| MALIBU, Calif. ­Â— Pepperdine women’s volleyball coach Nina Matthies announced today that three prep standouts from the state of California have signed letters-of-intent and will join the Waves in 2009. The Waves will add middle blocker Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS), middle blocker Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) and outside hitter Caitlin Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS). “All three of them are great athletes and great kids who will fit in here really well,” Matthies said. “They are all accomplished high school and club players. Each of them is coming in here to compete for playing time next year.” Following are capsule biographies on each of the recruits: Victoria Adelhelm 6-foot-3 middle blocker, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Santa Fe Christian HS) #85 on prepvolleyball.com’s “Senior Aces” list ... Three years on the varsity ... Team won the 2007 Division IV state championship with a 32-4 overall record ... Made the All-CIF San Diego Section first team and the state all-tournament team ... Earned a spot on the San Diego Union-Tribune’s 2007-08 All-Academic team ... Current club is Encinitas Wave ... Won a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics in the Open 17-1s ... Also played on the Southern California High Performance Volleyball team that competed in Croatia and Italy. Said Matthies: “Victoria is a great athlete with a good arm. She’ll come in ready to battle for a position at middle blocker.” Said Adelhelm: “I chose Pepperdine for its amazing staff, beautiful location, successful volleyball program and the renowned international program.” Brittney Clark 6-foot middle blocker, San Jose, Calif. (Presentation HS) Earned all-league second team honors as a sophomore and junior ... A team captain ... Also plays with the Vision Volleyball Club ... Her sister Nichole is a senior on Santa Clara’s volleyball team. Said Matthies: “Brittney comes from a very athletic family. Having seen what her sister has gone through, she’ll know what it takes to be a college student-athlete. We’ve had to play against Nichole the last four years and we’re glad Brittney will be a Wave.” Said Clark: “After my first visit to Pepperdine, I knew it was the school for me. It’s the perfect combination of athletics, academics and religion. This will allow me to grow and be successful as an athlete, a student and a person of God. I can not wait to be a part of the Pepperdine community.” Caitlin Racich 6-foot-1 outside hitter, Santa Barbara, Calif. (Dos Pueblos HS) #70 on prepvolleyball.com’s “Senior Aces” list ... All-Channel League first team as a sophomore and junior ... Made the all-tournament teams at the Dave Mohs event in 2008 and the Tournament of Champions in 2007 ... Earned the Phil Womble Ethics in Sportsmanship Award ... Plays with the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club, which took fifth place at Junior Olympics in 2006 ... A member of the USA Volleyball U-19 Beach National Team in 2008. Said Matthies: “Caitlin is going to come in and compete with our other outside hitters and will find a way to contribute. She’s a great beach player. She’s very enthusiastic, fun to watch, and brings a lot of life to whatever team she’s on.” Said Racich: “I wanted to come to Pepperdine for the strong volleyball program, the great coaching staff, its outstanding academics and the beautiful location.” The Waves will graduate three seniors this season. With only two middle blockers on the 2008 roster, one being senior Cassi Chamberlain, Adelhelm and Clark will provide needed depth at the position. Outside hitters Julie Rubenstein and Caitlin Lawson will also graduate, giving Racich an opportunity to make an early impact. | 