SOCIAL MEDIA: BeachVB on Twitter | BeachVB on Facebook | BeachVB on Instagram
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- UCLA head women's beach volleyball coach Stein Metzger announced the signing of Abby Van Winkle (San Clemente, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Lindsey Sparks (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS), Piper Monk-Heidrich (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) and Jaden Whitmarsh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) to National Letters of Intent. The quartet will enter UCLA in the fall of 2018 as freshmen and will become members of the 2019 women's beach volleyball team.
"We are excited to have, in my opinion, the strongest recruiting class in the country," Metzger said. "It is balanced, in the traditional sense, with two pure blockers and two defenders. They will be an excellent fit for our program in terms of skill, athleticism, partnership qualities and academic achievement. I expect all four of these student-athletes to have an immediate impact in our program."
Van Winkle, a 6-foot-2 product at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, is a four-year letterwinner as an outside hitter on the indoor team. She and the Eagles won three straight Trinity League Championships (2014-16) and she was named to the 2016 Trinity All-League team as SMCHS finished as CIF Champions. The Eagles also won the 2017 CIF Division I state championship after sweeping James Logan HS, 25-19, 25-12, 25-13 to finish 34-9 on the year. While competing for the LA Beach club team, she has taken first place in Los Angeles ICG, first place in club championship LA Beach and won the AAU Triple Crown. She also has first-place finishes in AAU, CBVA, JBVL and USA National Tournaments and has a rating of AAA. Additionally, she has one first- and two second-place finishes in AVP first national tournaments. Her mother, Laurie Van Winkle, played volleyball at UCLA.
"At 6-foot-2, Abby has the rare combination of height, hand-eye coordination and skill," Metzger said. "She controls the ball well and takes good space while blocking at the net. Bruin defenders will find it nice to play defense behind her block and hit her consistent transition sets."
Sparks, a 5-foot-9 product at Edison High School, is a four-year letterwinner on the indoor team. She has played three positions for the Chargers, beginning her career as an opposite for the first two years and then as a setter her junior season. Last year, she was moved to outside hitter to fill a vacancy for head coach Matt Skolnik. In 2016, she led the Chargers to the CIF Division I state championship, defeating Menlo-Atherton, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 to end the year with a title and an overall record of 36-8. She has plenty of friends and teammates to look forward to at UCLA as she has played beach volleyball with current Bruin, Cami Sanchez, since she was eight and another Bruin freshman, Hannah Phair, was on her indoor teams at Edison HS. Additionally, she won the triple crown in beach volleyball (Best of the Beach, AAU Nationals and AAU Junior Olympics) with Van Winkle.
"Lindsey is a gifted defender who plays the game with an ease and enjoyment that is rare," Metzger said. "She will be a positive influence on the program in terms of her on-court abilities and her passion for the game."
Monk-Heidrich, a 6-foot product at Mira Costa High School, is a four-year letterwinner in beach volleyball and earned one as a middle blocker on the indoor team. She was also on the three's team her freshman year for the IBVL Championships and was on the one's team her sophomore and junior seasons for IBVL Championships. Placed first during her sophomore season in the IBVL Pairs Tournament. She competed for Elite Beach Volleyball, winning the BVCA in 2017 and has been a part of High Performance for beach volleyball for five years. She lists making it to the third round of the Hermosa Beach AVP qualifier this past summer as her greatest athlete thrill to date.
"Piper's versatility, experience and size will allow her to transition quickly to the collegiate level," Metzger said. "She can play effectively as a blocker or defender and her height and strength will give her the physicality to compete right away for a starting spot."
Whitmarsh, a 5-8 product at Torrey Pines High School, is a four-year letterwinner in volleyball. She is a first team All-American, All-CIF and All-League player and won the Best All-Around Player award in 2016 from TPHS. She registered 268 kills in 2016 and improved that total to 339 in 2017 as the Falcons fell in five sets to Mater Dei in the CIF semifinals in 2017. A finalist for the California Player of the Year, Whitmarsh led Torrey Pines to a 34-4 record as a senior, finishing her final prep season with team highs in kills (3.6 kills per set) and digs (2.7 dps). She also served for 193 points. She competed for Wave Volleyball Club was on the USA A1 team for five years and placed first at the AAU Junior Olympics in 2015.
"Jaden is a pure defender who's speed in the back court is unmatched at the junior level," Metzger said. "She's an incredible defender and will create some incredibly dynamic plays that Bruin fans will enjoy."