Two of the University of Minnesota’s six signees in the high school class of 2017 have arrived on campus a semester early in Minneapolis to begin their collegiate careers.
Jasmyn ‘Jaz’ Martin, from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled in college classes to get a jump-start on her freshman campaign with the Gophers. Meanwhile Alice Zeimann hails from New Zealand, where the academic year ends in December, affording her the luxury of beginning college.
Both players have arrived on campus, as was pointed out by the official team Instagram account on Friday. By enrolling in the spring semester, players can participate in off-season workouts with the team without sacrificing any eligibility, which allows them to hit the ground running in the official fall season. For some elite players, this also allows them to complete their undergraduate education by the time their eligibility runs out, allowing them to jump right from their last semesters of college volleyball and into the professional ranks.
Martin is a 6’3″ outside hitter from Hopkins High School. She earned Second Team All-America honors from the AVCA in 2016 and was ranked as the 16th-best senior recruit in the country by PrepVolleyball.com.
Martin was a 4-year starter for Hopkins High School in spite of missing most of her junior year with an injury (in Minnesota, 7th and 8th graders are allowed to participate in high school athletics). She was named an all-conference honoree four times and in 2016 was an all-metro and all-state selection as well. She averaged 6 kills per set and hit .416 as a senior.
As a club player, she was a 2014 AAU National Champion with Northern Lights and a 2016 USAV National Champion and runner-up with Minnesota Select. Academically, she was a four-year member of the honor roll.
“Jaz is a wonderful volleyball player,” McCutcheon said. She is an exceptional attacker, blocker and she has great feel underhand. She can serve well and defend and will be a great addition to our program. We’re always happy when the best players in the State want to compete at the U!”
Zeimann is also an outside hitter, standing 6 feet tall, and brings a wealth of experience already as a two-time member of New Zealand’s senior National Team. Her experience at both the senior and age group levels has carried her around the world playing volleyball, including the U19s Asian and World Championships on the beach.
Minnesota brought in a powerhouse class, but they’ll have to find ways to contribute early as the Gophers also graduated one of the best classes in program history. After making the national semi-finals last season and losing to eventual national champions Stanford, Minnesota graduated 6 players. That included the Senior Class Award winner Paige Tapp, her twin sister Hannah, and the 2016 VolleyMob.com National Player of the Year Sarah Wilhite.
See more about both players, and the entire Gophers class, here:
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