BROOKLYN, N.Y. - LIU Brooklyn volleyball coach Ken Ko has announced that six athletes will join the Blackbird family this August, as a part of the 2016-17 LIU volleyball team. Filippa Hansson, Amanda Hubbard, Katharina Krepper, Alexandra Lilliquist, Emily Magee and Natalia Rivera will join the Blackbirds when the team reports to preseason this week.
"We are excited to welcome six new players to our volleyball family. Amanda, Alex, Emily, Filippa, Kathi and Natalia bring the experience, ability, personality, and the global diversity to compliment and better our team," Ko said. "This is a team that won a regular season championship in 2015 and has the highest volleyball team GPA in the Northeast Conference. The bar is certainly set high. This combination of old and new players definitely has the potential to meet the same expectation of excellence. My staff and I look forward to the daily challenge of helping them stay focused on the process and to become the best version of themselves. It is a great time of the year and we are excited to get to work."
Hansson joins the Blackbirds from Sweden. A 6'2" middle, Hansson has played for Svedala Volley for most of her career, and has extensive international playing experience. She served as Sweden's u17 National Team captain in 2013, and has won medals as part of a team at multiple international competitions, including the Swedish Youth Championships, the Grand Prix, the European Youth Championships and the NEVZA Tournament.
Hubbard, a San Francisco native, is a 5'10" setter. A three-time team captain at Saint Francis High School, she also played for a City Beach club team that finished third at AAU Nationals Open and qualified for Junior Nationals.
Krepper comes to downtown Brooklyn by way of Austria. A 6'1" blocker, Krepper has been to the Austrian Championship six times with two different teams, and was a U18 Austrian beach volleyball champion. A member of the youth national team at the MEVZA tournament in 2014, she also was one of the top blockers at the U19 European championships this year.
Magee is a 5'8" defensive specialist from Jacksonville, Fla., where she played for the Mandarin Mustangs. A three-time team captain, Magee was a four-time All-Conference first team selection, a two-time team MVP and the winner of the Coaches' Award in her senior season. She was also a member of the JJVA National team, and was awarded Mandarin High School's sportsmanship award.
Lilliquist, a junior transfer from Indian River State College, is a 5'10 outside hitter who began her collegiate career at Florida International. In her sophomore season at Indian River State, she was named an NJCAA First Team All-American, as well as the 2015 Southern Conference Player of the Year, and was selected to both the FCSAA All-State Team and the FCSAA All-Tournament Team. She ranked eighth in the nation in the NJCAA with a 3.88 kills per set average, and ranked in the top 40 in total kills (434) and hitting percentage (.312).
Rivera is a 5'4" libero from Puerto Rico. A six-time All-Star team selection at various tournaments, she was also a member of the 2014 USAV Open Girl's Junior National Championship Team, and played for the High Performance Puerto Rico volleyball team.
The Blackbirds open the 2016 season Friday, August 28 at the Boston College Invitational in Chestnut Hill, Mass.