Dec. 7, 2007

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton head coach Tim Horsmon announced the addition of three recruits to the volleyball program on Friday. The trio of Erinn Bickle, Anna Eytchison and Rachel Krabacher signed National Letters of Intent to join the Flyer roster in 2008.

"We believe this recruiting class is one of our strongest since our arrival at UD and has the ability to continue to move our program forward," Horsmon said. "We have a great mix of skilled players, size and athletes among this group. However, we are probably most pleased with the character of these players. We have such a great chemistry on this team and we feel this group will continue this trait."

Bickle, a 6-3 middle blocker from Whitby, Ontario, was selected to join the Canadian Junior National Development program last summer. She has been reported to have the ability to touch 9-11 by volleyballprospects.ca. Bickle also led her club team, Durham Attack, to the Bronze Medal at the 18U National Tournament last season.

"Erinn has the potential to be an outstanding player in our program," Horsmon said. "She jumps extremely well touching almost 10 feet and is a solid attacker out of the middle. We look forward to getting Erinn here and really refining her skills. Erinn is a great fit here and will give us great depth in the middle."

Eytchison, a 6-3 middle blocker from Columbia, IL, is expected to enroll at the University of Dayton beginning in January 2008 after leading Columbia High School to the Sectional Championship as a senior and a Second Place finish in the State as a sophomore. She was ranked No. 92 by PrepVolleyball.com's "Senior Aces: Top 100 Players of 2008". Eytchison also paced the St. Louis CYC squad to a third place finish at the 2007 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior Olympic Championships.

"Anna is really charismatic and plays with a great passion," Horsmon commented. "We are excited that Anna is coming this January and will get a real jumpstart on what needs to happen for her to help us next season including conditioning and skill development. Anna is extremely talented as both an attacker and blocker and will be looked at on the right side and middle positions."

Krabacher, a 6-3 middle blocker from Cincinnati, Ohio, is the all-time leader in kills at McAuley High School and led the team to the OHSAA Division I District Finals as a senior. She was a First Team All-State selection by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association as a senior after earning Honorable Mention honors as a junior. Bickle also plays club volleyball for Team Z and was ranked as one of the best recruits in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com.

"Rachel is a really talented volleyball player with the ability to play all three front row positions," Horsmon said. "Rachel has a great feel for how to score points and may be the most proficient attacker that we have recruited as an incoming freshman. At 6-3 with a great arm, she will be challenging for time as a freshman."

Dayton enjoyed its best season in program history in 2007 with a 33-2 overall record culminating with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Flyers were ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time ever and reached as high as 12th in the Poll at one point. UD won its fourth straight Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship and took home the Atlantic 10 Tournament Title for the fourth time in five years. The Flyers also hosted NCAA First and Second Round matches for the first time ever in front of sold out crowds at Frericks Center.