Ladyjacks Add Taya Mitchell to 2019 Recruiting Class
4/15/2019 12:26:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Former Tyler Junior College star inks NLI to play at SFA beginning in 2019-20
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Another 2018 NJCAA Division I First Team All-American has signed on with the SFA volleyball team for 2019 and beyond as announced Friday by head coach and director of volleyball Debbie Humphreys.
Rowlett, Texas, native and former Tyler Junior College star Taya Mitchell inked her NLI to join the Ladyjacks, joining a group of nine other newcomers who will sport SFA jerseys for the first time in 2019. Mitchell and incoming junior outside hitter Shelby Sheets were each listed on the 12-woman NJCAA Division I First Team All-American list this past season.
Taya Mitchell | 5-11 | MB | Rowlett, Texas/Rowlett HS/Tyler Junior College
Only a handful of junior college volleyball players from around the nation constructed a season as memorable as Mitchell did during her final year of deployment at Tyler Junior College. While playing alongside fellow 2019 SFA signee Sheretta Hill, Mitchell helped lead the Lady Apaches to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I National Volleyball Tournament.
Arguably the best threat at both offense and defense boasted by the Apaches, Mitchell led TJC in blocks per set with an average of 1.11. That average was broken down into 109 block assists and 25 of the squad's 77 solo rejections. Offensively her 274 terminations throughout the team's 37-match season ranked second on the squad as did her kills per set average of 2.26. Her attack percentage of .334 made her one of just three players on the squad who hit above .300 and ranked as the second-highest on the team.
For her efforts, Mitchell raked in a multitude of impressive individual accolades including NJCAA Division I First Team All-America, AVCA Two-Year College First Team All-America, NJCAA All-Region XIV First Team, All-Conference First Team and NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team.
As a freshman at TJC in 2017, Mitchell latched onto her first First Team All-Conference honor by averaging 2.14 kills and a team-leading 1.23 blocks. For her two-year career in an Apache uniform, Mitchell amassed 531 kills and 282 blocks while helping her team rack up 50 wins and a pair of top-ten finishes at the NJCAA Division I National Volleyball Tournament.
Humphreys on Mitchell | "We are very excited to have Taya join the SFA volleyball family. She is a very talented athlete who still has room for growth. Her experience and her work ethic will allow her to adjust quickly to SFA."
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