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Mountaineers Add Eight for 2017
November 09, 2016 03:39 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Nov. 9, 2016) – West Virginia University volleyball coach Reed Sunahara announced today that the Mountaineers will add eight newcomers for the 2017 season. Katie DeMeo (Troy, Ohio/Troy), Chloe Klusman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), Briana Lynch (Johns Creek, Ga./Chattahoochee), Lindsay Proctor (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island), Emma Granger (Dalton, Ohio/Dalton), Alexa Hasting (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder), Allison Hughes (Cypress, Texas/Woods) and Ava Richards (Boynton Beach, Fla./Spanish River Community) have committed to play for WVU next fall.
“We have a talented class coming in this year,” said Sunahara, who is in his second season at the helm of the Mountaineers. “These signees will add to our young crew and will make us better and more competitive in the years to come."
DeMeo joins the Mountaineers out of Troy, Ohio, where she played for Michelle Owen at Troy High and Randy Cline at Elite Volleyball. A 6-foot-3 middle blocker/outside hitter, DeMeo is an Under Armour All-American who was also the GWOC Player of the Year. She was a first-team all-conference, all-district and state all-star team honoree for the Trojans who was also named the Buffalo Wild Wings Athlete of the Week and Channel 7 Athlete of the Week. DeMeo is the daughter of Mike and Karen.
“We are excited to have Katie in our program,” said Sunahara. “She will add size and versatility to our front line. Her physical presence will be impactful from an offensive and defensive standpoint.”
Klusman, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker/right side, hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. She played for Mother of Mercy High under Denise Harvey and for Tri State Elite 18-1 under the direction of Kevin Lucas. In 2016, she was a First Team GGCL and all-city first-team honoree after helping the Bobcats to the GGCL and district championships. Klusman ranked in the top-10 of the league in blocking as both a junior and a senior and was top 10 in kills in 2016. After earning GGCL Honorable Mention as a junior, she was selected for the all-star match and earned a spot on the SWOCVA All-Academic Team as a senior. Klusman helped her NKYVC 15-1 team to second place in the national bracket, helped the 16-1 squad to 29th in the open bracket and guided TSE 17-1 to 34th in the open bracket. She is the daughter of Matthew, a former Eastern Michigan football player, and Renee.
“Chloe is a hard-working, versatile player,” said Sunahara. “Her determination and work ethic will raise the level of commitment to excellence in our program. She will give us size and options in our offensive and defensive schemes.”
A 6-foot-2 middle blocker from Johns Creek, Georgia, Lynch played for T.J. Lemons at Chattahoochee and Bob Westbrook at A5 Pure Volleyball. She was named to the 7A All-Area First Team as well as the 6A All-Region First Team, and earned Chattahoochee’s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2015. Lynch was named to the GVCA All-Area First Team and helped the Cougars to a runner-up finish in the Georgia state tournament in 2013. The daughter of Rodney and Mimi, Lynch intends to major in biology/pre-med at WVU.
“Briana will give us depth in the middle blocking position,” said Sunahara. “Her speed and agility will add to our existing core at middle blocker. Her high level club experience will allow her to compete for a spot right away.”
Proctor comes to Morgantown from Grand Island, New York, where she played for John Head at Grand Island High and Kathy Neelon and Stephen Pierce at Niagara Frontier. A 5-foot-8 defensive specialist, she is the program’s career leader in digs and aces and is a five-time all-league honoree as well as a two-time All-Western New York honoree. Proctor was the 2014 Niagara Gazette Player of the Year and was Grand Island’s Athlete of the Year as both a sophomore and junior, helping the Vikings to the Niagara Frontier League Championship in 2011, 2012 and 2016. Proctor earned all-tournament team honors as a member of the USAV National Championship (National Division) team in 2014, and was a USAV Bronze Champion in 2016. She won the Best Digger Award at the Capitol Hill Classic in 2015 and was named an all-league honoree for the North Coast Power League in 2016. Proctor earned a spot on the USA Select Continental Team in 2013 and qualified for USAV Beach Nationals in 2015. She is the daughter of Thomas and Jill.
