Nov. 19, 2007

EL PASO, Texas - Cassandra Burruel and Kelsey Moore of Arizona and Bridget Logan, a Washington native, have signed national letters of intent to play volleyball announced UTEP head coach Ken Murphy on Monday.

"This is a special group of student athletes," Murphy said. "We are fortunate that they have decided to join our program next fall."

A 6-1 middle blocker from Phoenix, Ariz., Burruel led Sunnyslope High School to a third-place finish at the Arizona state championships in 2007. She helped the Vikings to a flawless 10-0 record to finish 35-4 overall.

"Cassandra is a great fit for us as a middle hitter because she is very active and athletic," said Murphy. "She is a great competitor who wants the ball in important situations and makes many intelligent decisions on the court."

Burruel ended her 2007 campaign rated first in the Western Sky League in total blocks, averaging 4.2 per game, fourth in kills and fifth in aces. She was named first team all-region in 2007 and earned second team accolades in 2006. Burruel led the Vikings to three consecutive state appearances, including the 2006 4A-II state title with a 41-0 finish.

For her achievements in the classroom, Burruel was name a Western Sky Region 4A conference scholar athlete and was a member of the National Honors Society. She played club for the Arizona Juniors.

Murphy said, "She already has many of the tools needed to compete at our level and I see her becoming a player who will make a huge impact on the success of our team."

Moore, a 6-2 middle from Chandler, Ariz., led Valley Christian High School to a 2007 32-12 record and a share of the 2A Central League title after an 11-1 finish. She was named to the 2007 All-Central league team, All-Metro and all-state. Moore ended her senior campaign rated fourth in the league in blocks (.70) and aces (.40) and fifth in kills averaging 1.3 per game with an efficiency of .547.

"Kelsey is an extremely talented athlete who fits all of the criteria we are looking for in a middle hitter," Murphy said. "She has great foot speed, jumps explosively, and plays high above the net."

She came to Arizona after playing her sophomore season at Savannah Christian Preparatory School in Savannah Ga., where she helped SCP to the Georgia state championships. She was named Greater Savannah Area first team, all-region and Offensive Player of the Year at SCP in 2005.

Moore played her club for the Arizona Juniors where she helped them to an 18th-place showing at the National Junior Olympics tournament. She was named a scholar athlete by the Arizona Interscholastic Association for her efforts in the classroom.

"The exciting thing about Kelsey is that she will be an even better athlete in the coming years. Right now her strength is blocking but she has all the tools necessary to be an offensive force for us very soon."

A 6-0 outside hitter from Seattle, Wash., Logan led Bishop Blanchet High School to a third-place finish at the 2007 3A volleyball state finals.

She earned first team South Puget Sound All-League in 2005 and 2006 and second team all-state honors (2006) after leading the Braves to the Washington state championship. In 2005, she was named Prepvolleyball.com honorable mention after helping BBHS to Metro League champions.

"Bridget brings several very important things to our program," said Murphy. "First, she is a very skilled, all-around player who could compete for playing time on our team in a number of positions. In addition, she has played at a high level for a long time so she has the maturity to compete for playing time right away. Even more importantly, Bridget is a passionate volleyball player whose leadership style makes everyone around her better."

Logan played club for KJVBC-18 Baden. They took fifth in the American Division at the National Junior Olympics tournament in 2006. She boasts a 3.6 GPA, earning her the BBHS Merit leaders Scholarship from 2004-06.

The Miners concluded their 2007 season with a 9-20 overall record, 3-13 in league play. Look for Logan, Moore and Burruel to help lift the Miners during the 2008 season.

"In addition to their physical talents, they are all intelligent competitors with a great urgency to improve as volleyball players. I think they fit very well with the things that we are trying to get done here at UTEP and I'm excited about the roles that each one of them will take in the growth of our program."