Nov. 16, 2012

BERKELEY - Three of the nation's top volleyball recruits have signed to play at Cal, head coach Rich Feller announced Friday.

Middle hitter Jenelle Jordan (Houston, Texas), setter Alyssa Jensen (St. Louis, Mo.) and libero Maddy Kerr (San Diego) will join the Bears for the 2013 season. Jordan and Jensen will graduate from high school early and enroll in classes at Cal in time for the upcoming spring semester.

Jordan, considered one of the top athletes in the 2013 class, is ranked as Prepvolleyball.com's No. 17 Senior Ace and is an Under Armour Second Team All-American.

"Jenelle is a phenomenal athlete," Feller said. "She has the mentality of an athlete that knows what it takes to really, really excel in anything. She's going to be willing to work very hard to get that done. She starts out with an unbelievable base of athletic gifts and the mentality to go along with it. In my opinion, that's going to make her a fantastic college volleyball player, maybe even in the range of one of the best at her position."

Jensen is regarded as one of the top prep setters in the country. She was named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and is an Under Armour First Team All-American. Jensen is the No. 35 Senior Ace according to Prepvolleyball.com and a Prepvolleyball.com All-American. She led St. Joseph Academy to the Missouri 4A State Championship in 2010.

"I love Alyssa's competitive spirit," Feller said. "She's the ultimate competitor. She's a great setter. She has a good command of what it takes to set an offense. She understands the game really, really well. She's someone that is willing to do what it takes to improve her team and herself."

Kerr, the daughter of former NBA champion Steve Kerr, is Prepvolleyball.com's No. 65 Senior Ace. She helped Torrey Pines High School win the 2011 CIF championship. Kerr also excels in the classroom, where she carries a 4.1 GPA and was named to the San Diego Union-Tribune's All-Academic Team.

"Maddy has been on our radar for a long, long time," Feller said. "She's an athlete that wants to be better and wants to make the team around her better. She has great technical skill and great instinctual skill. We love her competitive fire and the way she's going to come in and want to take charge of things in a real positive way. She's very vocal and very upbeat. There are lots of good things about her that will help improve our game and our program."

Jordan and Jensen will become immediate full members of Cal's program and participate in all of the program's spring activities.

"We have arguably one of the best setters in the country, we've got one of the best liberos in the country and we've got one of the finest athletes in the country coming in," Feller said. "I think it's one of our best recruiting classes. It fits our needs to a tee."