Mt Hood's Saasha Jacobson Signs with Southwestern Oklahoma

From the Southwestern Oklahoma Website

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – New Southwestern Oklahoma State University volleyball coach Josh Collins continues to fine tune the Bulldogs upcoming roster with the announcement of four new student-athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent to play for him next season.

They are Daiane Souza, Christina Darras, Allison Cole and Saasha Jacobson. Each will join earlier signees Kaila Lancaster and Bree Fritschow to bring the total of new players to six. Collins said he expects to sign a handful of others in the coming weeks.

Souza is a 5-9 outside hitter from Santa Isabel, Brazil. She was one of the top players on a Seward County Community College team that finished with a 25-16 record and advanced to the NJCAA Region VI Championship. She averaged 2.5 kills per game and 2.48 digs per game. She was an all-conference performer as a freshman, hammering out 348 kills to lead Lady Saints to second place in the regional tournament. “We knew that Daiane was a player that we needed when we first saw her as a freshman,” Collins said. “She is very explosive off the floor and has the ability to hit the ball with power. She brings with her, a very contagious positive attitude. I know that she is going to make us better, both on and off the floor.”

Jacobson is a 5-9 defensive specialist/libero who played at Oregon’s Mt. Hood Community College. She helped her team to a 35-4 record and was considered one of the top defensive players in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. She was among the team and region leaders in ace percentage serves and was selected as the defensive player-of-the-week after the season’s third week. She is a graduate of California’s Mission Viejo High School and played on two of the top club teams in the state -- Laguna Beach and TCA Southern.

“Saasha will have an immediate impact on our overall team defense,” Collins said. “She brings a smooth style of play with pinpoint passing and a tremendous amount of athleticism. She is so dynamic, that we could play her in a number of positions. She is a big time player and brings a lot to our program.” Cole is a 6-1 middle blocker from Highland Community College where she was a second-team, all-conference pick and a first-team, all-region selection. She also was a member of the school’s basketball team and was a national placer in the high jump in track. She averaged 2.6 kills and 2.1 digs for a Scottie team that finished the season with a 22-9 record.

“Alison is a very athletic middle blocker,” Collins said. “Her background in basketball and track give her the ability to jump well off of two legs or one leg, so she can hit a wide variety of shots effectively and consistently. She puts up a huge block that will help us in our attempts to control our offense heavy conference. “ Darras is a 6-0, middle blocker/right-side hitter from Scottsdale Community College where she was an honorable mention selection to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference all-conference team. She was also named the ACCAC Player-of-the-week for her efforts in leading the Fighting Artichokes in conference play. A graduate of Gilbert High School where, Darras was named to the second-team, all-region in both her junior and senior years by the East Valley Tribune.

“Christina is a very versatile player who can fill any position on the front row,” Collins said. “She thinks the game well and has a very high volleyball IQ.”