Clark, Welsh, Wetterstrom Sign National Letters of Intent
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball program and head coach Mark Rosen have announced that high school seniors Tiffany Clark, MacKenzi Welsh and Sydney Wetterstrom have signed National Letters of Intent for the 2016-17 academic year.
Clark, a 5-11 libero from Naperville, Illinois, is a senior this year at Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois. A three-year varsity letterwinner, Clark led her team to an IHSA State Championship runner-up finish during her sophomore season. As a junior, she guided her squad to the IHSA State Championship title, earning selections to the All-East Suburban Catholic Conference team and the All-Area Dupage County team. As a senior, Clark was the captain of the Benet Academy Varsity team and selected as the East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year. She was also named to the Benet Invite All-Tournament Team and the Autumnfest All-Tournament Team. In addition, Clark was named the Most Valuable Player at the St. Charles East Mizuno Cup and the Wheaton Classic during her senior seasons. The outside hitter concluded her senior year honors with an Under Armor All-America Second Team selection. During her tenure with Benet Academy, Clarke made the MaxPreps Player of the Year Watch List and was named to the Prep Volleyball Senior Aces List. Alongside her high school play, Clark also competed with the Sports Performance Volleyball Club, guiding her team to AAU Open National Championships in both 2013 and 2015 and was the starting libero for the Junior National Team. During those championships runs, Clarke was also an Open National Championship All-America selection.
"We're really excited about the addition of Tiffany Clark to our 2016 class," said Rosen. "She's an elite-level libero, and I think out there in the country there are a lot of liberos, but the elite liberos that can change the game and change your opponents tactics is a small number -- and Tiffany is that kind of player. She's a strong ball-control player and her serve-receive first-ball contact is great; she's also a relentless defender. She's one of those girls who will put her body out there and dive all over the place and make those huge-effort plays. She's a good server as well, and she comes from a great background with her club team, Sports Performance, and the USA youth national team. All of those things that she is bringing in are what I could consider 'elite' for her position, so we're very excited to have her join this class."
Welsh, a 6-1 setter and a native of Bolingbrook, Illinois, currently attends Plainfield East High School in Plainfield, Illinois, and plays club volleyball for Sports Performance. She is a four-year varsity letterwinner and four-year captain, guiding Plainfield East to three straight IHSA Regional berths. She has played in all 107 matches as a setter, is a three-time Voyager Media All-Area Team selection and a three-time Herald News All-Area Team honoree. Welsh is also a four-time Southwest Prairie All-Conference Team selection and was named to the Prep Volleyball 100 Aces list this year. As a junior, Welsh was named to the Volleyball Magazine 25 Underclassmen to Watch list and earned All-State Special Mention during her sophomore and junior seasons. Additionally, Welsh was a Prep Volleyball National Freshman of the Year finalist and was a Sophomore Elite Honorable Mention and a Top 50 Junior. Following her senior season, Welsh was also selected to the Under Armor All-America Second Team. Through her club participation, Welsh helped propel her teams to AAU National Championships in both 2013 and 2015, earning individual honors as an 15 Open All-American and an 18 Premier All-Star. Finally, she was an HP USA A1 team selection in both 2014 and 2015.
"MacKenzi Welsh is arguably one of the best setters in the country in her class; she is incredibly talented," said Rosen. "She plays for Sports Performance Volleyball Club, which is known for being one of the best setter training clubs in the country, so she's got that experience, and she's played at a really high level for them. But on top of that, she's a very physical athlete -- she touches 10-2, and she's just 6-1. She's really strong, and she's got a real physical presence, which I feel makes her really unique, because she's a great tactical and technical setter, but then she's also a really good physical blocker and a really good attacker. She just brings a lot to the table -- but beyond her physical attributes, I think one of her best things is her intangibles. We've really found her to be an incredible competitor. When she is presented with a challenge, she steps up."
Wetterstrom, a 6-1 outside hitter from Longmont, Colorado, is a senior this year at Longmont High School and plays club volleyball with Norco. She is a four-year varsity volleyball letterwinner at Longmont, guiding her team to City and Regional Championships during both 2012 and 2013. In addition, Wetterstrom led Longmont to a fifth-place finish in the state tournament during her freshman and sophomore seasons. As a junior, she was ranked 32nd in Prep Volleyball's Top 100 Recruits list and was also named to the All-Northern Conference Second Team after serving as her team's captain. Wetterstrom also competes with the track and basketball teams at Longmont High School, earning numerous accolades in both efforts. She is a member of the National Honor Society and her school's student council.
"Sydney Wetterstrom is going to be a really fun player to have in our program," Rosen said. "She's a really good athlete -- though she's not the biggest outside hitter you're going to find -- she's a great jumper, she's really athletic, and she has a great arm. She's somebody that I think could come in and be a really great impact as an outside hitter as she continues her career here. We think she's going to really be a great addition to this class, not only from a skill standpoint, but also as a heck of an athlete. Sydney is also a multi-sport athlete in high school, so she's somebody who is a well-rounded athlete. As she focuses more just solely on volleyball, we're going to see her really develop and take that next step."
Michigan is set to graduate five seniors in the spring.
Hot off victories over No. 14 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State, the Maize and Blue will hit the court again on Saturday (Nov. 21) when Michigan hosts No. 6 Nebraska at home in Crisler Center.
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn
