The Florida Gator volleyball team signed two student-athletes, including one from the state of Florida, to National Letters of Intent for the 2000 recruiting class, Coach Mary Wise announced Wednesday.

Sherri Williams (Orlando, Fla./Edgewater), a member of the 1999 US Youth National Team, and Jacque Robinson (Merced, Calif./Golden Valley), a two-time MVP of the Central California Conference, comprise the class.

"Sherri and Jacque are two talented athletes that will make us better immediately," Wise said. "Gator fans will love watching their skills and enthusiasm they bring to the court.

"Sherri’s strength is in her foot speed and jumping ability. We haven’t had many players who are as quick off the floor as Sherri. She will be a major player in this program."

Williams, a product of the Orlando Volleyball Academy, helped the United States place sixth in the Youth World Volleyball Championships held in Madiera, Portugal, Sept. 4-12, 1999. She was also selected as an alternate as a junior to the US Youth National Team. The 6-2 middle blocker will bring an elite level of club experience to Florida. Williams is a two-time Amateur Athletic Union All-American. Her team placed second nationally this past summer and third in 1998. In 1998, she was asked to join her club's 16-and-under competition team, which went on to place third at the Junior National Tournament in Dallas, Texas. In 1999, her team finished tied for 11^th at Junior Nationals in New Orleans, La.

Edgewater High School Coach Sue Nadeau retired Williams' jersey (No. 3) in 1999 after the squad finished 28-4 as District Champions and Class 6A Regional Finalists. As a junior, Williams was named the State Class 6A and District 10 Player of the Year by the Florida Sports Awards and Florida Athletic Coaches Association, respectively. In 1999, she was the Orange County Player of the Year. She is also a two-time Florida Sports Writer's Association All-State first team honoree, all-county and all-Metro Conference first-team player.

Only the second player to start on the varsity squad all four years, Williams earned all-conference second team and all-county special mention honors as a freshman in 1996. That year, her high school team reached the State Class 6A Final Four, a run during which Williams notched a single-match, career-high 10 solo blocks. Williams was also named the Orlando Sentinel Athlete of the Week Sept. 22 and was one of only 36 players selected for the USA High Performance Camp in San Jose, Calif. Williams missed two-thirds of her sophomore season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and receiving arthroscopic surgery in March 1997.

"Jacque has the unique talent of being able to play more than one position," Wise said of her second recruit. "She can play the middle or either outside hitting position. Jacque is a very physical player who has the ability to dominate at the net."

After only joining the sport as a high school freshman, Robinson made a sudden impact and started varsity the next season. She set school records with 1,204 career kills and 385 career blocks. In her senior campaign, she set school single-season records with 679 kills and 162 blocks. A 6-2 outside hitter from the Delta Valley USA Juniors Club Team, Robinson was a first-team all-district selection and team MVP as a junior and senior. In 1999, Golden Valley went undefeated in the Central California Conference and finished as a Northern California Regional Semifinalist. She was named the Cal High Sports magazine Athlete of the Week in October that year. Additionally, Robinson was elected homecoming queen.

Robinson is also a three-time basketball letterwinner. She currently leads the district with 19.0 points per game and 16.2 rebounds per game, and recently reset her own school single-game record with 30 rebounds. At the international Surf and Slam Tournament in San Diego, Calif., this season, she racked up a tournament-best 62 points and was named to the all-tournament team. A two-time letterwinner in swimming, Robinson has also set the school's 50-meter butterfly record. She was undefeated as a freshman and sophomore in that event until she finished runner-up in the 1997 conference meet.