyball team better," he says. "She is eager for the challenge, and in the past year has really demonstrated a drive to find out how skilled she can become. She's been a leader on both her high school and club teams, and will continue to develop as a teammate on the court and in the sand."
ย
Calle comes to Seattle from Villa Park, California in Orange County and the Tstreet Volleyball Club that produced current Huskies Crissy Jones, Tia Scambray, and Bailey Tanner. An outside hitter in high school, Calle is expected to transition to a back row defensive role at Washington. Calle was the Crestview League MVP as a junior and she was named a "Defensive Dandy" by PrepVolleyball.com following the 2015 season. She was an All-County honorable mention as a senior.
ย
"Simply put, Emma makes every team and organization she is part of better," says Cook. "She recently recovered from an injury and upon returning, immediately helped her club team to a top-three finish in the top division of the 2017 U.S. Girls Junior National Championships. That performance encompasses Emma.ย She is particularly skilled with her forearms as both a serve receiver and defender. Her drive and improvement over the past year has been especially fun to watch. Above all, she already communicates very well as a teammate and is an excellent student."
ย
Washington graduated just one player, Kameron McLain, from the 2016 roster so with four new players, the 2017 squad will have its most depth in a number of seasons.
ย
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballFriday, November 28
Thursday, November 27
Thursday, November 27
Thursday, November 27
