Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Adds Four to Incoming Recruiting Class
4/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 9, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team has added four players to its incoming recruiting class, head coach Heather Kahl Holmes announced on Wednesday. The four signees give the Demon Deacons six recruits for the class of 2012.
Kadija Fornah (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Cambrey Oehler (Houston, Texas), Maggie Hoey (Marietta, Ga.) and Mary-Katherine Taylor (Booneville, N.C.) officially committed to join the Deacon volleyball family on Wednesday.
"We are extremely excited to have these four student-athletes join our program," said Kahl Holmes. "They all posses the essential qualities we look for in our student-athletes -- a commitment to excellence on and off the court and the respect and understanding of balancing academics, athletics and work in the community."
The four join Wake Forest's two recruits who inked letters of intent during the early signing period in the fall. Carlin Salmon (Wildwood, Mo.) and Maddie Vain (St. Louis, Mo.) committed to Wake Forest in November.
Kadija Fornah
6-0, Outside Hitter
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Suncoast High School
Boomers Volleyball Club
Fornah is a 6-0 outside hitter from West Palm Beach, Fla. She played at Suncoast High School and was a member of the Boomers Volleyball Club.
As a sophomore in 2005, Fornah helped Suncoast to the Florida state championship. Last season, Fornah was a second team all-state selection. She was also a team captain and was named first team All-Palm Beach County. Fornah was a nominee for the Palm Beach County Player of the Year Award. In 2006, she earned second team All-Palm Beach County honors.
Off the court, Fornah was a National Achievement Scholar for 2007-08. She was a member of the International Baccalaureate Program from 2004-08 and a Pathfinder nominee in 2008.
"We are thrilled to have Kadija joining us next season," said Kahl Holmes. "She is an amazing athlete with unlimited potential to do great things at Wake Forest and in the ACC. She has the talent to develop into one of the best outsides in the conference. We will look for her to immediately compete for one of the outside positions."
Cambrey Oehler
5-11, Outside Hitter
Houston, Texas
Cy-Fair High School
Texas Tornadoes Volleyball Club
Oehler is a 5-11 outside hitter from Houston, Texas. She played at Cy-Fair High School and was a member of the Texas Tornadoes Volleyball Club, coached by four-time Olympic champion Tara Cross-Battle.
Oehler led Cy-Fair to the 2007 Texas Class 5A State Semifinals. The Bobcats finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. Oehler was named to the All-Greater Houston Volleyball Team and was a Texas Girls Coaches Association Academic All-State honoree. She was selected to the all-district team in 2006 and 2007 and was the 2006 District Newcomer of the Year.
On the club level, Oehler helped the Texas Tornadoes claim the bronze medal at the 2007 Junior Olympics 17 National Division. Her team also won the Lone Star Regionals that year. Oehler was named to the Lone Star Region High Performance Team in 2006.
Off the court, Oehler is a member of the National Honor Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Spanish National Honor Society and the Cy-Fair ISD Scholar's Program.
"Cambrey comes to Wake Forest with a very successful background, playing at Cy-Fair High School and one of the most well-respected club teams, the Texas Tornadoes," said Kahl Holmes. Cambrey has a great feel for the game and plays with such ease and discipline. She is an explosive outside hitter who will be able to compete for a starting spot."
Maggie Hoey
5-9, Setter
Marietta, Ga.
Pope High School
A5 Volleyball Club
Hoey is a 5-9 setter from Marietta, Ga. She played at Pope High School and was a member of the A5 Volleyball Club.
Hoey was a team captain and four-year starter in a highly-decorated career at Pope High School. She was a two-time all-state selection (2006, 2007) and was a three-time first team all-county honoree (2005, 2006, 2007). Hoey was also named second team All-Cobb County as a freshman in 2004 and was team MVP in 2005 and 2007.
In 2007, Hoey was named the Northwest Georgia Player of the Year, the Cobb County Player of the Year and the Area Player of the Year after leading the Greyhounds to a 41-4 record and a No. 3 ranking in the state of Georgia. She was a finalist for PrepVolleyball.com's Andi Collins Award which is given to the nation's top senior setter.
Hoey finished her high school career fifth on the all-time assists list in Georgia with 2,947 assists. She also ranks ninth in career digs with 1,014, becoming the first setter in Georgia high school history to record over 1,000 career digs. Hoey is the all-time assists leader for Cobb County.
Off the court, Hoey is a state finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award. She is the only volleyball player among the 10 finalists in the state of Georgia. Hoey, who ranks 13th in her high school class of 510, was named a 2007 Academic All-American by PrepVolleyball.com. Hoey plays in the symphonic orchestra and also mentors freshman students in the Ambassador program.
Hoey's family has a legacy at Wake Forest University. Both of her parents, her older sister and her brother-in-law are Demon Deacon alumni.
"Maggie is the type of player everyone loves to have on their team," said Kahl Holmes. "She has a tireless work ethic and always remains positive. She is a total team player who will make those around her better players and better people. It was an impressive honor for Maggie to be nominated for the Andi Collins Award this past fall. We are looking forward to seeing her train with Kelsey (Jones), which adds talent and depth to the setter position."
Mary-Katherine Taylor
5-9, Defensive Specialist
Booneville, N.C.
Starmount High School
Player's Edge Volleyball Club
Taylor is a 5-9 defensive specialist from Booneville, N.C. She played at Starmount High School and was a member of the Player's Edge Volleyball Club.
Taylor was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Starmount. She helped the Rams win the North Carolina state championship in 2005 and finish as state runners-up in 2007. Taylor was named All-Mountain Valley Athletic Conference in 2006 and 2007 and was selected to the all-area team in 2007.
Taylor also earned four letters in basketball and three in softball at Starmount. She was a three-time all-conference selection in basketball and was named to the all-area team in 2007.
On the club level, Taylor was a member of Player's Edge for four years. She was also a member of the Yadkin Valley Volleyball Club for two years.
Off the court, Taylor was a Wendy's High School Heisman nominee. She is a member of the National Honor Society and received the Foxhole Marine Corps Excellence Award in 2007. She attended Governor's School in 2007 and was a member of the Adopt-A-Grandparent Program.
"We are happy to have another North Carolina native joining our family," said Kahl Holmes. "MK (Mary Katherine) brings immediate depth and competition to our back court. She has a calm demeanor on the court but is still very tenacious and aggressive on defense. We are looking forward to seeing MK push herself and those around her to get better."
