.png&type=webp)
University of New Hampshire Athletics
5/27/2020 10:04:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DURHAM, N.H. – Christopher Feliciano, entering his second year as head coach of the University of New Hampshire volleyball program, has announced the addition of six recruits who will be a UNH Wildcat for the 2020 season.
The newest additions to the UNH volleyball family are Marly Johnson (Sammamish, Wash.), Mia Pagliarini (Springboro, Ohio), Ari Pola (Auckland, New Zealand), Ali Stuessi (Fairhaven, Mass.), Grace Tomann (Cold Spring, N.Y.) and Kaleigh Whalen (Hollis, N.H.).
Johnson, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter/libero, earned First Team All King County as a junior and senior at Eastlake High School. In 90 sets as a senior, she tallied 232 kills, 208 digs and 35 blocks to earn All-KingCo First Team honors for the second straight year. Johnson also played for the Sudden Impact volleyball club.
Coach Feliciano on Marly
"Marly provides us with an excellent first touch both in serve receive and on defense. She joins our program with tremendous volleyball IQ, which will benefit the rest of our younger players."
Pagliarini, a 5-5 libero/defensive specialist, earned AVCA All-Region Team, All-District First Team and All-GWOC Second Team as a senior at Springboro High School, one year after earning All-District Second Team recognition. She received an Academic Athlete Award as a junior and senior. She has played for the NKYVC 18 and NKYVC 17 club teams the past two years; prior to that, Pagliarini was on the Elevation Volleyball Club.
Coach Feliciano on Mia
"Mia is a true work-horse. She consistently wants to outwork everyone on the court. Defensively, she has the ability to elevate pressure off of the block, picking up balls that find their way through a seam."
Pola, a 5-11 rightside hitter, is a 2017 graduate of Westlake Girls High School and a two-year letterwinner at Salt Lake Community College. She was an NJCAA Academic All-America honoree and two-time All-Region 18 selection at Salt Lake CC, where she tallied 502 kills. Last year, she recorded a team-high 326 kills (2.63 kills/set) and 116 blocks (0.94 blocks/set) to lead the Bruins to a 23-11 record.
Coach Feliciano on Ari
"We are very fortunate to have Arianna join our program. Last season we got a chance to watch Hannah Petke blossom in our offensive system, and I believe that Ari's style of play fits our system just like Petke."
Stuessi, a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist, was a seven-time scholar-athlete at Fairhaven High School, where she also played tennis. As a senior captain of the volleyball team, she was a Mass D3 All-State Team selection and South Coast Conference MVP. She was also an SCC All-Start as a sophomore and junior. Stuessi's career stats included 1,000+ digs, 400+ kills and 200+ service aces. She played on the SMASH club team for four years.
Coach Feliciano on Ali
"I believe that Ali is a hidden gem. She has a strong first step to the ball, solid volleyball IQ, and a desire to consistently improve her skill set. I'm excited to watch her battle it out with the rest of the libero/DS's."
Tomann, a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist, was an all-section, all-conference and all-league selection and led Haldane High School to a sectional title as a senior captain. She was also an all-league honoree as a sophomore and junior. Tomann was named to Haldane's Academic Hall of Fame and an AP Scholar every year. As a member of the Downstate Volleyball club, she won the Penn State Happy Volley Tournament (2016-17) and led the 17 Black squad to the Beast of the East tournament title in 2018-19.
Coach Feliciano on Grace
"Grace has a tremendous work ethic that will benefit both our program and its culture. Throughout her recruiting process, it was very clear to me that she is a special athlete."
Whalen, a 5-10 outside hitter, was a three-time All-State selection – as a sophomore, junior and senior – at Hollis Brookline High School, which won the state championship in her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Whalen was also named to the Nashua All-Telegraph team three times. She played for the SMASH club program and the 17s team placed second at Colorado Crossroads in 2019 to qualify for Nationals; in 2018, the 16s squad finished in the top 20 at the AAU National Championship.
Coach Feliciano on Kaleigh
"I really like what Whalen can potentially bring to our program. She's long, athletic and is committed to improving every day."
This sextet joins the incoming class of Kelly Kaufmann (Raleigh, N.C.), Hannah Serbousek (Fort Collins, Colo.), Gabby Smith (Carmel, Ind.) and Jamison White (Nashville, Tenn.).
"We are excited to welcome the entire 2020 recruiting class," Feliciano stated. "A lot of work went into not only identifying athletes who were physical and talented, but athletes with a particular work ethic, determination, and drive. As we continue to rebuild the volleyball program I want there to be an emphasis on doing things the right way, and a sense of gratitude and honor to wear a UNH jersey."