“Lindsay will give us the ball control that we are looking for from the serve reception and defensive areas,” said Sunahara. “She has good range and plays hard. Her work ethic will be great for our culture in the gym.”
Granger joins the Mountaineers out of Dalton, Ohio, where she played for Dalton High under the direction of Allison Hochstetler and for Mike Sweitzer at Maverick Volleyball Club. A 6-foot-4 middle blocker, she is a three-time Daily Record First Team honoree as well as the Daily Record’s MVP. Granger was twice named first team all-county and has also earned second team all-county honors. She was the all-county MVP in 2015 before earning all-district MVP accolades in 2016, when she was named First Team All-Ohio Division 4 after helping the Bulldogs win regionals and qualify for the state tournament. A three-time all-district first team honoree, Granger earned both second and third team All-Ohio accolades. She was a member of the High Performance and All-Star AAU National teams. A class president and National Honor Society member, Granger is the daughter of Adam and Angie. Her sister, Makena, plays volleyball for Cincinnati Christian University.
“Emma will add even more depth to our middle blocker position,” said Sunahara.”Her physical presence and work ethic will be a great addition to our program.”
Hasting, a 5-foot-10 defensive specialist, is a native of Plain City, Ohio. She played for coach T.J. Read at Jonathan Alder High and also played for Read and Katie Welsh at Elite VBTC. Hasting helped the Pioneers to district championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016, earning first team all-district honors in 2015 and 2016 in addition to player of the year accolades in 2015. She was named to the Under Armour All-American Watch List in 2015 and 2016, earning All-America special mention in 2015. Helping the Pioneers to a runner-up finish at the 2015 state tournament, she was named First Team All-Ohio and was named the Columbus Dispatch Player of the Week. Hasting was named all-district and all-conference as a freshman in 2015 and was named First Team All-Conference (MOAC) in 2015 and 2016. She is a four-time MOAC Scholar-Athlete. With her club team, Hasting helped the squad qualify for GJNC in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. The team placed first at Big South, Northern Lights and the President’s Cup. The daughter of Doug and Deirdre, she intends to major in sports psychology at WVU.
“Ball control, court awareness and volleyball IQ is what Alexa will bring to our program,” said Sunahara. “She is hard working and will make her teammates around her better.”
A 5-foot-11 setter, Hughes comes to West Virginia from Cypress, Texas. She played for Ashley Ahlfinger at Woods High and for Latisha Brown at Willowbrook 18 Gold. In 2016, Hughes was named to the AVCA Under Armour All-America Watch List and was the AVCA National Player of the Week for the State of Texas. She is a two- time 17-6A Academic All-District honoree, a two-time 17-6A Second Team All-District honoree and a 17-5A Academic All-District honoree. Hughes was named to the both the 2014 and 2015 Youth A1 Lonestar Region High Performance Teams and the Mizuno Texas Showdown All-Tournament Team, as well as Lone Star Volleyball’s All-Texas Team Watch List. In 2013, Hughes helped her club team to second place at the 2013 USAV Lone Star Classic National Qualifier and Junior Nationals as well as the 2015 USAV Lone Star Classic National Qualifier. She also took first at the 2014 USAV High Performance Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The daughter of Bob and Tracy, Hughes will major in education at WVU.
“Allison will give us depth at the setting position,” said Sunahara. “Her size, experience and leadership will make our gym more competitive.”
Richards is a 5-foot-7 defensive specialist out of Boynton Beach, Florida, where she played for Karen Adams at Spanish River Community High and Mike Zarate at Ocean Breeze Volleyball. She was named to the all-county and all-district teams in 2015 and was listed as a “Top Five Player to Watch” in Palm Beach County in 2016. Richards is a four-time winner of the Best Defensive Player Award for the varsity squad and was a team captain in 2016. The daughter of Robert and Riva, she intends to major in chemical engineering.
“Ava will solidify our ball control and back row defense,” said Richards. “Her experience playing on the beach will help with her indoor game. She is extremely driven on the court and in the classroom.”
The Mountaineers will take on Kansas State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum.
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