Bulls Add Three For 2008 Season

Bethany Prather, Heather Pyle and Dani Silvers all to join UB this upcoming season

Jim Lodes

BUFFALO, NY – Fourth-year head coach Jim Lodes announced that Bethany Prather (Belvidere, IL/Belvidere), Heather Pyle (Westlake, OH/Westlake) and Dani Silvers (Waynesville, NC/Tuscola/Mars Hill) have all signed to join the Bulls for the upcoming 2008 season.

“We are really excited to bring in these three outstanding young women to join the Buffalo Volleyball program” said Lodes. “I think they will compliment our returning players really well and help us move closer to our ultimate goal of winning a Mid-American Conference Championship.”

Prather is a 6’1” outside hitter from Belvidere High School. Prather recorded the third-most kills in school history in just three years of action. She was named the Belvidere High School Athlete of the Week in 2005 and helped lead her team to the Regional Championships in 2004. She was named to the NIC-9 All-Conference team in 2005 and 2006. Prather also played club volleyball with the Club Fusion Volleyball Club.

“Bethany has had some great club experience with Club Fusion,” said Lodes. “She is very versatile and I expect her to compete right away and make an impact on either the left or right side.”

Pyle is a 5’3” libero and defensive specialist out of Westlake High School where the Demons went 13-11 during her senior season. She was team co-captain and set a school record with 361 digs on the season (5.7 digs per game) and had a school-record 37 digs in a single match. She has been a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and was named first-team All-District and All-Conference as a senior. Pyle played club volleyball for the Cleveland Volleyball Company.

“Heather is very quick, athletic and has great ball control,” said Lodes. “She can cover a lot of ground and I expect her to help fill the void that has been left with the graduation of Lizaiha Garcia.”

Silvers, a 6’0” outside hitter and middle blocker, is a transfer from Mars Hill College where she played her first two seasons of collegiate volleyball. Last season, Silvers led Mars Hill with 385 kills and was third on the team with a .219 hitting percentage. Silvers also added 117 digs and 40 blocks, including a team-high 10 solo blocks. During her freshman year, Silvers was second on the team in kills and led the team with 45 solo blocks. She also added 47 block assists for a team-best 92 total blocks. In high school, Silvers was named All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2004.

“Dani is an awesome athlete and she is very versatile,” said Lodes. “She is so quick, moves well and jumps out of the gym. She can play any of the three front row positions for us.”

These newcomers will join 13 returnees from 2007. The Bulls begin their 2008 campaign on Sunday, August 31 as they head to the Air Force Invitational.

06/19/2008