New Hampshire advanced to the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championship and finished with a 17-10 overall record after becoming the second fastest squad to 10 victories in program history and recording the most wins through 20 matches (14).
The newest additions to the UNH volleyball family are Marly Johnson (Sammamish, Wash.), Mia Pagliarini (Springboro, Ohio), Ari Pola (Auckland, New Zealand), Ali Stuessi (Fairhaven, Mass.), Grace Tomann (Cold Spring, N.Y.) and Kaleigh Whalen (Hollis, N.H.).
Johnson, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter/libero, earned First Team All King County as a junior and senior at Eastlake High School. In 90 sets as a senior, she tallied 232 kills, 208 digs and 35 blocks to earn All-KingCo First Team honors for the second straight year. Johnson also played for the Sudden Impact volleyball club.
Coach Feliciano on Marly
"Marly provides us with an excellent first touch both in serve receive and on defense. She joins our program with tremendous volleyball IQ, which will benefit the rest of our younger players."
Pagliarini, a 5-5 libero/defensive specialist, earned AVCA All-Region Team, All-District First Team and All-GWOC Second Team as a senior at Springboro High School, one year after earning All-District Second Team recognition. She received an Academic Athlete Award as a junior and senior. She has played for the NKYVC 18 and NKYVC 17 club teams the past two years; prior to that, Pagliarini was on the Elevation Volleyball Club.
Coach Feliciano on Mia
"Mia is a true work-horse. She consistently wants to outwork everyone on the court. Defensively, she has the ability to elevate pressure off of the block, picking up balls that find their way through a seam."
Pola, a 5-11 rightside hitter, is a 2017 graduate of Westlake Girls High School and a two-year letterwinner at Salt Lake Community College. She was an NJCAA Academic All-America honoree and two-time All-Region 18 selection at Salt Lake CC, where she tallied 502 kills. Last year, she recorded a team-high 326 kills (2.63 kills/set) and 116 blocks (0.94 blocks/set) to lead the Bruins to a 23-11 record.
Coach Feliciano on Ari
"We are very fortunate to have Arianna join our program. Last season we got a chance to watch Hannah Petke blossom in our offensive system, and I believe that Ari's style of play fits our system just like Petke."
Stuessi, a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist, was a seven-time scholar-athlete at Fairhaven High School, where she also played tennis. As a senior captain of the volleyball team, she was a Mass D3 All-State Team selection and South Coast Conference MVP. She was also an SCC All-Start as a sophomore and junior. Stuessi's career stats included 1,000+ digs, 400+ kills and 200+ service aces. She played on the SMASH club team for four years.
Coach Feliciano on Ali
"I believe that Ali is a hidden gem. She has a strong first step to the ball, solid volleyball IQ, and a desire to consistently improve her skill set. I'm excited to watch her battle it out with the rest of the libero/DS's."
Tomann, a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist, was an all-section, all-conference and all-league selection and led Haldane High School to a sectional title as a senior captain. She was also an all-league honoree as a sophomore and junior. Tomann was named to Haldane's Academic Hall of Fame and an AP Scholar every year. As a member of the Downstate Volleyball club, she won the Penn State Happy Volley Tournament (2016-17) and led the 17 Black squad to the Beast of the East tournament title in 2018-19.
Coach Feliciano on Grace
"Grace has a tremendous work ethic that will benefit both our program and its culture. Throughout her recruiting process, it was very clear to me that she is a special athlete."
Whalen, a 5-10 outside hitter, was a three-time All-State selection – as a sophomore, junior and senior – at Hollis Brookline High School, which won the state championship in her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Whalen was also named to the Nashua All-Telegraph team three times. She played for the SMASH club program and the 17s team placed second at Colorado Crossroads in 2019 to qualify for Nationals; in 2018, the 16s squad finished in the top 20 at the AAU National Championship.
Coach Feliciano on Kaleigh
"I really like what Whalen can potentially bring to our program. She's long, athletic and is committed to improving every day."
This sextet joins the incoming class of Kelly Kaufmann (Raleigh, N.C.), Hannah Serbousek (Fort Collins, Colo.), Gabby Smith (Carmel, Ind.) and Jamison White (Nashville, Tenn.).
"We are excited to welcome the entire 2020 recruiting class," Feliciano stated. "A lot of work went into not only identifying athletes who were physical and talented, but athletes with a particular work ethic, determination, and drive. As we continue to rebuild the volleyball program I want there to be an emphasis on doing things the right way, and a sense of gratitude and honor to wear a UNH jersey."
New Hampshire advanced to the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championship and finished with a 17-10 overall record after becoming the second fastest squad to 10 victories in program history and recording the most wins through 20 matches (14).
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Women's VolleyballSunday, October 11
Thursday, October 01
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, August 30