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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad June 1 , 2006 MOLLY GROSSMAN Former Grizzly Grossman returns to Ashland Setter one of four new SOU volleyball recruits By Rich Rosenthal For the Tidings Southern Oregon University volleyball coach Paul Elliott on Wednesday announced the addition of four all-star recruits who augment the already strong Raider program. The newest Raiders are former Ashland High setter Molly Grossman, West Salem High setter Elyse Stoller, Montana state blocks leader Kristina Ylinen of Kalispell, and outside hitter Megan Zurawski of Tacoma, Wash. Grossman, a 5-foot-8 junior transfer, spent the 2003 and ’04 seasons at Palomar Community College in San Diego, where she earned Pacific Coast Conference all-star honors and was a key player on the 2003 league championship team. At Ashland High, the two-year Southern Oregon Conference all-star was the school’s 2001-02 Valedictorian. Grossman capped her illustrious Grizzly career by earning third-team Class 4A all-state accolades and helping the squad place fifth at the 2001 state tournament. Stoller received honorable mention all-state billing last season after leading West Salem to a sixth-place state tournament finish. The 5-foot-9 three-year Valley League star floor general was a two-year team captain and team MVP and an OSAA academic award winner. The first Titan volleyballer ever to sign a college letter-of-intent, Stoller also earned all-league honors the past three years as a member of the basketball team. Elliott said Grossman and Stoller will compete for a starting role at the setter position due to the graduation of regional all-star Jamie McCreary. “Molly is a natural leader who brings a lot of maturity and an excellent grasp of the technical aspects of the game to our program,” Elliott said. “Elyse is tall, athletic and she puts up a big block. We are very fortunate and excited to have them both.” Ylinen (pronounced ‘E-linen’), a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, averaged 1.6 blocks per game and compiled a .272 attack efficiency while helping Kalispell High to a third-place finish at the 2005 Montana state tournament. The volleyball and basketball standout and aspiring veterinarian is a five-time academic all-state honoree. “Kristina is a gifted blocker,” Elliott said, “which is a hard-to-find attribute for an incoming freshman. She will certainly be a formidable presence in the middle.” The 5-foot-10 Zurawski (pronounced ‘Zoo-raw-skee’) received Narrows Bay Division all-star kudos as a junior and senior at Stadium High in Tacoma. The two-year team MVP also earned academic honors throughout her prep career. “Megan attended our (SOU’s) summer camp last year and I was very impressed by her all-around volleyball skills,” Elliott said. “She’ll have an opportunity to help us on the outside right away.” Three-time defending Cascade Conference champion Southern Oregon returns seven players from last year’s 26-6 team that ranked as high as No. 8 in the NAIA polls. Elliott, who is embarking on his 16th year at the Raider helm, said he expects to sign as many as nine new players to letters of intent before the end of the academic year. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.