June 15, 2007

Stanford, Calif. - The Cardinal volleyball team's four-player recruiting class, headlined by outside hitter Alix Klineman, has been deemed the best in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. Stanford, the 2006 NCAA runner-up, also returns three All-Americans and ten letterwinners for the 2007 season.

Klineman, one of the most highly sought after recruits in the history of women's volleyball, carried her Mira Costa High School squad to a 37-1 record, the nation's No. 1 ranking, and the school's third straight California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championship this year. She was named the state tournament MVP for the second time in her career and followed with her second Gatorade State Player of the Year honor and the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award.

Also an experienced international player, Klineman led the 2006 U.S. Women's Junior National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Women's Junior Championship. She averaged a team-leading 4.88 points and 3.88 kills per game in the tournament and tallied 28 points with 22 kills, five blocks and an ace in a five-game win over the Dominican Republic in the championship match.

From Francis Parker High School in Poway, Calif., Cassidy Lichtman is a member of the Junior National Team and was named a PrepVolleyball All-American for the second-straight season this year. She was the San Diego County CIF Player of the?Year and earned Coastal League MVP honors for the third-straight season. A member of the San Diego Volleyball club team, Lichtman is a versatile player who can contribute at a variety of positions for the Cardinal.

Stephanie Browne, a Danville, Calif. native from Monte Vista High School, has been a USA Youth and Junior National Team member from 2004 to 2006 and was listed on the "Top 100 Senior Aces" by PrepVolleyball.com in 2006. She helped guide the U.S. Team to the 2004 NORCECA gold medal in Puerto Rico and guided her Vision squad to a fifth-place finish at the 2006 USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships.

Ailes, from Bellevue, Neb., was named the Nebraska Gatorade State Player of the Year after leading Bellevue West High School to its fourth straight Division I state title, overwhelming opponents with 476 kills, 458 digs, 61 service aces and 25 blocks on the season.