SAN DIEGO – San Diego State volleyball head coach Brent Hilliard rounded out his heralded 2022 recruiting class with the addition of former prep standouts Ellie Geoghegan (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Sarena Gonzalez (Temecula, Calif.).
Geoghegan is a 5-8 libero who completed her stellar prep career at Mira Costa High School, while Gonzalez is a 5-8 setter who recently graduated from Temecula Valley High. Both players will join the Aztecs in time for the upcoming fall season campaign.
In 2021, Geoghegan was named the Bay League Division I Libero of the Year and garnered first-team all-conference accolades after helping the Mustangs to a 28-9 record, highlighted by a league championship and a regional semifinal berth in the CIF Open Division state tournament.
In addition, Geoghegan collected first-team all-area honors by the Daily Breeze, as Mira Costa finished the year at No. 17 in the AVCA/USA Today Super 25 National High School rankings. As a senior, she averaged 4.5 digs per set (218 overall) and served up 17 aces, according to MaxPreps.
Not to be outdone, Geoghegan has enjoyed tremendous success as a club player with the Sunshine Volleyball program, winning a national title with her 17s age-group squad at the 2021 USA Girls Junior National Championships before taking home the crown at the 2022 Southern California 18s Qualifier.
"Ellie will be a welcome addition to our roster this fall," Hillard said. "She is an elite defender with a desire to be great and has competed with perhaps the best club team in the country for the past two years, playing a huge role with her ball control. By contributing to such an elite team, Ellie has brought her game to a level that is on par with some of the best liberos in the country. She will have the chance to see court time immediately as we will need her particular skill set moving forward."
Meanwhile, Gonzalez garnered all-Southwestern League accolades as a senior last season after helping Temecula Valley High advance to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs.
"Sarena is very unpredictable as a setter and this will take our offense to another level," Hilliard said. "She has the ability to run an extremely fast and diverse offense because she possesses the unique talent to set any direction no matter where she is located on the court. In addition, Sarena complements her setting prowess with an elite defensive ability and this combination will help us immediately as we look to change the identity of our volleyball program."
San Diego State's 2022 recruiting class was ranked just outside the Prep Volleyball Top 30, landing on the cusp of the magazine's list in the 35th spot. Earlier, the Aztecs signed AVCA High School All-Americans Madison Corf and Kat Cooper along with former prep stars Cara Braun and McKenna Douglas.
SDSU was the only Mountain West school to appear in the Prep Volleyball 2022 recruiting class rankings released last November.
The Scarlet and Black also announced the signing of two Division I transfers last spring in middle blocker Elly Schraeder (USD) and opposite hitter Kayla Rivera (Georgia).
The Aztecs open their fall season Aug. 26-27, when they play host to California, Army West Point and UCSD in the San Diego State Invitational.