Sand Volleyball Inks Four During Early Signing Period
Nov 14, 2011 | Women's Beach Volleyball
Nov. 14, 2011
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University sand volleyball team made its first NCAA Early Signing Period a memorable one as Sophie Asprey, Courtney Liddle, Mackenzie Moore and Jackie Wegner signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Green Wave beginning in Spring 2013, head coach Amy Williamson announced on Monday.
While all four also star in the indoor game, Asprey (Southlake, Texas/Liberty Christian School), Liddle (Spring Hill, Fla./Nature Coast Technical HS), Moore (Arlington, Texas/Pantego Christian Academy) and Wegner (Clearwater, Fla./East Lake HS) each have earned invitations to the USA High Performance Olympic Camps during their sand careers. The quartet will enroll as true freshmen for the 2012-13 school year and will have their full allotment of eligibility.
"We're thrilled to be signing our first-ever sand volleyball class at Tulane," Williamson said. "(Assistant coach) Jaye Loyd did a great job of identifying talent and getting them on campus. We feel that we have identified four student-athletes that have been committed to sand volleyball for multiple years now and will be a driving force for this program."
Asprey is a four-year letterwinner at Liberty Christian for coaches Lisa Daver and Kimberley Weaver where she helped lead the Warriors to district titles in each of her final three seasons. She claimed second-team all-district and team Offensive MVP as a sophomore and junior and also played five years of indoor club, including the 2010 season when she helped the 900 Volleyball Club finish fifth in the National Division.
She also lettered four years in track and field where she qualified for the state meet each season, and earned varsity letters in basketball, soccer and cheerleading. In the outdoor game, Asprey played two seasons with the 692 Beach Volleyball Club. In her first sand season, medaled in 11 of 12 tournaments and was invited to the USA High Performance Olympic Camp in Hermosa Beach, Calif., and the USA High Performance Olympic Holiday Camp in Florida. She qualified for USA Beach Nationals in Chicago and posted second-place finishes a Co-Ed AA and Women's AA League tournaments as well.
 Courtney Liddle comes to New Orleans via Spring Hill, Fla., where she was All-North Suncoast Volleyball Player of the Year last year and placed fourth at the USA Volleyball Beach Higher Performance Camp in 2010.  | |
That season, Liddle tallied 569 kills (6.1 kpg), 342 digs (3.6 dpg) and 106 aces (1.1 apg) and helped lead her team to a district championship and the school's first ever Elite 8 playoff appearance. She was rated the No. 79 sophomore and the No. 59 freshman by Prep Volleyball. So far in 2011, Liddle has 402 kills, 284 digs and 115 aces and has her team in the regional playoffs.
She also played for Team Florida USAV Indoor High Performance in 2008, 2009 and 2011. On the sand scene, Liddle finished fourth at the USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Camp in 2010. She played for the Pinellas Heat Elite Volleyball Club and finished second in the U16 Open at AAU Nationals.
 Mackenzie Moore is a four-year letterwinner at Pantego Christian School where she earned first-team all-state and all-district honors the last two seasons, and played five years with the 692 Beach Club. | |
She was a teammate of Asprey on the 692 Beach Club, where she has now played five years, and was invited to the USA Holiday High Performance Camp each of the last three years. In 2011, she played in a pro-am tournament in Hermosa Beach, Calif., finishing third while teaming with Ashley Ivy, finished runner-up at the U19 at the Dig Beach National Invitational Beach Championship, came in third in the U19 AAU Beach National Qualifier and fourth in the U19 USA Junior Beach Championship Tournament.
In 2010, Moore was one of 10 girls from across the country to represent the USA in the USA/Russia Presidents Bilateral Athlete Exchange where she traveled to Russia to train with players and coaches from both countries, including Olympic Gold medalist Misty May-Treanor. She finished third in the U17 High Performance Tournament and fourth in the U17 AAU Beach Volleyball Junior Olympics.
Wegner, meanwhile, is a four-year letterwinner at East Lake High for coaches Terry Small and Mike Estes where she helped lead the Eagles to three straight district titles, two straight county championships and a state title as a junior in 2010. So far this season, she has helped guide ELHS to an 18-1 record and the No. 13spot on MaxPreps.com's Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings.
She earned All-County All-Star honors as a junior and senior, was honorable-mention All-Suncoast as a junior, honorable-mention all-county as a sophomore and freshman, and claimed Rookie of the Year recognition in 2008. Wegner played club volleyball for Terry Small, participating in the Northeast Qualifier 17 National Champions, and Junior Nationals 17 National Division in 2011, and in the Big South Qualifier 15 Club Champions and Junior Olympics 15 Open Division.
In sand volleyball action, she joined Moore in the USA/Russian Presidents Bileteral Athlete Exchange in 2010 and finished third in the 2009 AAU Olympics.
