Nov. 19, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford volleyball team has signed two young athletes from the Midwest during this early signing period. Carly Hayes will join the Bulldog squad in January while Katie Weber will join the team at the end of the school year.

Hayes is a four-year varsity starter for Crystal Lake Central High School in Crystal Lake, Ill., and has been on the Shy High Club Volleyball first team for the past six years.

The Crystal Lake, Ill., native has earned many accolades for her achievements on the court over the past few years. In 2005 and 2007 she received News Gazette All State Honors. In her last two trips to the Jacobs Tournament, Hayes was named to the All-Tournament team while also receiving the Fox Valley All-Conference Award in the same two years. For the past three years, she has been named Athlete of the Week at least once during the season.

In 2007, she boasted 91.5% in hitting and 54.1% in kills. Her totals for her senior year at Crystal Lake included 306 kills, 249 digs, 142 assists, 14 kill blocks, and 89 aces. She now holds the second highest career record for spiking kills in Crystal Lake school history with 867. As captain, she helped lead her team to a 42-0 record this season. They won the Illinois State Championship on Nov. 10 by defeating St. Francis in two games (25-19, 25-23). Hayes led her team with nine kills.

To back up her accomplishments on the court as a senior, Hayes has received a number of honors. She was named to the American Division All-Tournament Team at the USA Volleyball National Tournament and was named Crystal Lakes Central's 2007 MVP. Hayes also received Chicago Sun Times All-Area Honors and Chicago Tribune All-State First Team Honors while gaining Northwest Herald All-Area Honors and being named Northwest Herald's 2007 Player of the Year. She also received Prep Volleyball MVP honors for the Illinois State Championship this year.

Hayes is excited to join the Samford squad and will begin her career here at Samford in the spring.

"When I first visited Samford I was swept away, it was like a home away from home," Hayes said. "The team and coaches were so warm, and the beauty of the campus was so inviting. The weather wasn't so bad either. I knew that Samford was exactly what I needed for the next chapter in my life."

Katie Weber is the second new Bulldog to sign this season.

Weber has been on the varsity team for the past four years at Westminster Christian Academy and was voted co-captain her senior year. She helped lead her ream to a second place state finish while leading in blocks and aces her junior and senior seasons.

Katie Weber

As a member of the Westminster varsity squad she has been named to the MWAA Red Division All-Conference team and the Class 3A District 6 All-Tournament team twice, second-team in 2006 and first-team in 2007 in both. Also in her senior season, she was named to the Class 3A St. Louis area All-Region Second Team and Class 3A Missouri All-State Second Team.

Weber has played club volleyball for St. Louis CYC for the past three years. She helped lead her team to a first place finish at the Mideast Qualifier in 2005, a third place finished at the Northeast Qualifier in 2006, and a ninth place Mideast Qualifier finish in 2006.

Weber has maintained a 4.0 GPA and was named to the All-State Volleyball Academic Team in 2006 and 2007 and has been a member of the National Honors Society for the past three years. She made the Honor Roll her sophomore and junior years and as a senior she has been named to the President's List.

The St. Louis, Mo., native is also very involved in her community. Weber is active in her church youth group, youth service project and the Spanish Club as her school. She lends a hand babysitting and does volunteer work with the Ronald McDonald House.

Weber is the daughter of Gene and Emily Weber and has two siblings, Lisa who is a starting middle at Truman State University, and Matt who is in fifth grade. She will major in graphic design and advertising at Samford.

"I was looking for a school with strong academics, a Christian atmosphere, and a strong athletic program with a good coach," Weber said. "When I visited Samford, I immediately fell in love with the school. It fit everything that I was looking for."