The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Demers Inks Four Newcomers to NLIs
2/7/2018 2:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB women's soccer head coach Erica Demers announced on Wednesday the addition of four high school seniors that have each signed an NLI to play for the Blazers next season.
This quartet will help the Blazers build off a 2017 season that saw UAB (13-4-3, 7-2-1) finish one of its best years in school history and feature one of the top turnarounds in the NCAA. Under the direction of Demers, UAB won nine more games than all of 2016 and recording the most victories since 2004. In addition, the Blazers went from just one Conference USA win in 2016 to seven this past season.
Brenda Bishop
Midfield | 5-8 | Navarre, Fla. | Navarre High School
Bishop is a four-year letterwinner as both a midfielder and defender under head coach Rob Simon at Navarre High School. Individually, Bishop was tabbed all-district in 2015 and 2016 and was selected as player of the week once in 2017. She helped the Raiders reach the state semifinal as a freshman and has since been a part of teams that appeared in the regional quarterfinals and regional semifinals. Bishop is also a member of the National Junior Honor Society, National Honor Society and the Student Government Association.
"We are very excited to bring Brenda into our program," Demers said. "She is a very athletic, versatile player that is a member of the Gulf Coast Texans in Florida. We will look to utilize her strengths in the middle of the field. She is very good on the ball and has the vision needed to help us move the ball forward. Brenda will be a player, like many in this 2018 class, that will look to compete and make an impact both on and off the field."
"When looking at other colleges, none of them felt as right as UAB did," Bishop said. "Being on the campus felt like being at home and I couldn't imagine going to school and playing anywhere else. I can't wait to be at UAB and be a Blazer."
Tay Collum
Midfield | 5-6 | Brandon, Miss. | Northwest Rankin High School
Collum is a four-year letterwinner as both a midfielder and defender at Northwest Rankin High School under head coach Dean Joseph. She was named the 2017 Mississippi Preps High School Female Soccer Player of the Year after leading the Cougars to the Mississippi 6A State Championship last season. Collum was also a 2017 Mississippi Preps First Team All-State selection and a Mississippi Preps Female Athlete of the Year finalist. Additionally, as a junior, Collum earned a spot on the Top Drawer Southeast Winter All-Region High School Team and was tabbed the Northwest Rankin Most Valuable Midfielder.
In 2016 as a sophomore, she was named Mississippi Preps Second Team All-State and was again the Northwest Rankin Most Valuable Player. Collum's career jump started early when she was tabbed the State Games of Mississippi 7v7 Female Athlete of the Year in 2015 as a freshman. Collum owns the Northwest Rankin school record for goals in a game with four and finished that game with nine points as she added an assist in a 5-1 victory over Starkville in a district game in 2016. She netted the game-winning goal in overtime to beat Madison Central in district play in 2017 for the Cougars' first win over Madison Central since 2007. Collum also delivered the game-tying assist in the 2017 Mississippi 6A State Championship game that would ultimately lead to a 2-1 overtime victory. In addition, she assisted on the game-tying goal that allowed Northwest Rankin to earn a 2-1 overtime victory over Madison Central in the North State game.
"Tay will bring an added element of depth to our backline," Demers said. "She is the starting center back for her Mississippi Rush team and is a player that has the versatility to play centrally if needed. She will bring an athletic presence to our team, can cover a lot of ground and is someone that absolutely loves the game. She is a solid all-around player that will be an asset to our team."
"I chose UAB because I fell in love with the atmosphere around the team," Collum said. "I love how the campus is like its own city and I can't wait to be a part of the UAB Blazer family."
Ashley McCown
Midfield | 5-5 | Marietta, Ga. | Mount Vernon Presbyterian School
McCown played under head coach Gavino Asteghene and Deairra Hobson and was a four-year letterwinner at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Sandy Springs, Ga. Playing at forward and defender for the Mustangs, McCown was named all-state and was selected as team captain in both her sophomore and junior years. She played club soccer for the Metro North YMCA Strikers Club and with Ambush Club U19 in Athena A.
