The UCSD women’s volleyball team, coming off an impressive 21-10 season that included a playoff berth in the NCAA Division II regionals, needed to replace four players who graduated from last year’s squad. It has successfully done that.

Four top prep athletes have signed letters of intent to play for the Tritons next season.

According to the team’s head coach Duncan McFarland, these are top athletes who can contribute to the Tritons immediately.

“”This recruiting class is the strongest UCSD has ever had in women’s volleyball,”" McFarland stated in a June press release.

The Tritons lost Leslie Punelli, the team’s 2001 co-captain and MVP; Christine Kueneman, the team’s other co-captain; Shannon Hawes and Kearney Visser.

Attempting to fill their shoes will be Kim Bender, Stacy Dunsmore, Teresa Ohta and Kendra Canape.

Bender is an outside hitter from Jamul, Calif. She is the younger sister of former UCSD volleyball player Allison Bender, who in 2000 earned the Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award. Kim Bender was a two-time all-league selection at Grossmont High School and was team captain for two seasons. She also played for five years with Club Pacific.

Dunsmore is a 5-10 outside hitter from Vista High School in Oceanside, Calif. She should prove to be a potent addition to the Tritons’ offensive attack. Dunsmore played for Sunwest Volleyball Club.

Replacing Kueneman, who led UCSD with 714 assists in her senior season, will be Ohta, a 5-6 setter from Cypress, Calif. In addition to playing for Whitney High School, she was also a member of the Cal Juniors Red team, one of the top club programs in the nation last year.

The final addition to the Tritons’ roster will be Canape, a 6-1 middle blocker from Brea Olinda High School in Brea, Calif. She showed tremendous athleticism in high school; she ran track and was voted “”Most Athletic”" in her senior class. Canape also played for the Impact Club team.

With these additions to the squad, the team may improve on last year’s 21 wins. From the looks of this recruiting class, it has a pretty good chance of doing it.