UM announces 2009 VB recruiting class

MISSOULA, Mont. — University of Montana volleyball coach Jerry Wagner announced recently that five high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Grizzlies next fall. The group includes one from Montana, one from Idaho, two from Washington and one from Manitoba.

Joining the program will be Brooke Bray from Lake Tapps, Wash.; Erika Buchanan from Shoal Lake, Manitoba; Koko James from Sandpoint, Idaho; Megan Murphey from Bozeman, Mont.; and Kayla Reno from Spanaway, Wash.

“I can’t say enough about these kids’ support systems. It’s a common thread among all of them,” said Wagner. “The club and high school coaches they’ve been able to learn under have been positive influences and are passionate about what they’re doing.”

James, a 5-10 setter, led the Bulldogs to a four-year mark of 100-17, and won two state titles. She was a four-time first-team All-Inland Empire League selection and the conference’s co-player of the year as a senior. She said Missoula felt a lot like home, and she’s excited to be a Griz.

“There is a funny story with Kortney,” Wagner said. “A couple of summers ago, her mother gave me a call and asked if we had any space left in our camp. I asked her, ‘Well, how good is she? What level does she play at?’ She said, ‘Well, she’s pretty good.’

“It wasn’t until later in the phone call that I put two and two together and realized who I was talking to. I knew Kortney’s older sisters from recruiting this region over the years.

“By the end of that camp, we were already wondering what we had to do to get her to come here and be our setter. It was quite a turn of events. I’m sure glad her mom stuck with me.”

With the graduation of current setter Taryn Wright, James will be competing for Montana’s starting setter position.