Bobcat Spikers Announce Three Transfers to MSU Program
4/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Montana State volleyball program signed three transfers to national letters- of-intent tocompete for the Bobcats next fall, announced MSU head coach Dave Gantt. LeAnn Kinvig of
Sexsmith, Alberta; Natalie Paredes of Malibu, Cal.; and Ana Popovic of Hamburg, Germany
will be eligible to play for the Bobcats this season.
Kinvig, a 6-foot outside hitter at Grande Prairie Regional College, captained the Wolves to the
ACAC provincial championships this season. Grande Prairie also won the league with a
conference mark of 11-1. She played two seasons with Team Alberta and led the squad to a
fifth place finish at nationals in 2000. As a prepster, Kinvig guided her team to two consecutive
provincial titles. Kinvig played two years of juvenile club volleyball, where she led her team to
back-to-back provincial championships. She also possesses international playing experience as
well, competing in Korea and Africa. Kinvig will be a sophomore for the Bobcats and have
three years of eligibility.
The combination of her high school career as a provincial champion; as a starter and captain
on Team Alberta; and a years worth of collegiate play bodes well for us as we bring a very
experienced player into our program, Gantt said. LeAnn has a strong serve-receive game
and has an uncanny ability to block and dig.
Paredes, a 5-foot-7 setter from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, will serve as
MSU's libero this fall. Newly adopted by the NCAA, a libero is a designated back-row
player, intended to be used as a ball-control specialist. The libero is allowed to replace any
player in the back row without counting as a substitution.
At Golden West, Paredes led the Lady Rustlers to the 2001 California Junior College
championship. For her efforts, she was named to the second-team all-Orange Empire League
squad. This season, Paredes averaged 12.88 assists overall and 10.54 assists per game in
OEC play. A graduate of Malibu High School, she played her freshman season at Cal Poly
Pomona, before transferring to Golden West College.
Natalie (Paredes) has the ability to help us in two different roles, both at a high level, Gantt
said. She is an excellent setter and she'll be our first-ever libero, a position which is going to
have more impact than most perceive. She grew up playing the game in California at a high
level and her experience will be beneficial to our program.
Popovic, a 6-foot middle blocker, will transfer to Montana State as a senior and will have one
season of eligibility. Popovic transfers from the University of Hamburg, the same school that
former Bobcat Silke Niemeyer attended.
Ana (Popovic) brings experience at a high-level, which is exactly what our program needs
right now, Gantt said. She'll compete for court-time from day one. We needed a player like
Ana to fill a void, and she's more than capable of handling that responsibility. Physically, her
and Aimee Halyk (current Bobcat player) could be bookends.
Given the unanticipated attrition we experienced in the off-season, I think we found three
highly experienced players who bring a lot of quality to the program, Gantt said. All three will
be able to come in immediately and contribute, and our level of competitive play will be
maintained.
According to Gantt, the Montana State volleyball program will look to sign three high schoolathletes later this week.
Sexsmith, Alberta; Natalie Paredes of Malibu, Cal.; and Ana Popovic of Hamburg, Germany
will be eligible to play for the Bobcats this season.
Kinvig, a 6-foot outside hitter at Grande Prairie Regional College, captained the Wolves to the
ACAC provincial championships this season. Grande Prairie also won the league with a
conference mark of 11-1. She played two seasons with Team Alberta and led the squad to a
fifth place finish at nationals in 2000. As a prepster, Kinvig guided her team to two consecutive
provincial titles. Kinvig played two years of juvenile club volleyball, where she led her team to
back-to-back provincial championships. She also possesses international playing experience as
well, competing in Korea and Africa. Kinvig will be a sophomore for the Bobcats and have
three years of eligibility.
The combination of her high school career as a provincial champion; as a starter and captain
on Team Alberta; and a years worth of collegiate play bodes well for us as we bring a very
experienced player into our program, Gantt said. LeAnn has a strong serve-receive game
and has an uncanny ability to block and dig.
Paredes, a 5-foot-7 setter from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, will serve as
MSU's libero this fall. Newly adopted by the NCAA, a libero is a designated back-row
player, intended to be used as a ball-control specialist. The libero is allowed to replace any
player in the back row without counting as a substitution.
At Golden West, Paredes led the Lady Rustlers to the 2001 California Junior College
championship. For her efforts, she was named to the second-team all-Orange Empire League
squad. This season, Paredes averaged 12.88 assists overall and 10.54 assists per game in
OEC play. A graduate of Malibu High School, she played her freshman season at Cal Poly
Pomona, before transferring to Golden West College.
Natalie (Paredes) has the ability to help us in two different roles, both at a high level, Gantt
said. She is an excellent setter and she'll be our first-ever libero, a position which is going to
have more impact than most perceive. She grew up playing the game in California at a high
level and her experience will be beneficial to our program.
Popovic, a 6-foot middle blocker, will transfer to Montana State as a senior and will have one
season of eligibility. Popovic transfers from the University of Hamburg, the same school that
former Bobcat Silke Niemeyer attended.
Ana (Popovic) brings experience at a high-level, which is exactly what our program needs
right now, Gantt said. She'll compete for court-time from day one. We needed a player like
Ana to fill a void, and she's more than capable of handling that responsibility. Physically, her
and Aimee Halyk (current Bobcat player) could be bookends.
Given the unanticipated attrition we experienced in the off-season, I think we found three
highly experienced players who bring a lot of quality to the program, Gantt said. All three will
be able to come in immediately and contribute, and our level of competitive play will be
maintained.
According to Gantt, the Montana State volleyball program will look to sign three high schoolathletes later this week.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
