Volleyball

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Taylor Montgomery, a Top-80 prospect from Atlanta, Ga., has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the 2009 Howard women's volleyball squad as announced by head coach Orlando Larracuente.

"Signing one of top 80 prospects in the country is tremendous for us," Larracuente said. "Hopefully it will have a positive impact on the type of recruit we can sign in future classes"

Montgomery, a 6-5 middle blocker at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., was named one of the top recruits in the nation by PrepVolleyball. The Jan. 3, 2007 article listed the top 50 players in the nation with an additional 30, including Montgomery, who just missed the cut. She also garnered a spot on "The 150", a list of PrepVolleyball's 2009 senior aces.

Recently, Montgomery led her team to a Top-45 national ranking the week of September 18, 2008 with a 19-0 record.  

"We are fortunate to have signed her," Larracuente said. "She could have easily chosen to attend a more established program."

As a sophomore in 2006, Montgomery was a starter on the Trojans' Class AAAAA state runner-up team.  She led her squad in kills and blocks as a junior and was named team MVP and best offense player for two consecutive years.  Montgomery also led her squad in the same categories as a senior and helped Lassiter to the Class AAAAA final four.

An excellent student in the classroom, Montgomery earned both academic and athletic honors. She is a National Merit Scholar, one of nine in her school, and was named a semifinalist for the 2008 National Achievement Program. 150,000 students enter the National Achievement Program each year and 1,600 are named semifinalists.

The Marietta Daily Journal named Montgomery to its all-county and all-area teams in 2007 and 2008. She finished her senior year with 378 kills, 134 total blocks and a .388 attack percentage.

"Taylor's potential is unlimited, she could evolve into one of the most dominant middle blockers in the country," Larracuente added. "The fact that she chose to be a part of our rebuilding program is a testament to her character."

Howard finished 7-3 in conference play this season, its best league finish in seven years.