Lamar Volleyball Signs Two :: Destiny Mason and Heather Merfeld sign with Lady Cardinals

Nov. 21, 2006

BEAUMONT, Texas - Outside hitter Destiny Mason of Baytown Sterling High School and middle blocker Heather Merfeld of Neenah High School in Oshkosh, Wisc., have signed national letters-of-intent to continue their education and play volleyball at Lamar University, announced Head Coach Justin Gibert.

Mason is a four time letter winner from Sterling High, where she was named the 2005 most valuable player and the 2003 newcomer of the year. In addition to playing for Sterling, Mason plays USA Volleyball for Club Texas and was selected for high performance team in 2005.

"Destiny is a very athletic outside that brings a new dimension to our team with her floor quickness and jumping ability," Gibert said. "She'll give a new look and really expand our capabilities. She has a high level of experience and we expect her to contribute early in her career."

Merfeld is a two time letter winner for Neenah High, where she helped her team to a third place finish at the state tournament in 2005. She led her team in blocks in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons and was named honorable mention all conference for the 2006 season. In addition to playing for Neenah, Merfeld is a member of the Milwaukee Sting club team.

"Heather is a middle that brings the height that we need on this team," Gibert said. "She is just starting to mature in the game and has a tremendous amount of upside. She's going to be a great presence both blocking and offensively. She is very vocal and has a history of leadership on her teams and we look forward to her making an impact on and off the court."

Mason and Merfeld will join a Lamar team that finished second in the Southland Conference East division and earned the sixth seed in the SLC tournament. The Lady Cardinals lost just one player from the 2006 team with senior Buchi Okoh finishing her eligibility. The 2006 team was made up of one senior, two juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen.