Volleyball Announces Incoming Class
MARS HILL, N.C.-The Mars Hill volleyball team has announced its incoming 2013 recruiting class, with eight newcomers set to join the Lions' program this fall.
Natalie Rhew (Leicester, N.C.), Courtney Worthington (Crestwood, Ky.) Lindsay Austin (Candler, N.C.), Hannah Rowe (Spring, Texas), Amber McClure (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Victoria Kaiser (Osprey, Fla.), Andie Russell (Charlotte, N.C.) and MaryKate Griffin (Weaverville, N.C.) will be eligible to compete for Mars Hill this season. They will join the Lions' nine returning student-athletes to make up the 2013 MHU roster. Mars Hill is coming off a season in which the Lions finished 14-15 overall and 7-10 in South Atlantic Conference matches, good enough for sixth in the league.
Click Here for 2013 Signees Gallery
Rhew attended Erwin High School, where she was an all-conference performer and won the team's Best Offensive Player award. A middle hitter, she was named player of the match four times during her senior campaign. Rhew earned the NCAA Heart of the Champion Award. She was a member of the Career Technical Education Honors Society and received the Kate S. Reeves Memorial Scholarship.
Worthington won "The Rock" Award for South Oldham High School her senior season, which is the team's equivalent of Most Valuable Player. A setter and defensive specialist, Worthington was named a 2012 Player to Watch in Oldham County. She was named to the Region 8 All-Tournament team twice and was twice-named the Edward Jones Player of the Week. Worthington was the two-time MVP of her club team. She also earned the Freshman Leadership Award and Coaches award at South Oldham.
Austin comes to MHU from Enka High School, where she earned MAC All-Conference honors three times as a defensive specialist. She was named All-Western North Carolina for her performance during her senior campaign and was named Honorable Mention All-Western North Carolina the previous two seasons.
Rowe was a team captain at Concordia Lutheran. She was a Second-Team All-State performer and was named First-Team All-District. Rowe also earned Second-Team All-District honors in 2011. A three-time varsity letterman, Rowe earned the Sportsmanship Award at the Show Me Qualifier and the Gatorade Award at Texas Christian University's Prentice Lewis Volleyball Camp. She will be an outside hitter at MHU.
McClure is an outside hitter and comes to Mars Hill after playing collegiately at St. Petersburg College (2012) and Brevard Community College (2011). Prior to her collegiate career, McClure was a First-Team All-State performer at Port St. Lucie High School in 2010. She earned honorable mention honors the previous season.
Kaiser captained Pine View High School during their state championship run her senior season. She helped the team win the 2012 State Championship and was a member of four district champions and one regional finalist. Kaiser earned specialist honors her senior season and will play outside hitter at Mars Hill.
Russell was a two-time SCC All-Conference performer as a setter at Marvin Ridge High School. She was named MRHS Freshman of the Year and was named to the Carolina Region All-Gold Tournament Team in 2009. Russell earned 2012 AAU Super Regional All-Tournament honors at Virginia Tech.
Griffin was a three-time all-conference performer for North Buncombe High School. She was the team's offensive leader three times. Griffin earned the Senior Leadership award and was named player of the week last season. She was also the school's rookie of the year in 2009 and will be an outside hitter at Mars Hill.
"This is a very large class that we have coming in," commented head coach Tony Fontanelle. "I'm really excited about the potential of these players to come in and make an impact as well as provide depth for our team."
Mars Hill will open its season Sep. 6 with a 10:00 a.m. match against Mount Olive at the Francis Marion Tournament. The Lions will also face Francis Marion, USC Aiken and Lees-McRae over the course of the two-day tournament. MHU will open its home season Sep. 20 with a 7:00 p.m. match against Brevard.
