Nov. 21, 2012

MILWAUKEE - Myanna Ruiz of Racine, Wis., and Kaisa Mattson of Woodbury, Minn., have signed National Letters of Intent to play volleyball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, head coach Susie Johnson announced today.

Both players are currently seniors in high school and will join the Panthers in the fall of 2013.

Ruiz is a standout from Racine Park High School who has claimed Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors for the last two seasons. She is a four-time First-Team All-SEC honoree and has won her team's most valuable player award for the last three years. She has also been First-Team All-Racine County following each of the last three seasons after claiming second-team honors as a freshman.

As a standout with the Wisconsin Juniors volleyball club, Ruiz was on the AAU All-American team after her 16-1 squad finished fifth in the nation.

She is also a leader in the classroom, landing a place on the honor roll throughout her high school career.

"Myanna is a really good athlete," Johnson said. "She is fast, jumps high and is a real fighter who can play multiple positions. We're excited to bring her in and even more excited to see where she fits in. I am also really happy to bring in someone from my hometown of Racine. She's a great addition to our program."

Mattson has been a standout on the varsity team at Tartan High School in suburban Minneapolis for the last four years. Over her career, she tallied 653 kills, 135 aces and 207 blocks, including 71 solo blocks. She earned all-conference recognition in each of her final three seasons and was her team's most valuable player as a senior.

As a sophomore, Mattson was an Elite 50 underclassmen and one of the top Section 4AAA players in the state. Then she was placed on the top 75 juniors list and the top 100 seniors list, claiming a spot on the All-Section Team for 4AAA as a senior. Mattson plays her club volleyball for Minnesota One and is currently on the 18-1 squad.

"Kaisa is our second Minnesota recruit in recent seasons and it is a nice tie-in since we have two assistant coaches from Minnesota," Johnson said. "She is a really strong, physical middle blocker. She has a good sense of leadership and a good understanding of how to compete. I'm very excited to see how we can fit her into our program."

Ruiz and Mattson will join a Panther team that loses just two seniors following the 2012 campaign. Two-time all-league honoree Rachel Neuberger leads the list of returnees, while all-league setter Kayla Price is expected back in the lineup after missing nearly the entire 2012 season with an injury.