April 11, 2007

Head coach Liz Kritza welcomed two players to the Tulane volleyball program on signing day, receiving National Letters of Intent from Amaris Genemaras and Lindsey Shepard.

Genemaris, a 5-11 outside hitter from Mount Carmel Academy in the New Orleans area, was a 2004 AAU All-American and All-State performer. She helped Mount Carmel to the Division I Class 5A state championship, earning MVP honors.

Off the court, she was a member of the Academic All-State Team, and a nominee for 2007 Louisiana Student of the Year. She also was a member of the track & field team and was a district champion in the long jump and triple jump.

"Welcoming Amaris Genemaris to the Tulane Volleyball program today is easy because she is a hard working, disciplined student-athlete who excels in whatever challenges she tackles," Kritza said. "Her development as a college volleyball player will be exciting because she is a strong athlete, jumps well, and already is very aggressive defensively. Most importantly she demonstrates the desire to improve every day, which will pay big dividends for her and this program."

Shepard is a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter from Albuquerque, NM, where she was the Senior Volleyball Student Athlete of the Year (for all divisions) and an All-Metro selection for Albuquerque Academy. She was also named The Albuquerque Tribune's 2006 Female Athlete of the Year

Like Genemaris, Shepard also competed in track & field, as she was the state champion in the 300-meter hurdles and the high jump.

Shepard has Junior Olympic experience with the Albuquerque Juniors Club and was an AP Scholar, National Merit Scholar-Commended honoree off the court.

"Lindsey is a very hard worker and is very serious about improving as a volleyball player," Kritza said. "She has experienced a good deal success as a multi-sport athlete. By focusing her efforts on a single sport, she will be able to use her athletic ability to excel will a full complement of volleyball skills."

"Adding Lindsey to this program provides us with some nice options in both the middle blocker and outside hitter positions. Lindsey is just hitting her upswing as far as her development as a volleyball player is concerned, because she is such a diligent worker both on the court and in the classroom, she has all the makings for a very successful collegiate career in a Green Wave jersey."

These two newcomers will join four returning All-Conference USA selections for the Green Wave next season. Tulane, 15-12 last season, returns Sara Radosevic (Tulane's first back-to-back AVCA All-America) as a junior as well as Conference USA Freshman of the Year Ksenija Vlaskovic and All-Conference USA Second Team members Jen Linder and Jenn Miller. The Wave return 10 total players and add transfer Stephanie Stromath for next season.