"We first saw Ashley at an Alabama ID camp and we were taken back by her speed and athleticism," Demers said. "Ashley comes from Marietta, Ga., and is a player that we are thrilled to add to our frontline. She is a dangerous player in the final third, specializing in being able to find herself in behind backlines and breaking down defenders on the width. She will add a big component to a team that was a threat this past fall in the final third."
"I chose UAB because I could feel the bond of the team and of the city as a whole," McCown said. "The campus was nice and I was impressed by the vision of the coaches. I also picked UAB because of the medical schools and the proximity to the hospitals downtown. Birmingham is a gorgeous city and it's the perfect distance from my home in Georgia."
Isabelle Varnado
Midfield | 5-3 | Charleston, S.C. | Fort Dorchester High School
Varnado is a versatile athlete and two-time team captain that plays forward, midfield and defense for head coach Taryn Floyd at Fort Dorchester High School. She scored 17 goals and delivered 14 assists last season as a junior and was named 7AAAAA All-Region and was a member of the All-Lowcountry Team. Varnado was also selected as the 2017 Fort Dorchester High School Offensive Player of the Year and the Women's Soccer MVP.
Varnado tallied 21 goals and 25 assists as a sophomore in 2016 and earned All-Region 8AAAA accolades. As a freshman in 2015, she finished with 13 goals and 19 assists en route to earning a spot on the Azalea Cup All-Tournament Team.
"Izzy comes from a great Elite Club National League club in the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy and is coached by a great coach in Andrew Hyslop," Demers said. "She is a good athlete that can get up and down the flank and is highly capable of attacking out of the back. She will be a great addition to create from our backline and we are very excited about what she can bring to our program. Izzy is a very good one-on-one defender and will make it hard for opponents to utilize the flank in their attack."
"As soon as I walked on campus and met Coach Erica I knew UAB was the place for me," Varnado said. "I loved the coaches and the family atmosphere of the team."
For more information on UAB women's soccer, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WSOC), Instagram (@UAB_WSOC) and Snapchat (@UABAthletics).
This quartet will help the Blazers build off a 2017 season that saw UAB (13-4-3, 7-2-1) finish one of its best years in school history and feature one of the top turnarounds in the NCAA. Under the direction of Demers, UAB won nine more games than all of 2016 and recording the most victories since 2004. In addition, the Blazers went from just one Conference USA win in 2016 to seven this past season.
Brenda Bishop
Midfield | 5-8 | Navarre, Fla. | Navarre High School
Bishop is a four-year letterwinner as both a midfielder and defender under head coach Rob Simon at Navarre High School. Individually, Bishop was tabbed all-district in 2015 and 2016 and was selected as player of the week once in 2017. She helped the Raiders reach the state semifinal as a freshman and has since been a part of teams that appeared in the regional quarterfinals and regional semifinals. Bishop is also a member of the National Junior Honor Society, National Honor Society and the Student Government Association.
"We are very excited to bring Brenda into our program," Demers said. "She is a very athletic, versatile player that is a member of the Gulf Coast Texans in Florida. We will look to utilize her strengths in the middle of the field. She is very good on the ball and has the vision needed to help us move the ball forward. Brenda will be a player, like many in this 2018 class, that will look to compete and make an impact both on and off the field."
"When looking at other colleges, none of them felt as right as UAB did," Bishop said. "Being on the campus felt like being at home and I couldn't imagine going to school and playing anywhere else. I can't wait to be at UAB and be a Blazer."
Tay Collum
Midfield | 5-6 | Brandon, Miss. | Northwest Rankin High School
Collum is a four-year letterwinner as both a midfielder and defender at Northwest Rankin High School under head coach Dean Joseph. She was named the 2017 Mississippi Preps High School Female Soccer Player of the Year after leading the Cougars to the Mississippi 6A State Championship last season. Collum was also a 2017 Mississippi Preps First Team All-State selection and a Mississippi Preps Female Athlete of the Year finalist. Additionally, as a junior, Collum earned a spot on the Top Drawer Southeast Winter All-Region High School Team and was tabbed the Northwest Rankin Most Valuable Midfielder.
