HP graduate Katherine Culwell, an all-state outside hitter for the Lady Scots' volleyball team last year, helped Auburn secure the 26th-best recruiting class in the country according to PrepVolleyball.com. Auburn, which is in a rebuilding season, signed nine players this year that also ranks third in the Southeastern Conference.
Culwell was ranked as one of the nation's top recruits by PrepVolleyball.com prior to the 2008 season. I found this summary on the Auburn website:
The 2009 class is the first full recruiting class for second-year head coach Wade Benson, and is the first Auburn class to be ranked in the Prep Volleyball Top-30 in at least seven years.
The class is highlighted by four players ranked in the PrepVolleyball.com Top 250. All-American Katherine Culwell, a 6-0 outside hitter from Dallas, Texas, headlines the class as she entered her senior season ranked 34th in the country.
"Depth, versatility and athleticism were the keys we were looking for in this class and it brings all three of those to the table," said head coach Wade Benson. "We also wanted a class with a winning background and each of them, whether in high school or club, comes from a winning, successful team."
The class is the first to be ranked in the PrepVolleyball.com rankings since at least 2003. The 2005 class earned high honorable mention honors from the Web site while last year's class earned honorable mention accolades.
Minnesota pulled in the top-ranked class in the nation, followed by Nebraska, Stanford, Penn State and Texas. Auburn was the third of three SEC teams to make the list with Kentucky leading the league at No. 13, followed by Ole Miss at No. 23.
The Tigers are slated to open the 2009 season at home with the War Eagle Invitational. Auburn opens with in-state rival Alabama-Birmingham at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28.