March 18, 2010

RedStorm volleyball adds Martin

Rio Grande --- University of Rio Grande head volleyball coach Billina Donaldson continues to reshape her program during this off-season. The latest signing is a player that she is very familiar with in Jackson High School's Kelsey Martin.

In signing with Rio Grande, Martin is following in the footsteps of her two older sisters (Jessica Veach and Jennilyn Martin), who both played for Rio Grande under former coach Patsy Fields. Martin admits that she is very familiar with Rio Grande because of her sisters having played and attended there. "I knew a lot about Rio because my two older sisters played at Rio," she said. 

Martin, a 5'7" setter, was the Most Valuable Player for Jackson this past season as she earned Player of the Year honors along with All-SEOAL accolades. 

"I am very excited to play especially since I have played with some of the girls during club season," Martin said.

Martin played for Donaldson in the first two years of her high school career before Donaldson was hired at Rio Grande. "Billina was my high school coach so it was a very easy decision to continue my volleyball career at the University of Rio Grande," Martin said. 

Donaldson said that there is plenty to like about Martin. "Kelsey is just an athlete, whatever sport she's playing," she said. "As far as determination and a will to win, Kelsey's going to bring us to that level. We've been out of the winning circle so long down at Rio that we need to get people back in there that know how to win and want to win and I think that's going to be Kelsey's strongest contribution to our team is her will to win."

"I coached her two years at Jackson and as a young player she was doing things that I would like older players to do," Donaldson added. "So, I know coming in right away Kelsey's going to fit into to our offense really well."

Having played in Donaldson's system in high school, Martin believes that she will be able to handle playing that style at the college level. "I have been a setter for three years and I believe I can help bring a fast tempo game to Rio Grande," Martin said. 

Donaldson set out this off-season to equip her team with setters who have grown up in the position and she feels she has accomplished that feat. "I've not had a setter that I've recruited since I've been at Rio," Donaldson said. "I have a young lady who's been setting for me and doing a tremendous job that was never trained as a setter, so my goal this year was to go out and get a trained setter and I'm bringing in five girls and to start off, Kelsey would have been my number three girl and I wanted Kelsey to play some defense for me, but seeing Kelsey in the last couple of workouts, Kelsey is determined not to be number three, she'll be playing for us pretty quickly." 

Kelsey is the daughter of Jay and Pam Martin. She is currently undecided on a major.

Martin joins Caity and Cindy Willis of Athens High School, Jordan Nolan of Buckeye Valley High School and Kayla Landaker of River View Warsaw High School as the current members of the 2010 Rio Grande volleyball recruiting class. 

Rio Grande posted an 18-19 overall record in 2009 while finishing in third place in the Mid-South Conference with a 9-5 mark.