After going 18-5 overall in season and winning the 2017 South Coast-South Conference title, five women's volleyball athletes signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers next season. Sophomores Mariah Clausen, Austin Edwards and freshman Jasmine Palacios all signed with Ottawa University, while sophomore Graciela Maldonado signed with Evergreen State College and freshman Alysa Wertz signed with Marymount University.
This season Clausen participated in 18 matches with a hitting percentage of .500. She averaged 1.58 digs per set and totaled 7 aces for the season. She also participated in beach volleyball the past two seasons.
Edwards was also a star on the court with an average of 1.94 kills per set in conference action and had a hitting percentage of .301. She totaled 12 blocks and had 75 digs during the season.
Palacios reigned in with a hitting percentage of .324 in 11 matches. She had 12 digs and put down 13 kills in 15 sets.
All three athletes signed to Ottawa University to continue their volleyball careers. The Ottawa Spirit compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association in the West Region Conference and are led by Head Coach Kristin Steele.
This season Maldonado played in 48 sets with 65 digs. She averaged 1.60 digs during conference and totaled 19 aces during the season. She plans to continue her volleyball career at Evergreen State College. The Geoducks compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Geoducks are led by head coach Angela Spoja.
Wertz also played indoor and beach volleyball with Vikings and averaged 1.33 kills per set during the indoor season. She totaled 26.5 points with 13 points in conference action. Wertz also had four service aces and 69 total attacks on the season. Wertz will be competing at Marymount University and playing in the NAIA Division in the California Pacific Conference. The Mariners are led by Chrissie Courtney.