April 25, 2012
SEATTLE - High school All-American middle blocker Melanie Wade has joined the Washington program, Head Coach Jim McLaughlin announced today. One of the most highly-regarded middles in the nation according to multiple sources, Wade will be the fourth member of UW's freshman class of 2012. A native of Palo Alto, California, Wade is listed at 6-feet, 5-inches and a right-side hitter in addition to middle blocker. In addition to a long list of individual accolades, Wade helped lead Palo Alto High School to the California Division-I State Championship in 2010 and 2011, becoming the first Northern Division school ever to win back-to-back CIF D-I titles. In the championship match her senior year, Wade led Palo Alto with 27 kills in a five-set victory. Wade was named an ESPNHS All-America First Team member, one of just four middles nationally to earn that honor. Fellow incoming freshman Katy Beals was also on that team, as Washington, Stanford, and Texas were the only schools with multiple First Team commits. She was also chosen as an Under Armour First Team All-American by the AVCA, one of 24 players on the first team, as well as being named a First Team All-American by MaxPreps.com, and the MVP of the MaxPreps Division-I All-State First Team. On PrepVolleyball.com's annual Senior Aces list, Wade was listed No. 17 overall. "What impressed me most was her ability to improve," said Coach McLaughlin. "She's a very committed kid. The more I was around her, the more I thought she was a kid who will do what it takes to become great. She's got a very strong and complete skill level at this point in time, but she wants to take it to the highest level. We can help her do that. As a person she was a slam dunk. I enjoyed her as a person and I enjoyed her family. She has the ability to become an impact player and she is a great addition to our program in many ways." Wade also has extensive experience in the USA Volleyball junior system. She was selected to the USA Select A1 Team in both 2008 and 2009, with the 2008 team winning the silver medal at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships. In 2010, she was named to the U.S. Girls' Youth National Training Team. She has played club volleyball for City Beach, leading them to the 16-1 Open Division title at Far Westerns National Qualifier to advance to the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships. The City Beach 17 Black team also made nationals in 2011, finishing sixth in the open division with Wade earning All-Tournament honors. Wade joins previous Husky signees Lianna Sybeldon (Folsom, Calif.), Cassie Strickland (Huntington Beach, Calif.), and Katy Beals (Austin, Texas). |
