Nov. 20, 2013
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State Head Volleyball Coach Deitre Collins-Parker has announced the signing of three athletes to National Letters of Intent. The trio, which includes a pair of Under Armour All-Americans, will join the program as freshmen for the 2014 campaign.
Courtney Eckenrode is a 5-9 setter from The Woodlands, Texas, where she attends The Woodlands High School. As a senior she was named to the Under Armour All-America second team and also earned first-team All-Texas honors while helping her team to a No. 1 national ranking. She has also been recognized as a Lone Star Volleyball Senior Ace and is a three-time all-District honoree (with 2013 honors yet to be announced). This season Eckenrode is averaging 9.7 assists and 3.1 digs per set while leading the Highlanders to the Region II-5A championship final to be played on Friday, Nov. 22.
"Courtney is a talented setter that we are very fortunate to have joining our program" commented Collins-Parker. "She will come in and compete for the setting duties next fall. Courtney is currently the starting setter for her high school team which at this point is undefeated and playing this weekend for the regional championship. She is a proven winner and will be a big asset to the Aztec program."
Deja Harris (6-2, middle blocker) was a four-year varsity starter at Calvary Chapel High School in Las Vegas where she led her team to the 2013 3A state championship semifinals, setting the Nevada record for most kills in a match with 43. As a senior she averaged 5.1 kills per set. A 2013-14 Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American, she is a three-time all-state honoree and has been named to the list of PrepVolleyball Top 100 Senior Aces. Harris also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore, earning all-league accolades in her second season.
"Deja will be one of the best pure athletes we will have had in the past few years," noted the Aztec head coach. "She was recruited by many top Pac 10 schools and we are fortunate she chose San Diego State. Deja has a big future in volleyball and will be a major impact player in this program."
The third signee is 6-4 middle blocker Jensen Cunningham from Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. A three-year varsity starter, she led the Huskies with a .399 hitting percentage and a .513 kill percentage along with 22 solo blocks this season while leading her team to the Arizona Division I state semifinals. She was a first-team all-state selection in 2012 after earning honorable mention accolades the previous season. Cunningham was also been named a PrepVolleyball High School All-American High Honorable Mention and is on the list of the PrepVolleyball Top 250 Senior Aces.
"I have been following Jensen's growth as a volleyball player for the past three years and she is one of the most competitive athletes I have recruited to San Diego State," commented Collins-Parker. "I am excited to add her strength, height and competitiveness (not to mention outstanding volleyball skills) to the current group of student athletes we have here in our program. She is a strong-willed athlete that I thoroughly expect to be a future leader in our program.
"I'm very excited to add these three nationally recognized student athletes to our program. They are a highly touted group of young women that come from successful high school and club teams. The three of them will be a dynamic group of volleyball players who are also great students. They make the future very bright for the Aztec volleyball program."
San Diego State is winding down its 2013 campaign with its final two home matches of the regular season this week as it hosts Boise State Thursday evening and Utah State Saturday afternoon. The Aztecs will conclude their 2013 campaign with contests at Colorado State and Wyoming next week.