Buckingham Wraps Up Early Signing Period for Michigan
11/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Buckingham, a 6-1 middle blocker, is a former teammate of current Wolverine freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS). The pair led Center Grove High School to the Indiana Class 4A championship in 2000 and earned all-state first team honors.
Buckingham was named as one of 50 preseason All-Americans by Student Sports Inc. and recorded 198 kills in 47 games for an average of 4.2 kills per game prior to tearing her anterior cruciate ligament on Sept. 28. She led the Trojans with 32 solo blocks despite playing in only half of the team's matches. Buckingham also helped the Circle City Volleyball Club to a second-place finish at the 2001 USA Junior Olympic volleyball championships.
Last season in basketball, she led the Trojans with an average of 12.9 points per game and was named a Junior All-Star. She was a preseason all-state candidate in basketball prior to her injury in the fall but has joined the Center Grove swimming team instead.
Buckingham is also active off the court. In addition to being an honors student, she is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society.
Buckingham will join Cobler, a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter who earned Michigan all-state honors by helping her team to a third-place finish at the 2001 state championships, and Rybacki, a 6-0 setter who led her high school team to a 36-5 record and a spot in the Illinois state quarterfinals this season, on the court for the Wolverines in the fall of 2002.
Michigan is currently 12-13 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines close out the regular season with home matches this weekend against Indiana (Nov. 23) and No. 21 Illinois (Nov. 24). Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena.
Quotes from Head Coach Mark Rosen
"Ashley brings in tremendous experience. She has played for one of the top high school programs in the country and one of the top club programs in the country. She has competed for a national championship when her club team took second in the nation last year.
"She is extremely athletic. She's very fast and very strong. She also has very a competitive mentality. She is a great competitor.
"With her and Jennifer (Gandolph) having played together, it will be fun to have them on the court for three years. That will be a good experience for them and our team."
U-M Inks Cobler, Rybacki to Start Early Signing Period (11/14/01)
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
