Ten student-athletes will continue their education at Ohio Wesleyan University and be candidates for the 2020 Battling Bishop volleyball team, it was announced by Ohio Wesleyan head coach Kirsta Cobb.
The class of 10 student-athletes representing 3 different states includes Grace Ayers from London, Ohio; Bethany Blazetic from Deland, Fla.; Kayla DeVault from Pataskala, Ohio; Alex Disbro from Guilford, Ind.; Melissa Murray from Chardon, Ohio; Jahmila Noel from Delray Beach, Fla.; McKena Patton from Cleveland, Ohio; Kaitlyn Peters from Fort Wayne, Ind.; Abby Thierauf from Cincinnati, Ohio; and Neah White from Indianapolis, Ind.
Ayers is a 5-8 outside hitter. A captain of the London High School team, Grace was named second-team all-conference, special mention all-district, and CBC Athlete of the Month while leading her team to a district runner-up finish. A member of the Honor Roll, Grace also loves to volunteer with her church's youth program. She played her club career with Adrenaline Volleyball Club. A fun fact about Grace is that she loves to paint and draw. She plans to study exercise science this fall.
Coach Cobb on Grace: "Grace has a lot of ball control to her game. She will be able to control the ball in the backcourt, as well as utilize that control in her attacking game. As she continues to build her range and work into our rhythm, she will have an opportunity to be an O2-style player for us that can ball control and score. She is also a competitor and a great teammate and we can't wait to add her into our gym."
Why Grace chose OWU: "I wanted to be away from home but close enough to be able to visit when I wanted. I loved the volleyball program and felt like OWU is a place I could fit right in."
Blazetic is a 5-6 outside hitter and defensive specialist. She played for New Smyrna Beach High School, where she was named second-team all-league in 2017 and 2018 and honorable mention in 2019. She is a member of the National Honor Society, BETA club, and Student Government, and she also earned honor roll each year. She volunteers with First Harvest Food Bank and the Special Olympics. She also played club for DME Volleyball Club. A fun fact about Bethany is that she played flag football for many years and had the opportunity to compete in Key West for an International Women's League. Bethany will study exercise science in the fall.
Coach Cobb on Bethany: "Bethany is a ball-control player that can add a lot of value to our gym with her work ethic and ball handling skills as an attacker and a passer. She is a positive teammate and will bring some great energy to our gym as well. We are looking forward to working with her this fall!"
Why Bethany chose OWU: "They say when you go visit a campus you should feel a connection with it and that's exactly what happened to me. Everyone I met greeted me with welcoming arms and so many good things to say about OWU. I want to be one of those people in the future."
DeVault is a 5-3 defensive specialist. Her Watkins Memorial High School team earned the league championship in both 2019 and 2018. Kayla is a member of the National Honor Society and played her club career for Buckeye Volleyball Club. A fun fact about Kayla is she loves to ski and snowboard. She plans to study health and human kinetics this fall.
Coach Cobb on Kayla: "Kayla has been coming to our camps and our games for a couple of years now, and has just fit with Ohio Wesleyan for a while. She is a solid backcourt defender with good speed and body control. She is a great teammate and will fit the OWU culture extremely well."
Why Kayla chose OWU: "I chose OWU because it was close to home but still far enough away to be on my own. Also, I liked the class sizes and felt like the professors really cared about their students. When I meet the coaching staff and the team I knew they were perfect and I can't wait to see what OWU has for me!"
Disbro is a 5-4 defensive specialist. A captain on her team at East Central High School, Alex helped lead the program to a conference championship, earning all-conference and all-county as well as Defensive MVP and Best Server honors, finishing her career ranked third all-time in service aces. Alex is a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council and also earned honor roll and Academic All-State. She also served as president of a group that organized a dance marathon for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Alex played her club career with South Eastern Indiana Volleyball Club (SEIVC), where she also served as a club coach. A fun fact about Alex is that she loves to travel and has been to 38 states already. She plans to study psychology this fall.
Coach Cobb on Alex: "Alex has a lot of skill in the backcourt. She plays the game very well and is calm and efficient in her movements, something we look for in our defensive players. She also has a quiet determination about her that I believe will serve her well as she competes in our gym. I am looking forward to getting training started with her this fall."
Why Alex chose OWU: "I chose OWU because it felt like home the second I stepped on campus. After talking with the coaches and meeting some of the girls on the team, I knew it was the perfect place for me. The small town, sense of community, and opportunities available make me so excited for the next 4 years!"
Murray is a 6-0 outside hitter. A leader for her Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin volleyball team, she helped the team capture a district championship in her senior season. She was also named second-team all-district, North Coast League honorable mention, and received the Coaches Award. She also played club for NOVA. A member of the Certified Peer Educators, Melissa served as a student ambassador and also volunteers her time to many different community service causes. She ties blankets for the homeless, helps with NDEC (helping the sisters of Notre Dame and spending time with them), serves and prepares food with KARPOS, helps patients with paperwork at Altercare, organized and ran drives for Rescue Village, and helped with the annual Willoughby Rotary Fundraising Ball. She also placed third at the Shearers Invention Contest. A fun fact about Melissa is that she loves to go paddleboarding. She plans to study chemistry this fall.
Coach Cobb on Melissa: "Melissa has a great arm and a good amount of range and ball control in her attacking game. She is doing things really well and will be able to find ways to score pretty quickly. We are excited to continue working with her to further develop her game and can't wait for her to be competing in our gym."
Why Melissa chose OWU: "I chose OWU because of the opportunities available to me as well as the atmosphere of the school. It looks to be a fun place where I can grow as a person and learn more about myself while improving athletically and academically."
