BATON ROUGE- LSU beach volleyball head coach Russell Brock has announced the signing of Haleigh Nelson as the newest addition to the 2017 recruiting class.
Nelson will join the program next season alongside Tatum Ballard, Savannah Wininger, Kahlee York, Hunter Domanski and Emily Hardesty, tying the largest recruiting class in program history with six signees.
“We’re excited to bring in someone who is clearly an elite volleyball player on the national stage. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to train her in a new sport. We feel like her skillset is one that will translate well, and we know she is a winner, a leader and an absolute committed collegiate athlete,” said Brock.
A graduate transfer from Wisconsin, Nelson finished her stellar indoor career ranking first in hitting percentage at .375, third in block assists with 537 and tied for fifth in total blocks with 597 for the Badgers.
Nelson ranked seventh in blocks per set, averaging 1.20, and also became just the seventh Badger in program history to reach 500 total blocks.
During her senior season, Nelson started all 33 matches for Wisconsin, ranking third on the team with an average of 2.51 kills per set and second on the squad with 1.12 blocks per set. A native of Cary, North Carolina, Nelson hit a career best against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at .800, picking up All-Big 10 honors for her efforts.
Nelson ranked second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .422 during her junior campaign, setting a career high with 18 kills against both Arkansas and Illinois, en route to earning second team AVCA All-American honors, as well as All-Big Ten accolades.
Nelson also paced the team with a .359 hitting percentage her sophomore season, ranking second in the Big Ten and 54th nationally, collecting honorable mention AVCA All-American and All-Big Ten honors.
After posting an impressive .318 hitting percentage that tied for ninth overall in the Big Ten and second on the team, Nelson made the 2013 Big Ten All-Freshman squad.
During her prep career, Nelson earned AVCA Under Armour All-America first team accolades, helping lead Cardinal Gibbons to four-consecutive 3A state championships. Nelson was also named the MVP of the state tournament and received the 2012 Carolina 6 Conference Player of the Year award.
“To bring someone onto our stage who has been at an elite program with the knowledge and expertise on how to get it done is something we really value. We’re looking forward to having Haleigh in the mix,” added Brock.