LA JOLLA, Calif. - The University of California San Diego women's volleyball program has announced that two standout high school scholar-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year.
The Class of 2025 includes Emily McDaniel, a middle blocker out of Anaheim and Canyon High School, as well as Izabella Santa Cruz, a setter from Rancho Cucamonga. Santa Cruz spent three years at Los Osos High School in Southern California and is currently in her senior season at Kaiser High School in Honolulu.
Emily McDaniel
6'4" Middle Blocker
Anaheim, Calif.
Canyon High School
• Three-time team captain (2018, 2019, 2020)
• First Team All-Crestview League (2019)
• Team's Most Valuable Player (2019)
• Three-time Scholar-Athlete Award winner (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Reed Smoke Award winner (2018)
• Three-time Presidential Honor Roll (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Five-time Canyon High School Student of the Month
• Played club with Unity (current), Momentous (2018-20), and ACT (2017-18)
• Named to all-tournament team at USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships (2019)
Head Coach Ricci Luyties on McDaniel
"Emily is a tall, talented, and fast volleyball player. I feel like she has a huge upside and can be an excellent player for our program in the coming years."
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Izabella Santa Cruz
5'10" Setter
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Los Osos High School (freshman-junior)
Kaiser High School (senior)
• A three-year Scholar-Athlete at Los Osos, which competes in the Baseline League (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Team captain as a freshman (2017)
• Los Osos made CIF Playoffs during her freshman and sophomore seasons (2017, 2018)
• Has not yet played a senior season at Kaiser due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Kaiser, located in Honolulu, competes in the Oahu Interscholastic Association
• In club volleyball, played with A4 (2019-20) and Forza 1 North (2017-19)
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Silver medal in American Division at Junior Olympics (2017)
• Bronze medal in Patriot Division at Junior Olympics (2018)
• Bronze medal at Las Vegas Classic Open Division (2019)
• Placed third in the Southern California Volleyball Association (2020)
• Maintained over a 4.0 GPA through three years of high school (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Straight A Honor Roll for three years (2017, 2018, 2019)
• A three-time California Scholarship Federation honoree (2017, 2018, 2019)
Head Coach Ricci Luyties on Santa Cruz
"Izabella is an athletic setter who's always giving maximum effort. She loves to be in the gym and is eager to get better. I'm looking forward to see how she continues to develop as a setter."
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In 2019, UC San Diego's final campaign as an NCAA Division II program, the Tritons finished with an 18-9 overall record and went 12-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). They advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the 15th time since 2000.
The 2020 women's volleyball season, the Tritons' first as an NCAA Division I member of the Big West Conference, is currently on hold as the league announced the postponement of all fall sports on July 29 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide more than 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. In addition, 83 Tritons have been named Academic All-Americans, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
