PORTLAND, Ore. --- Prepvolleyball.com announced yesterday afternoon that Portland Volleyball's incoming class, which includes Kassidy Naone, Kellie Hughes, Elizabeth Reich, Emily DeMots, McKenzie Schwan, and Carey Williams, has received "Highest Honorable Mention Status", ranking the class in the top-55 nationally. The ranking system includes three categories, a top-30 followed by the next top-25 teams in the highest honorable mention category and another lower honorable mention section after the two preceding lists.
 
"By the time our final 2017 recruit Carey verbally committed this past January, we knew we had a very special recruiting class," said Portland head coach Brent Crouch. "Each player brings something fantastic to Portland. Together with a strong 2016 class (and 2016 recruit Izzy Guzik returning from ACL surgery) we have excellent young players competing at every position, and our program is prepared for a long run as a serious competitor in one of the top conferences in the country. All of us are eager to get in the gym and get started."
 
The incoming group is full of extremely decorated and talented recruits, including Elizabeth Reich and Kassidy Naone who were named First Team All-American and All-American honorable mention by Prepvolleyball.com. Williams who was the newest addition to the class landed on the Defensive Dandy Third Team as well as received First Team All-League and First Team All-State honors.
 
With the ranking, Portland has secured a Top 3 recruiting class across the West Coast Conference. BYU was the only other WCC School to finish above Portland in the rankings at No.13, and Pepperdine also finished in the Top 55 in the Highest Honorable Mention category. Gonzaga and San Diego received nods as well, making the overall Top 100 as part of the Honorable Mention category
 
Last year, the incoming class of 2016, which included Izzy Guzik, Cali Thompson, and Emma Scanlan received "high honorable mention", which is one tier lower than what the program received this year.
 
Prepvolleyball chooses the top collegiate recruiting classes in consultation of a panel of more than 100 college coaches who represent every major conference in the country. The charge to these coaches is to judge each class, using size and strength of the class, impact on that program as guides, and also the cumulative impact the class could make in 4-5 years at the school. The classes consist only of players making their initial appearance in a four-year program.