BRONX, N.Y. – Welcoming five newcomers to its 2025 roster this fall, Fordham University Volleyball Head Coach Ian Choi announced Monday the latest recruiting class for the Rams, bringing in a quintet of freshmen to add depth at all positions.

Hailing from Texas, Florida, Michigan, California, and Arizona, the 2025 recruiting class features talent across the front row in outside hitter Mikaela Brennan, middle blocker Sophia Oliveira, and right-side hitter Avery Booth. The Rams also bring in Addison Newblatt at the libero/defensive specialist spots, and Ana Del Angel Aguilar at the setter position.

Mikaela Brennan | Outside Hitter | Laguna Niguel, Ca.

Playing for indoor and beach volleyball across her volleyball career, Mikaela Brennan served as a two time team captain for JSerra Catholic High School, and was ranked the No. 14 outside hitter in the state of California by PrepDig her junior season. A 2023 First Team selection at the CIF Beach Tournament, her team claimed the CIF-SS title that season, and the year prior she was named team MVP.

Playing on the club side for TStreet 16-Naseri, Brennan was also named to the JVA West Coast All-Tournament Team in 2023. Brennan plans to major in Biology.

Coach Choi on Brennan: "Mikaela is going to provide our program with some solid depth at either pin position. Getting to see her compete over the years, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to see her rightside block develop in addition to her offensive abilities on the outside."

Sophia Oliveira | Middle Blocker | Pompano Beach, Fla.

Sophia Oliveira committed to the Maroon and White back in the fall, graduating from Boca Raton Community High School as the No. 1 blocker in school history with 249.0 total blocks. A 6'2 middle blocker, Oliviera was an All-County First Team selection her senior year, and was also named a team captain last season, while in the classroom she was both a four-year honor roll member and earned a Gold Biliteracy Seal.

On the club side, Oliviera played for Tribe 18 Elite Cardinal, winning a U17 AAU Open National Championship.

Coach Choi on Sophia: "Sophia has been playing at such a high level for some time now, so I'm excited to see her skills and athleticism seamlessly transfer to the Division I game."

Avery Boothe | Right-Side Hitter | Gilbert, Ariz.

Playing four years of indoor and three additional years of beach volleyball, Avery Boothe was a two-time All-CUSD selection the last two seasons at Perry High School, also earning All-Premier Region honors as a team captain her senior year. At the club level for Arizona Storm 18 Thunder, she helped her team to a third place finish in the national division on the U15 squad, and finished runners up in the American U16 division. An honors scholar all four years of high school, Boothe plans to major in Pre-Health Sciences at Fordham.

Coach Choi on Boothe: "Avery has the physicality to positively impact our oppo- depth chart. And since she had the opportunity to compete with a former national championship squad, I'm excited to see how we can diversify our offensive systems with her on the floor."

Addison Newblatt | Libero/DS | Clarkson, Mich.

Adding depth to the back row Addison Newblatt excelled at both the high school and club level, playing four years at Clarkson High School, named All-League selection the last two seasons, and All-Region in 2023. A team captain for her high school team her senior year, she was a Legacy 15-1Adidas National Champion with Michigan Elite, a top ten club team in the country.

Coach Choi on Newblatt: "Newblatt has the right attitude as a defensive specialist. She reads the hitter well with a fearless approach to dig the ball. She'll certainly challenge some hitters."

Ana Del Angel Aguilar | Setter | The Woodlands, Texas

Rounding out the 2025 recruiting class is Ana Del Angel Aguilar, who played four years of volleyball at both The Woodlands College Park and the John Cooper School, named a team captain across all four seasons. Named to the AVCA Phenom List in both 2023 and 2024, Aguilar claimed varsity offensive MVP in 2024 and All-Zone SPC South honors her senior year as well as being named to the GHCVA Preseason Watch List ahead of last season.

With the Houston Skyline on the club side, she helped her team place second and qualify for nationals at SEQ. A two time honor-roll member, Aguilar plans to major in economics.

Coach Choi on Ana: "I was impressed with how Ana runs a fluid offense, finding the middles and ways to side out particularly in medium system situations."

Stay tuned to FordhamSports.com and the Fordham Volleyball social channels later this summer for updates on the 2025 schedule for the Rams.