-Ferrell, Roberto and Wiggs join roster for upcoming campaign.-

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Three players have joined the Florida volleyball roster for the 2010 season, head coach Mary Wise announced Wednesday.

Outside hitter Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.), a junior transfer from Hawaii, junior outside hitter Cinthya Roberto (Brasilia, Brazil), a two-time junior college All-American from Blinn (Texas) College, and right-side Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.), a sophomore transfer from Washington State, each join the Gators for the 2010 campaign and are eligible to compete this season.

We had some needs that we feel the additions of Stephanie, Cinthya and Tangerine will fill, Wise said. We look forward to getting them into the gym come August.

The trio joins freshman setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) and freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.), both of whom inked with the Gators this past fall, as the five new additions to the Florida roster in the upcoming year.

Ferrell, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, joins the Gators after two seasons at the University of Hawaii, where she was a second-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection as a sophomore in 2009 and was part of the teams NCAA regional semifinal appearance. She will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Ferrell played in 68 matches in her two seasons with the Wahine, ranking 10th in the WAC in kills per set last season with 2.64. After averaging 29 kills in seven sets of the Stanford Regional last season, she was named to the NCAA All-Region team. She holds career highs of 19 kills, a .600 hitting percentage and three service aces.

Roberto, a 6-foot outside hitter, transfers to the Gators after two seasons at Blinn College, one of the most successful junior college volleyball programs in the nation. Roberto was the first two-time NJCAA Division I All-American in Blinn volleyball history. She was a member of the schools 2008 national championship team and the Buccaneers tallied a 62-6 (.912) record during her time with the team.

Roberto ranked in the top-15 nationally in both kills and aces last season, averaging 3.69 kills per set and 0.55 aces per set. She hit .333 on the season and added 2.36 digs per set. She will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Wiggs, a 6-foot-2 right side, joins the Gators after playing her freshman season at Washington State University. She redshirted the 2008 campaign before succeeding in limited duty during the 2009 season. Wiggs will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Prior to her stint at Washington State, Wiggs was named to the PrepVolleyball.com list of senior aces as a middle blocker at Holy Names Academy. Her senior season of 2007, she led her team in kills, blocks and aces, and captained her team to a fifth-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament with a 19-9 overall record.

For all of the latest information on Florida Volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball. Follow the Gators on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.

NEWCOMERS TO FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL IN 2010
? Chanel Brown (5-9, S., Fr., Tempe, Ariz., Valley Christian HS)
? Stephanie Ferrell (6-1, OH, Jr., Los Angeles, Calif., Locke
HS/Hawaii)
? Cinthya Roberto (6-0, OH, Jr., Brasilia, Brazil, Dom Bosco
HS/Blinn College)
? Taylor Unroe (5-7, L, Fr., Muncie, Ind., Muncie Burris HS)
? Tangerine Wiggs (6-2, RS, So., Seattle, Wash., Holy Names
Academy/Washington State)