Volleyball Lands Four Additions to 2015 Roster
11/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Head coach Debbie Humphreys and the Stephen F. Austin women's volleyball team will welcome four new student-athletes to the fold at the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year. The highly touted class will be made up of two outside hitters, a middle blocker and a setter, Humphreys announced Wednesday morning.
Haley Coleman (OH, Rockwall Heath HS), McKenzie Brewer (S, Southlake Carroll HS), Makenzee Hanna (MB/OH, Grace Preparatory Academy) and Makayla Randle (OH, Cinco Ranch HS) will all continue their volleyball careers at SFA.
All four athletes are expected to play huge roles for the SFA volleyball program.
"We are extremely excited about the 2015 class," said Humphreys. "They have all had huge impacts on their high school and club teams. They are great athletes and volleyball players. Their transition to Division I volleyball should happen fairly quickly and we expect them all to have great careers at SFA."
Coleman will join a talented group of outside hitters at SFA in the fall of 2015. The Rockwall, Texas native played for the Madfrog club team and led her Rockwall Heath High School squad to the regional quarterfinals earlier this week. Coleman is a First-Team All-District performer, as well as outstanding attacker of the district. Haley was listed on the Under Armour Top 100 Players to Watch list. She has also been named to the Academic All-District team during her high school career, as well as being recognized as a Senior Scholar at Rockwall Heath.
"Haley is an extremely dynamic athlete," Humphreys said. "She has the ball control skills of a libero and also has an amazing jump and arm swing. Haley has the tools to make an immediate impact at the outside hitter position."
Coleman will have a familiar face distributing balls to her at the next level as Madfrog teammate and 5-10 setter McKenzie Brewer also signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Brewer has picked up several big awards during her high school career. She has been named All-District, selected to the Pearland All-Tournament team and honored as a Lonestarvolleyball.com Player of the Week. The Grapevine, Texas native also cracked the Under Armour Top 100 Players to Watch list for her outstanding play. Brewer's Southlake Carroll team has qualified for the Regional Tournament this upcoming weekend.
"McKenzie is a solid setter and she has great command of the floor," said Humphreys. "Leadership at the setting position is crucial and McKenzie does that naturally. She is an extremely hard worker and will get better and better throughout her entire career."
Signing from DeSoto, Texas on Wednesday, Hanna is an athlete expected to play multiple roles for the Ladyjacks right away. She has played both the middle blocker and outside hitter positions over her career, most recently with Grace Preparatory Academy and with her club team, Texas Image. A 6-0 presence at the net, Hanna led her team to a Texas State Championship as a freshman and has since been named to the All-Tournament team, First Team All-District, First Team All-State and Offensive Player of the Year over her career. She was also an All-Tournament Team selection at Nationals in 2013 and was listed on the Under Armour Top 100 Players to Watch list.
Just last week, Hanna led her high school team to the TAPPS Class 3A state title and was named MVP of the tournament.
"Makenzee is an extremely physical volleyball player," said Humphreys. "She plays hard and can play a variety of front row positions. We are really excited to be the coaches that get to help her take her game to the next level."
Randle will attack the pins, predominantly from the right side, when she joins the Ladyjacks next fall. Like her future teammates in the 2015 class, Randle has experienced a lot of success early in her volleyball career. She is an All-District and Academic All-District performer, leading her team to a district championship as a senior and a trip to the regional quarterfinals earlier this week. Randle was selected to the "Fab 50 List" by Vype Magazine and the Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association. A team captain, Randle has led her club team - the Houston Jrs. - to the silver medal at Nationals.
"Makayla is going to make her mark on the SLC throughout her career," said Humphreys. "Every time we see her play, she has improved. She is a player with a tremendous work ethic and she is a great teammate. She is always looking for ways to improve her own game, as well as ways to make her teammates better. She is a great addition to our program and a wonderful fit for SFA."
The 2014 Ladyjacks will wrap up the regular season this week with matches on the road against Abilene Christian on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. and Incarnate Word on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. SFA is currently on a 14-match winning streak and has clinched the 2014 SLC regular season title. The Ladyjacks hope to keep the streak alive as the regular season concludes this weekend.
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