St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Volleyball Inks Two to 2017 Recruiting Class
11/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's volleyball Head Coach Joanne Persico, has announced that Jordan McCalla and Kayley Wood have signed their National Letter of Intent (NLI) and will join the Red Storm for the 2017 season.
"Both recruits come from incredible families and working with them made this intense recruiting process a complete joy," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "We welcome Jordan [McCalla] and Kayley [Wood] to our St. John's family!"
Name: Jordan McCalla
Height: 6'1"
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Grapevine, Texas
High School: Grapevine High School
McCalla, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, carried the Grapevine volleyball team's offense this past year, as she led the squad with 496 kills for an average of almost four kills per set. For her success this season, she was named the Texas District 8-5A most valuable player. McCalla and the Lady Mustangs finished the season with an impressive 33-15 record and advanced to the 2016 Texas Volleyball 8-5A Region quarterfinals.
The Texas native also boasts a stellar service game, as she recorded 67 aces this season and in 2015 McCalla registered 79 aces. On the defensive side, McCalla averaged close to three digs per set and picked up 34 total blocks during her senior campaign. In 2015, she was chosen as the District 8-5A Varsity Offensive Player of the Year and was a four year captain for the Lady Mustangs. A stellar student off the court, McCalla was selected to the Academic All-District team for all four years of high school and has volunteered at many organizations, including the Special Olympics.
"Jordan boasts all-around skills and is a fantastic competitor that inspires those around her to work even harder and always be at their best," said Persico. "She is driven and excited to show the BIG EAST just how mentally tough and fundamentally sound she is on and off the court."
Name: Kayley Wood
Height: 6'2"
Position: Middle Blocker/Right Side
Hometown: Woodlands, Texas
High School: The John Cooper School
Wood, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker/right side, was a member of the Houston Juniors 17 Elite Volleyball team, where they finished the Open Division of USA Volleyball's Girls Junior National Championship as the second best junior team in the country last summer. Wood, a native of Woodlands, Texas, was named captain of her volleyball squad for her senior year at The John Cooper School and set a program record with 115 blocks.
One of the best defensive players in the history of the school, she holds the record for most career blocks with 379. Wood's talents on the court were recognized early, as she was included on the PrepVolleyball Frosh 59 in 2013, which honors the best high school freshman volleyball players in the nation. Off the court, Wood has participated in numerous community service events and was placed on honor roll for the past three academic years.
"Kayley has the power and determination needed to compete and win in this conference," said Persico. "Her physical presence at the net combined with her aggressiveness will serve her great in this league."
For all the latest news on the St. John's volleyball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsVB) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with #SJUVB. If you would like to be added to the St. John's volleyball mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Volleyball Mailing List".