In 2016 as a sophomore, she was named Mississippi Preps Second Team All-State and was again the Northwest Rankin Most Valuable Player. Collum's career jump started early when she was tabbed the State Games of Mississippi 7v7 Female Athlete of the Year in 2015 as a freshman. Collum owns the Northwest Rankin school record for goals in a game with four and finished that game with nine points as she added an assist in a 5-1 victory over Starkville in a district game in 2016. She netted the game-winning goal in overtime to beat Madison Central in district play in 2017 for the Cougars' first win over Madison Central since 2007. Collum also delivered the game-tying assist in the 2017 Mississippi 6A State Championship game that would ultimately lead to a 2-1 overtime victory. In addition, she assisted on the game-tying goal that allowed Northwest Rankin to earn a 2-1 overtime victory over Madison Central in the North State game.
"Tay will bring an added element of depth to our backline," Demers said. "She is the starting center back for her Mississippi Rush team and is a player that has the versatility to play centrally if needed. She will bring an athletic presence to our team, can cover a lot of ground and is someone that absolutely loves the game. She is a solid all-around player that will be an asset to our team."
"I chose UAB because I fell in love with the atmosphere around the team," Collum said. "I love how the campus is like its own city and I can't wait to be a part of the UAB Blazer family."
Ashley McCown
Midfield | 5-5 | Marietta, Ga. | Mount Vernon Presbyterian School
McCown played under head coach Gavino Asteghene and Deairra Hobson and was a four-year letterwinner at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Sandy Springs, Ga. Playing at forward and defender for the Mustangs, McCown was named all-state and was selected as team captain in both her sophomore and junior years. She played club soccer for the Metro North YMCA Strikers Club and with Ambush Club U19 in Athena A.
"We first saw Ashley at an Alabama ID camp and we were taken back by her speed and athleticism," Demers said. "Ashley comes from Marietta, Ga., and is a player that we are thrilled to add to our frontline. She is a dangerous player in the final third, specializing in being able to find herself in behind backlines and breaking down defenders on the width. She will add a big component to a team that was a threat this past fall in the final third."
"I chose UAB because I could feel the bond of the team and of the city as a whole," McCown said. "The campus was nice and I was impressed by the vision of the coaches. I also picked UAB because of the medical schools and the proximity to the hospitals downtown. Birmingham is a gorgeous city and it's the perfect distance from my home in Georgia."
Isabelle Varnado
Midfield | 5-3 | Charleston, S.C. | Fort Dorchester High School
Varnado is a versatile athlete and two-time team captain that plays forward, midfield and defense for head coach Taryn Floyd at Fort Dorchester High School. She scored 17 goals and delivered 14 assists last season as a junior and was named 7AAAAA All-Region and was a member of the All-Lowcountry Team. Varnado was also selected as the 2017 Fort Dorchester High School Offensive Player of the Year and the Women's Soccer MVP.
Varnado tallied 21 goals and 25 assists as a sophomore in 2016 and earned All-Region 8AAAA accolades. As a freshman in 2015, she finished with 13 goals and 19 assists en route to earning a spot on the Azalea Cup All-Tournament Team.
"Izzy comes from a great Elite Club National League club in the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy and is coached by a great coach in Andrew Hyslop," Demers said. "She is a good athlete that can get up and down the flank and is highly capable of attacking out of the back. She will be a great addition to create from our backline and we are very excited about what she can bring to our program. Izzy is a very good one-on-one defender and will make it hard for opponents to utilize the flank in their attack."
"As soon as I walked on campus and met Coach Erica I knew UAB was the place for me," Varnado said. "I loved the coaches and the family atmosphere of the team."
For more information on UAB women's soccer, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WSOC), Instagram (@UAB_WSOC) and Snapchat (@UABAthletics).
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