April 14, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Virginia's volleyball recruiting class for the 2000 season has been ranked as the sixth best class by Volleyball Magazine. In addition to the recruiting class ranking, one of UVa's recruits has been selected to Volleyball Magazine's Fab 50 list.

The recruiting class ranking is the highest ever for Virginia. The ranking does not include the Cavaliers' fifth signee, who committed to UVa in the late signing period. Three of Virginia's recruits were also named to All-Stater Magazine's Super 75 list.

USC's recruiting class is ranked first by Volleyball Magazine, followed by Pacific, Stanford, Baylor, Hawaii and Virginia. The top 10 is rounded out by Pepperdine, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Michigan State.

Virginia, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton, finished the 1999 season with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers earned their second consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1999, but fell to Arizona 3-0 in the first round on December 2, in Austin, Texas.