Two of the signees – outside hitters Alexandria Hightower
and Alexis Gosha – are highly decorated prep performers, while the third –
outside hitter Maria Garcia, performed in three international world
championship events this past summer.
Maria Garcia
Garcia, a 6-1 hitter from the Dominican Republic, was a
member of the Dominican Republic’s Under 20 FIVB World Championship team, which
captured the gold medal in competition in Puerto Rico. She was also a member of
the bronze medal-winning Under 23 team, along with current FAMU player Pamela
Soriano; and was on the Under 18 National team as well.
Alexandria Hightower
Hightower, a 5-11 native of Chula Vista, California, is a
two-time team captain for Olympian High School, which was in the California
state finals at this writing.
A two-time athlete of the week in 2015, and MVP of the
Sweetwater Tournament and a member of the Scripps Ranch Tournament
all-tournament team, Hightower has helped lead her teams at Olympian (2014,
2105), and previously at Francis Parker
High (2012, 2013), to four regional or sectional titles, two state titles
(2012, 2013) and three state finals (2012, 2013, 2015).
She also has six years of playing experience in club
volleyball, earning Best Players notice at the 2014 AAU National Tournament,
and helped lead here 2012 Wave Volleyball Club to a fifth place finish in the
Junior National division tournament.
The daughter of former FAMU Football player Arthur
Hightower, now an executive with the San Diego Chargers, Alexandria was one of
the San Diego Union Tribune area volleyball players to watch coming into the
2015 campaign.
Hightower was recruited by North Carolina Central, American
University, Columbia University and Albany (N.Y.) University. She plans to
major in biology/pre-medicine at FAMU.
Gosha, a 5-10 outside hitter, right side hitter from Apopka,
Florida high school, brings six years of volleyball playing experience at the
prep school and club team levels, beginning here career in seventh grade.
She is a two-time All-Metro performer and captain of the
Apopka High team, and played on some stellar club teams as well.
Alexis Gosha
Gosha played on a club that finished third in the USA
National Championships; was a member of teams that finished second in the
Florida regional tournament, and third place in the Big South National
qualifier.
An academic all-star as well, Gosha is a member of the
National Honor Society, was in the Medical Magnet program at Apopka High, and
was dual enrolled at Valencia Community College in Orlando.
Gosha was recruited by Long Beach State, UMass, North
Florida, Tampa, Georgia State, VCU, FAU, FIU, Mercer, Florida Tech, Radford and
Lehigh. She plans to major in physical therapy at FAMU.
“This is one of the better recruiting classes in the history
of the program,” said Trifonov, who just completed his 18th season.