Noel is a 5-6 middle blocker. At St. John Paul II Academy, she was a member of National Honor Society, an Art Club historian and an honors student. She captained her volleyball and basketball teams and led her volleyball program to a 2018 regional championship. She received an Outstanding Community Service award through multiple service programs such as Youth vs. Hunger, Club Volleyball and being a part of Tech Crew for Drama Club. She played club volleyball for Rival Volleyball Club. A fun fact about Mila is that she is fascinated by animals, including lizards and frogs, and she has had and plans to continue having many pets. She plans to study zoology at OWU this fall.
Coach Cobb on Mila: "The first things we look for in members of our team are people that are willing to learn, work hard, and be an active part of building the culture and systems of our program. After getting to know Mila, I believe she is going to work to get better every day for herself and her teammates, and will be a very active teammate in our program. She has the ability to get off the ground quickly and into the air very well, and has some natural abilities that will be a great starting point. As she continues to learn a faster system and our blocking scheme, she will have the opportunity to help our team in the middle."
Why Mila chose OWU: "I chose OWU because of the sense of community and family it provides. This was a really important factor in choosing where I would attend. OWU offers a great program in which I can further continue my education, travel abroad and gain hands-on work experiences."
Patton is a 5-4 defensive specialist. During her prep career at Trinity High School, she was on the honor roll, was named captain and honorable mention all-conference her junior and senior years, and honorable mention all-district her senior year. She also was named Most Improved Player while helping her team to a league championship in her junior campaign. She served as a Student Ambassador and Ministry Retreat Leader at Trinity while also serving the community in many ways, such as making blankets for the Pediatric Unit at Cleveland Metro Hospital, painting windows at Jennings Assisted Living and participating with Shop with a Cop during the holidays. McKena also played club ball for Buckeyefire Volleyball Club. A fun fact about McKena is that she worked at Galvin Therapy Center, where she helped children with autism during their occupational therapy sessions. McKena plans to study exercise science in the fall.
Coach Cobb on McKena: "McKena is a great teammate and a positive vocal leader. She will be a great connector on our team and add a lot of value to the backcourt with both her skill and her voice. We are looking forward to working with her this fall."
Why McKena chose OWU: "I chose OWU because of the family atmosphere. Walking on to campus for the first time I knew it was exactly where I wanted to spend my next four years. I also admired the culture the volleyball team and coaching staff has built and I can't wait to be a part of it! I am so thankful for this opportunity to be a Bishop!"
Peters is a 5-8 utility player. As a captain at Homestead High School, Kaitlyn helped lead her team to its first sectional since 2014. She set the record for most digs with 1049 and is second in the aces record books with 130. She played club for Summit Volleyball Club. A member of National Honor Society, Kaitlyn also volunteers at her local animal shelter. A fun fact about Kaitlyn is that she has a dog that can dive underwater and a video of a dive went viral on the app TikTok. She plans to study exercise science or biology this fall.
Coach Cobb on Kaitlyn: "Kaitlyn is a great volleyball player with smooth athletic abilities. She has a wide skill set and will be able to contribute to our gym in multiple ways. She can ball control really well and is a quick defender, is a skilled and aggressive server, and she also can attack and set when needed. We are excited to have her versatility in the gym and to continue to find the area she can best help the Bishops."
Why Kaitlyn chose OWU: "I chose OWU because of the great atmosphere the campus and town has. Also, the coaches, players, students, and professors I met all seemed to really care about the students and want them to succeed in life. I'm excited for the opportunities OWU will bring to me!"
Thierauf is a 5-11 setter. In her prep career at Milford High School, Abby collected 1500 career assists while being named second-team all-league in her senior year, as well as honorable mention in the 3 years prior. She was also a second-team all-league selection for basketball in her senior season. She served as a team captain for her final two seasons in both volleyball and basketball. An executive board member of National Honor Society, Abby will graduate summa cum laude this spring, and was honored on the all-league academic team all 4 years. She also spends time volunteering at the elementary school as well as in a youth volleyball training program called Cincy Juniors. Abby most recently played club ball for Cincy Crush Volleyball Club, with the team winning DCS and Buckeye Tournament championships. A fun fact about Abby is that she has a life goal to travel to every continent, with her No. 1 destination spot being Amsterdam. Abby plans to study biology on the pre-medicine track this fall.
Coach Cobb on Abby: "Abby is a very exciting recruit for us because she has the opportunity to be very good in the setter role. There is a lot she will need to learn, but the capacity to become a great player is there. She is intelligent and confident, and she will be able to do a great job of running the offense once she learns our system and tempo. I am looking forward to starting the training process with her!"
Why Abby chose OWU: "I chose OWU because I love the environment. As soon as I stepped on campus I was welcomed with open arms by the team and coaching staff. The campus is beautiful and the spirit of the school was exactly what I was looking for. I knew this was the place I wanted to call my home for the next 4 years!"
White is a 5-2 defensive specialist. During her prep career at North Central High School, she was named team MVP and recorded the most digs in her senior campaign. She was named to the High Honor Roll and inducted into the National Honor Society. She also serves at Gleaners Food Bank. Her club team at Circle City Volleyball Club was 3-time Central Zone Invite champion. A fun fact about Neah is that she can play the piano. She plans to study psychology in the fall.
Coach Cobb on Neah: "Neah is one of the quickest defenders that I have ever seen. The ground she can cover is pretty remarkable and we are excited to have her in our gym. She will be a fun player to watch defensively from a fan perspective and we are looking forward to helping to further develop her overall skills in the backcourt."
Why Neah chose OWU: "I liked the campus a lot and the opportunity to continue playing volleyball."
Ohio Wesleyan is scheduled to open its 2020 season on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Capital.
