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June 14, 2004 Princess Anne, MD - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is proud to announce the 2004 women's volleyball latest additions. A setter and outside hitter will begin their careers as freshman next season. Likica Grceva, was the first Hawk to sign on to new Head Coach Alex Temkin's program. The 5'9 freshman from Macedonia played her high school volleyball in Natick, MA. Grceva was a first-team All-State player in Massachusetts as well as a first team Bay State Conference All-Star in 2002 and 2003. The Boston Globe named her the All Scholastics Player of the Year in 2003. The previous year she was the only underclassman to even make the team. "To get a glimpse of Grceva's talent, all you have to do is look at last fall's Boston Globe All Scholastic Team as she was the only underclassman named to the squad. The senior outside hitter, who is arguable the top girls' volleyball player in the state, led Natick to the state tournament last season after finishing second in the Bay State Herget Conference" according to an article in a local magazine, School Sports Magazine, in September of last year. Her talents also extend to the classroom. Grceva speaks five languages and is enrolled in honors and AP courses. That intelligence extends to the court and speaks to her knowledge of the game. "Likica is phenomenal in all aspects of the game. She is a coach on the court who brings an unbelievable intensity to every practice and every match. She was clearly the hardest hitter in our league and her service game is superb. She served ten straight points against [one school] to change a 12-5 deficit to a 15-12 victory," said High School Coach Dave Murray. Besides being an outstanding high school player Grceva has a wealth of international and club experience. In 2002 she was chosen All Star New England for club play on Smash 16's and under and won the region in 2000 with the same team. She has played volleyball since eight years old, four years were spent on a club team in Macedonia. All of that and her father is a coach in Macedonia. "She plays so much bigger than her size," said Head Coach Alex Temkin. "She has great jumping ability and will make a perfect addition to the roster. Like many of her peers in Macedonia and surrounding areas she is very tenacious and really wants to win. Her fundamentals, from being a coach's daughter, are incredible." Kate Smith is another talented player who can step in and make a difference. The 5'11 setter will help fill the void at setter. "She will step right in," said Temkin. "She is a freshman, but don't be fooled, she has a lot to offer and has good hands. Her height is great for a setter and it helps in terms of blocking. Something we didn't have last year at our setter position was blocking and Kate can do that extremely well. She is much more of an offensive player than we have had." Smith is from Carpentersville, IL where she attended Dundee Crown High School and played all four seasons of varsity volleyball. She was the captain of the squad her senior year and received the Hustle Award for her hard work on the court. Smith was named All-Fox Valley Conference in her sophomore and senior years and in her final year was named to the Daily Herald All-Area Team and the Courier News All-Area Honorable Mention Team. In her last two seasons Smith was also named All-Tournament Team at the Harlem Tournament in Rockford, IL. "Kate has been an integral part of my [team] the past four years. Her experience, skills, and knowledge of the game made her one of the top setters in the Fox Valley Conference. [UMES] is receiving a quality setter and a quality individual," said High School Head Coach Tracy Williams. Smith also has a strong club background starting in the fourth grade for Sports Performance. She has also played for Sky High, POV, First Kill, and Club Fusion.
"These two are a great start," said Temkin. I have my eye on some more players and will look to make a couple more additions in the near future." Grceva and Smith join a Hawk Volleyball Team that lost only three players. Jana Milin, the 2002 and 2003 MEAC Player of the Year returns alongside Aja Smith, Mamie Lewis, Marlee Johnson, Eriel Jeffery, Alex Turner, and a host of others.
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