The York University Lions women’s volleyball team continues to grow for the upcoming 2010-2011 season with the addition of another five players to the squad.
Melissa Humaña-Paredes follows in the footsteps of her brother and father in choosing to come to York. Her brother, Felipe, has played for the Lions men’s team for the past two seasons and her father, Hernan, was a longtime coach of the women’s squad and was most recently an assistant with the men.
She comes to the Lions with an impressive volleyball resumé both inside and on the beach. A player for the Aurora Storm club team, Humaña-Paredes was a member of the squad that won the silver medal at the under-18 provincial championships, where she was also named an al
l-star. On the beach, she is the two-time defending national under-18 champion and will represent Canada at the under-19 world championships for the second time this summer.
"Melissa will provide the calm and steady confidence that we need in high-pressure situations," said Lions women’s volleyball head coach Nick Tran. "Her exposure to international competition will be an asset for our program as she can share some of her experiences with our very young team."
Brandie Wilkerson and Jessica Turalinski are another two highly touted recruits who will be counted on to help the Lions maintain their place as a top team in the Ontario University Athletics East Division.
Wilkerson was heavily recruited out of high school and chose York ahead of a number of National Collegiate Athletic Association institutions. As the captain of the volleyball team at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, she led the Mayfield Mavericks to a fourth-place finish at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships in her final year with the squad and was a nominee for the school senior athlete-of-the-year award. She also spent two seasons with the Peel Selects club team.
Turalinski joins the Lions after a successful four-year run on the senior volleyball team at Loyola Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga. A setter since the age of 13, she has won numerous major awards at the high school and club level, including rookie of the year and most valuable player. In addition to playing the sport, she coaches children at the Pakmen Volleyball Club in Mississauga.
Also joining the Lions’ strong recruiting class are Adriana Mojsiak and Jennifer Black, two student-athletes who are coming off successful seasons with their respective club volleyball teams. Mojsiak was a member of the Etobicoke Wildcats and Black last played for Forest City.
"The addition of these five players will help the Lions women’s volleyball program continue to grow," said Tran. "We continued building for the future with some very bright, strong and extremely athletic women who will help create a solid foundation for the team for the years to come."
The Lions women’s volleyball team will kick off the new season with a home game against the Brock University Badgers on Oct. 22, at 6pm at Tait McKenzie Centre. The game will be followed by a contest between the York Lions men’s team and the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks at 8pm.