Ladyjacks Sign Six for the 2027 Season

NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin volleyball program is excited to announce the signing of six student-athletes who will join the Ladyjacks for the 2027 season.

Rylee Schimelpfening: 5-6, Setter

Rylee Schimelpfening currently attends Lamar High School and plays club volleyball for Queen City. A three-time MAIS Division State Champion and three-time MAIS Futures Selection, Schimelpfening has established herself as one of the top players in her program. She was also named MAIS All-Star and holds her school's records in both assists and digs. Off the court, she is a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club and has earned recognition on the Principal's List.

Head Coach Debbie Humphreys said, "Rylee is one of those rare individuals who makes everyone around her better. Her confidence and her way with people make her a natural leader. It doesn't matter if you have known her for five minutes or five years, she has that impact on her team. Rylee is a natural setter and a solid defender who will have a great career at SFA."

Aubrey Frey: 5-9, Outside Hitter

Aubrey Frey currently attends Luxemburg-Casco High School in Wisconsin and plays club volleyball for FC Elite. Frey has earned numerous individual honors, including unanimous All-Conference and unanimous First Team All-State selections. She was also named an AVCA Phenom, AVCA All-Region selection and AVCA Third Team All-American. She finished her high school career as the program's all-time leader in kills with 2,077 and digs with 1,460. Frey was also recognized as a WVCA All-Academic selection.

Coach Humphreys said, "Aubrey has phenomenal ball control skills. She is a natural passer and defender, but she also has a good arm swing. She is lots of fun and will be an important piece that plays hard, but also has a quality to help keep things from getting too tight. She brings a great balance of play hard and have fun."

Sarah Grace Hickl: 6-0, Outside Hitter

Sarah Grace Hickl currently attends Friendswood High School and plays club volleyball for Houston Stellar. Hickl has earned First Team All-District and Academic All-District honors while also being named an AVCA Phenom and AVCA All-American. She was selected to the VYPE All-City Houston Team and participated in the UA Next program. With her combination of size and offensive potential, Hickl will bring another talented option to the Ladyjacks' outside hitter position.

Coach Humphreys said, "Sarah Grace has an extremely high ceiling and we expect her to improve at a rapid pace once she arrives on campus. Currently her front row game is her strength, but her back row game will improve quickly with daily focused reps. She is capable of being a force on either pin."

Avery Beckering: 6-0, Outside Hitter

Avery Beckering currently attends Southwest Christian High School in Minnesota and plays club volleyball for Northern Lights. Beckering has been part of several championship teams, including an AAU championship team where she earned Tournament MVP honors and a USAV Nationals championship team. She was also named Tournament MVP at the MN Showcase and earned All-Tournament Team recognition at the Midwest Fall Classic. Additional honors include State All-Tournament Team and All-Conference selections. Beckering has recorded a career-high 33 kills in a single match and has maintained Academic Honor Roll recognition throughout all four years of high school.

Coach Humphreys said, "Avery is a very solid all-around volleyball player. She responds quickly to coaching and is extremely consistent with all of her skills. She will remind everyone of another Avery who is currently wearing purple! We are excited to see her progress throughout her career at SFA."

Haddie Mock: 6-2, Middle Blocker

Haddie Mock currently attends Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas, and plays club volleyball for Key City. Mock has collected an impressive list of individual honors, including District Hitter of the Year, District Blocker of the Year and Big Country Defensive Player of the Year. She was also named Big Country Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Big Country, Abilene Reporter-News Player of the Year and Texas 5A All-State. Mock was selected to the Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A/6A All-Star Team. In the classroom, she is a member of the National Honor Society, earned All-Academic recognition and received the AP Scholar Award.

Coach Humphreys said, "Haddie is a long, jumpy athlete who can play a variety of positions. I expect her to be a middle blocker/right side and to be a dominant force regardless of her position. We are excited to see Haddie develop as she gets in an environment where she will be training with teammates who are just as physical as her. She is going to improve by leaps and bounds very quickly."

Brooke Toliver: 5-11, Middle Blocker

Brooke Toliver currently attends Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville and plays club volleyball for MoCo Jrs. Toliver has earned three Team MVP honors during her high school career and was named Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year. She was also recognized as an AVCA Phenom. In addition to her success on the volleyball court, Toliver has demonstrated her athletic versatility in basketball, where she was recognized as the team's best rebounder and defender. She is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Coach Humphreys said, "Brooke has ridiculous athletic ability and we expect her to adjust quickly to Division I volleyball. As she adjusts to the speed of the game, it is crazy to think about what she will be capable of. Her speed and jump will be a tough matchup for our opponents."

Head Coach Debbie Humphreys had this to say about the 2027 signing class, "The 2027 class has the ability to help take SFA Volleyball to another level. Half of this class are coaches' kids, so their volleyball IQ is already high. This will allow them to progress quickly as they adjust to our style of play. They are all great students and great athletes, so adding the IQ piece is extremely important for us. It will be lots of fun watching this group develop together."

Related News

Related Videos

Footer