GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University beach volleyball head coach Jason Morris has revealed his nine signees for the 2022 season.
"This will be the largest freshmen class in our beach program's brief history and it is extremely talented," said first year leader Morris. "We have an influx of talented players, some of which have experience competing at a high level. I'm looking forward to seeing how they will fit into our system and mesh with the returners. I am very excited to be a part of this promising program as it continues to establish itself."
Jules Aiken, a 5-5 Greeneville, Tenn. native, was recently honored as an AP Scholar to go along with her membership in the National Honor Society. In 2020, she was named first team All-District, All-District Tournament Team, and first team All-Region while representing Greeneville High School. Aiken has accumulated 1,113 assists, 398 digs, and 71 service aces throughout her career as a defensive specialist/libero for the Greene Devils. She has also played for AHAVA Volleyball Club.
MK Ashburn is a 5-6 resident of Little Rock, Ark. and is on the Dean's List at Lisa Academy West High School. She played club for 501 Beach Volley and was named to three High Performance A3 Teams. Ashburn has also had the honor of playing at the USA Volleyball Beach Nationals three times.
Piper Howell, a 5-6 native of Ashburn, Va., earned a varsity letter in her time at Stone Bridge High School. The honor roll student-athlete traveled with Vienna Elite U18-Fairfax Venom for the indoor season and Grit Volleyball during beach.
Mia Johnson, a 5-11 Helena, Ala. native, racked up All-State honors for Helena High School. She was also named the best offensive and defensive player for the Huskies, alongside collecting Spanish 3 honors in the classroom. She spent time on the Birmingham Beach Volleyball team as well. Johnson will join her sister, Emma, on the Tusculum beach volleyball team.
Olivia Knutson, a 5-9 resident of Powdersville, S.C., had a stellar career with her hometown high school. With the Patriots, she was named 2020 All-State, two-time All-Region, two seasons as captain, and Powdersville Athlete of the Week. Knutson was also on three state championship teams and one state runner-up squad. In the last two seasons alone, she racked up 443 assists, 384 digs, 268 kills on a .387 percentage, 128 service aces, and 83 total blocks in 133 sets played. Knutson traveled with the Upward Stars as well. Academically, she was a member of the National Society of Scholars, National Honor Society, Beta Club, and the secretary of the student government.
Kathryn McLamb is a 5-10 Stem, N.C. resident and AB Honor Roll student at Voyager Academy High School. The three-time MVP and All-Conference performer was also listed on the East vs. West All-Tournament Team. McLamb played for Carolina Legacy Volleyball Club as well. She plans to major in elementary education at Tusculum.
Kassidy Mercado, a 5-5 resident of Granada Hill, Calif., has been on the honor roll at Granada Hills Charter High School all four years. She has also played for Hermosa Beach Volleyball Club.
Taylor Sykes, a 5-11 Springfield, Tenn. native, was a 2018 All-District performer for Springfield High School. She also spent time with the C2 Attack VBC travel team. Sykes excelled in the classroom as a four-time winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence (3.75 grade-point average or higher). She also earned the Most Improved Award for Spanish II Advanced, highest GPA in visual arts, and a Scholar-Athlete Award.
Landry Tea, a 5-10 Gallatin, Tenn. local, has maintained a 3.9 GPA while at Christian Community School. She was a four-time All-Conference honoree, in addition to tournament MVP recognition as a member of the 2020 TSIAA Division I State Champion Colts. Tea also earned a spot on the Ultra Ankle Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) Watchlist. She spent time playing club with C2 Beach and Southern Kentucky Elite Volleyball Academy.
