Bruin head volleyball coach Trish Siedlik announced the signing of Michaela Gardner (Brentwood, Calif./California State University-East Bay/Ashford University/St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School) to a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Bellevue University beginning in the fall of 2016.
Gardner, a 6-0 outside hitter, previously played at NCAA Division II California State-East Bay and NAIA Ashford University. She will have two years of eligibility remaining.
She played in 27 matches last season for CSU-EB, finishing the year with 207 kills, 58 digs and 18 blocks. At Ashford, she earned conference freshman of the year honors while also being named first team all-league.
"Michaela not only will add depth to our left side attack, she will add height and power," said Siedlik. "For her height, she has exceptional ball control and will help solidify our serve receive. We feel very strong that this addition will add one last piece of the puzzle to the program's mission to reach Sioux City next fall."
The daughter of Diane and Fred Gardner, Michala was a four-year varsity letterwinner at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, Calif. She helped lead her team to the 2012 North Coast Section Volleyball Championships and to a second place finish in 2013. She earned first team all-conference honors in 2013 and named the team's best offensive player.
Gardner, who plans on majoring in Health Science at BU, joins earlier signees Maddie Squiers (Kearney, Neb./Kearney Catholic HS), Verenice Chapparo (Littleton, Colo./Ashford/Columbine HS), Emma Myers (Treynor, Iowa/Treynor HS) and Pakalana Helekahi (Hana, Hawaii/Ashford University/Hana HS) in BU's 2016 recruiting class.
The Bruins finished the 2015 season with a 22-17 overall record, advancing to the NSAA semifinals, while receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches' top 25 poll.
