Nov. 26, 2003

West Texas A&M University head volleyball coach Tony Graystone has announced that Erin Houlihan, Kolby Rhoades and Traci Quetano have signed letters of intent to join the WTAMU program.

Houlihan is a 5-8 setter from Lincoln, Neb., playing for Pius X High School.

"Erin is an outstanding young setter, and was our number one choice among all the setters we evaluated for the class of 2004," Graystone said. "Erin was widely recruited throughout the Southwest Region, and we are really excited about her signing at West Texas A&M. She has been very well coached, and has a terrific understanding of the game. For a high school player, Erin is very polished, and it won't take much for her to adjust to the speed of college volleyball. I fully expect Erin to make a strong push at replacing Kendra Morgan."

Rhoades is a 5-8 outside hitter from Burlington, Colo., attending Burlington High School.

"Kolby is a dynamic player who has the ability to make a dramatic impact on our team," Graystone said. "She has an amazing vertical leap and a terrific armswing, and will have an opportunity to help us at the outside hitter position right away. She has also played setter and defensive specialist, and her understanding of the game is well above average. As a pure athlete, Kolby is truly a special player, and I'm really looking forward to watching her develop at West Texas A&M."

Quetano (Kuh-tahn-oh) is a 5-7 defensive specialist from Santa Clara, Calif., where she attends Wilcox High School.

"Traci is a very good ball control player, and plays the game with a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Graystone said. "She has spent the majority of her career as a setter, and will cross-train there while at WTAMU. We will be very strong at the defensive specialist position, and I anticipate Traci pushing everyone and making a strong push for some playing time."

The Lady Buffs ended the season 29-8, winning the Lone Star Conference title for the fifth-consecutive year, before losing to Rockhurst in the NCAA-II Southwest Regional Tournament, as WTAMU made it 10th-straight Regional appearance.

-WT-