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UTA Volleyball Adds Emily Gentle to Signing Class
Nov. 17, 2009
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington head volleyball coach Diane Seymour announced the signing of 6-foot outside hitter/middle blocker Emily Gentle (Van Alstyne, Texas - Van Alstyne HS) to a National Letter of Intent on Tuesday, which completes UT Arlington's early signing class. UT Arlington also signed setter Chelsea Mayor (Sugar Land, Texas - Dulles HS) to a NLI last week. "Both of the players we signed are very good athletes and love to play the game of volleyball," Seymour said. "They were both very eager to be a part of our program. We look forward to getting both players in the gym." The UT Arlington roster will look very similar next season with the departure of only one senior from this year's squad, outside hitter/libero Teena Sobczak. Seymour was looking for strong athletes to join her 11 returning players for next season. "We definitely wanted to get good athletes in here," Seymour said. "If these two don't step on the court as freshmen, we will look for them to step in for Bianca (Sauls) and Raegan (Daniel) the following year. It was important for us to sign a couple quality kids who can hopefully get some playing time next year, will be able to pick up our system quick and will be able to step in as sophomores." Gentle is a two-sport standout at Van Alstyne (3A) HS, where she has lettered in volleyball and track and field. As a junior, Gentle earned first team All-District 10-3A, Tri-County and Wolfe City All-Tournament team and was a Herald Democrat All-Texomaland selection. This season, Gentle has recorded 202 kills, 42 blocks and 103 digs as the team captain. Following the regular season, Gentle was named District Most Valuable Hitter. "Emily has a lot of raw talent," Seymour said. "She is close to touching 9-foot-10. She has only played one year of competitive club volleyball, so the sky is the limit for her. She is very athletic. We don't know exactly what we will do with her until she gets here. We are looking to see if we can make her an outside hitter, but we know she can play right-side if need be."
She helped lead her team to tournament championships at the Royse City and Pottsboro Tournament while finishing with a 32-8 overall record in 2008. Gentle was named honorable mention All-District as a sophomore and earned a varsity letter in 2006 as a freshman. Her high school accolades also include winning the District 10-3A long jump championship and placing second in the triple jump and 200 meter last spring. She won the District 9-3A triple jump championship as a sophomore. Seymour said there is still a chance the Mavericks could add to their roster for the 2010 season. "We are still looking to add some defensive depth for next year," Seymour said. "You can always find some quality walk-ons to fill in at that libero/defensive specialist position. I think losing Teena (Sobczak), we will try and find some walk-ons that can help us defensively." 2009 UT Arlington Early Signing Class:
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