May 6, 2008
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Two more outstanding volleyball players will join the LMU volleyball program in 2008, it was announced by Head Coach Steve Stratos on Tuesday. Diana Hiromoto (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Christa Scholtz (Austin, Texas) will each take the court for LMU during the 2008 campaign.
Hiromoto and Scholtz will join a strong recruiting class inked earlier in the season by LMU volleyball. That class, made up of Alaina Bergsma (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian HS), Emily Cheek (Sequin, Tex./Sequin HS), Ariana Covington (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS), Lauren DeGrandmont (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS), Jasmine Rankins (Vista, Calif./Vista HS) and Alesha Young (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), is considered by Stratos to be "potentially one of the finest recruiting classes [LMU] has ever had."
Hiromoto, a 2007 All-State Honorable Mention selection and member of the Oahu Volleyball Club Team, was a four-year varsity letter winner for Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Excelling at both the libero and outside hitter positions in high school and at the club level, Hiromoto was invited to train with the USA Volleyball High Performance Youth National A2 Team and at the USA Volleyball Holiday Camp in 2007. As a freshman at Punahou, Hiromoto helped lead the Buff n' Blue to the Hawaii State Championship, followed by two more appearances in the Championship over the next three years. At the club level, her teams have made appearances at the Junior Olympic Championships in three of the last five years. Off the court, Hiromoto is a member of the National Honor Society.
"Diana is an exceptional player who will be used at the defensive specialist position here at LMU. Having also played at the net as an outside hitter, she brings a true understanding of the game to our program," Stratos said. "In addition, like many players from Hawaii, she has an extremely high volleyball IQ on the court, which will benefit our program greatly."
Scholtz, a 2007-08 AVCA Senior All-American, was a team captain for the Austin Juniors Club Team and three-year varsity letter winner at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Selected to the USA Volleyball/Lone Star High Performance Team, Scholtz was also part of the USA Volleyball European Global Challenge Team during the summer of 2007. Serving as the Westlake team captain and MVP in 2007, she guided her team to the championship match at the Duncanville Tournament of Champions, garnering All-Tournament at that tournament and at the 2007 Pearland Volleyball Classic. Off the court, she was named a semi-finalist for the 2006 Texas Christian Athlete of the Year, a finalist for the same award in 2007, earned an Academic Achievement Award and garnered Academic All-District honors in her sophomore, junior and senior years.
"Like Diana, Christa has played both at the libero and outside hitter positions, but will used primary as a defensive specialist at LMU," Stratos said. "Being 5'9", Christa provides a big advantage at the defensive specialist position, as taller liberos are typically able to play more balls from the back row that are deflected high off the block at the net than shorter defensive specialists."
LMU will hold its Annual Alumni Game on August 23 at 7 p.m. to open the 2008 season.
