FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With preparations for the 2020 season underway, head volleyball coach Brian Rosen is pleased to announce the signing of four new Sharks. Nova Southeastern welcomes three freshmen in Preslee Brooksbank, Nyah Pacely and Elizabeth Price, while also adding Alex Psoma, an NCAA Division I grad-transfer. All four signees inked with NSU during the signing period.
“After such a successful season, I could not be more excited about the current 2020 class for the future of our program!” boasted Rosen. “They come from all over the country and world, and each fills a perfect need for our team. In 2019, our new team did an amazing job creating a positive, winning culture, and these four student-athletes will fit in perfectly. We have huge goals for our program in 2020 and beyond, and I know that these amazing young women will help us accomplish them.”
An incoming freshman libero from Chattanooga, Tenn., Brooksbank joins the Sharks squad after playing varsity volleyball for four years for the Girls Preparatory School. During her junior and senior seasons, she was named to the Divison II-AA East Region All Team and was the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Player. She was also named MVP and earned defensive awards all four years of high school. While playing for the Bruisers, the accumulated 1000+ career digs and 1000+ career kills.
“Preslee is one of my all-time favorite people that I met years ago at a recruit camp,” admitted Rosen. “She has a smile that lights up the room, but don’t let it fool you because she is an absolute competitor. For high school and club, she plays outside hitter, competing and winning against blockers much larger. For the Sharks, she will be competing at the libero and defensive specialist positions, and I could definitely see her earning playing time early this season. No matter what, she is going to make our gym better every day, and make lives difficult on our hitters and everyone in the conference the next four years.”
Pacely, who has already joined NSU after graduating early from South Forsyth HS, will look to help steer the Sharks’ offense at the setting position along with Madison Cook. Playing three years of varsity volleyball for the War Eagles, Pacely racked up the accolades while posting some impressive numbers. In 2018, she was named to the First Team All-Region and All-County teams, while earning the title of Region 5, Class 7-A Setter of the Year. Pacely was also named to the GACA All-Star team and earned Offensive MVP honors after surpassing 2,000 career assists. As a sophomore she was named to the First Team All-County and Second Team All-Region as her 825 assists (8.1 assists per set) ranked her ninth in the state Class 7A and was ranked 11th with her 71 service aces.
“Nyah graduated high school early and is already on campus training with the Sharks and learning our systems, explained Rosen. “Nyah will compete for playing time right away. She has played at one of the top clubs in the country, competing and practicing at the highest levels. She has an amazing attitude and our team fell in love with her the first time they met.”
Price is the third incoming freshman for the Sharks, joining the team after playing for three years for Florida powerhouse H.B. Plant HS. During her senior season, Price accumulated 211 kills to go with 52 blocks and 85 digs. She also served up 27 aces. Price also played club volleyball for OTVA and was named the MVP at AAU Nationals for Premier Division 2017 and earned the honor of THINX National Club Player of the Week in 2019.
“Elizabeth can literally do everything on the volleyball court. I’ve seen her play outside, middle, right side and libero,” expounded Rosen. “She even plays beach, and is one of the top players in the state of Florida. She is going to make an impact for the Sharks all over the place, and I love the depth she provides everywhere. Elizabeth plays for one of the top clubs in the country, and has qualified for 18 open at nationals. Elizabeth has great ball control and is a point scoring machine. I cannot wait to see her in a Shark uniform this fall!”
The final addition to the 2020 roster is Alex Psoma, a grad-transfer outside hitter from San Diego State University. During her final season as an Aztec, Psoma was named to the 2016 All-Mountain West Team after leading the Aztecs in conference play with an average of 3.56 kills per set. Her mark of 3.34 kills per set in all matches also led the team, and in conference play she ranked fifth at 3.96 points per set. As a member of the Greek National Youth team that competed at the European Youth Championships in 2013 in Montenegro, she helped her team place fifth and qualify for the FIVB Youth World Championships in Thailand in July 2013. In that year, she also played with the Greek Junior national team in Bulgaria at the Junior European Championship, and was later selected onto the roster of the Greek Women’s national team.
“Alex brings a depth of volleyball knowledge that is impossible to teach,” confessed Rosen. “She played volleyball at the highest level in her hometown of Greece before playing three seasons at San Diego State, where she was an All-Conference performer. Alex can score on both pins, and has incredible ball control skills in serve receive and reading in defense. Beyond her incredible talent, what really drew our coaching staff and team towards Alex was her personality. She connects with everyone so easily, and it is such a pleasure to be around her or even just talk on the phone. She shares in our team goals, and is going to be an amazing fit for our program on and off the court.
To stay up-to-date with the Sharks on the recruiting trail, follow them on Twitter @NSU_VBALL.
