Valpo volleyball head coach Carin Avery announced today that Claire Campbell and Emma Hickey have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the volleyball program as freshmen for the 2022 season.

Claire Campbell – 6’2” – MH – Warrensburg, Ill. – Warrensburg-Latham H.S. – Illini Elite

A four-year letterwinner for the Cardinals, Campbell was a First Team All-Conference selection each of the last two seasons. She has also received All-County recognition as well. Campbell led the Cardinals in kills each of the last three seasons and also paced the squad in blocks this season as a senior. On the club level, Campbell’s Illini Elite team was 17 Open Champions at Triple Crown in 2020 and also won the President’s Day Classic that year. Previously, in 2018, her Illini Elite team finished in third place at AAU Nationals.

Avery on Campbell: “Claire was a great get for us. She has been trained and has played at a high level in club, which has prepared her for life in the Valley. We have seen Claire make big strides over the past year. She moves extremely well along the net and has a high IQ with her attack. She will add quality depth in the middle hitter spot for us. We are so excited to see what Claire will do here in the next four years.”

Emma Hickey – 5’8” – OH/L – Granger, Ind. – Penn H.S. – NIVA Jrs

Hickey is the first recruit in program history to earn a spot on one of the AVCA’s three High School All-American teams, as she was named a Second Team All-American earlier this week. Playing for a Penn team which reached the #1 ranking in the state this year, Hickey was also an AVCA All-Region selection and earned First Team All-State accolades after earning Second Team All-State honors earlier in her career. A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, Hickey has stood out in club play as well. She was named an All-American at 18s Nationals in the American division and was an All-American at 17s Nationals in the Premier division. Hickey was also named MVP of the 17 open Beast of the Southeast tournament.

Avery on Hickey: “Emma has played both outside hitter and libero at a high level and she competes like crazy. She is a player who knows what it takes to win. She has great ball control and an unbelievably high volleyball IQ. Even though Emma is undersized for an outside hitter, her ability to read the defense and her hand to ball contact is amazing. Her passing and defending abilities make her a huge asset in the backcourt for us also.”