Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Mississippi State Volleyball Adds Transfer Pair to 2020 Class
January 07, 2020 | Volleyball
By Austin Coats, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State volleyball's talented 2020 signing class has increased, as head coach Julie Darty announced the addition of a pair of transfers on Tuesday (Jan. 7).
Graduate transfer Jessica Kemp will join the Bulldog squad following a successful career at NC State, while junior Alden Willis comes to Starkville after two seasons at ECU.
"We are thrilled to welcome Alden and Jessica to our family!" Darty said. "Getting two transfers for the spring semester was huge for us. We are so excited to continue to bring in great people and great players, and Alden and Jessica meet those standards."
Seeing time in 30 matches at middle blocker and right-side hitter for the Wolfpack as a redshirt junior in 2019, Jessica Kemp finished second on her team both in kills (312) and blocks (89). She collected five or more blocks in nine matches and tallied a .272 hitting percentage for the season. One of her best performances came on Oct. 4 when she totaled 22 kills on a .395 mark against Virginia Tech.
A Fort Mill, South Carolina native, Kemp prepped at Nation Ford High School where she earned Under Armour third team All-America honors while setting the school record for kills (1,136) and blocks (341).
"Jessica is an experienced volleyball player who comes to us after a tremendous career at NC State," Darty said. "She is a mature, wise and extremely savvy volleyball player who will add a lot of experience to our young team.
"Jessica is a physical player and also plays with a very high volleyball IQ and she will come in and immediately make a difference on the court and in the locker room. I am so excited to have Jessica here this semester and get to train all spring with us and get fully immersed with the team and life in Starkville."
Alden Willis becomes a Bulldog after collecting double-digit digs in five matches as a sophomore at ECU in 2019. The defensive specialist totaled 112 digs and 14 service aces after a freshman campaign when she earned 177 digs and 19 aces.
In her prep career, Willis totaled 566 digs and 75 aces at Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, as she helped the Capitals to a pair of conference championships, a 60-8 overall record and 37-3 league mark over three seasons.
"Alden is a feisty defender who brings a lot of energy and fire to the court," Darty said. "She is a hard worker and a tough competitor.
"We can always use more depth with our ball control and defense, and we felt like Alden was the perfect addition to our team. Alden loves the game and is going to help us immediately with our first contact. She had a great two seasons at ECU and we are excited that she chose to join us here in Starkville for her final two years."
Both student-athletes are immediately eligible to compete in the 2020 season and have started classes at Mississippi State.
With the additions of Kemp and Willis, Darty's 2020 signing class increases to seven student-athletes set to join the team for the upcoming season. More information about MSU volleyball's incoming freshman class can be found here.
Mississippi State Volleyball 2020 Signing Class
Akacia Brown - 6-2 - Outside Hitter - Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls HS
Skylar Buckley - 5-9 - Setter - Raleigh, N.C./North Raleigh Christian Academy
Shania Cromartie - 5-9 - Outside Hitter - Tallahassee, Fla./Leon HS
Lilly Gunter - 5-8 - Libero - Oviedo Fla./Oviedo HS
Jessica Kemp - 6-3 - Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter - Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford HS (NC State)
Francesca McBride - 6-3 - Opposite Hitter - Troy, Mich./Troy HS
Alden Willis - 5-4 - Junior - Defensive Specialist - Raleigh, N.C./Broughton HS (ECU)
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateVB.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State volleyball's talented 2020 signing class has increased, as head coach Julie Darty announced the addition of a pair of transfers on Tuesday (Jan. 7).
Graduate transfer Jessica Kemp will join the Bulldog squad following a successful career at NC State, while junior Alden Willis comes to Starkville after two seasons at ECU.
"We are thrilled to welcome Alden and Jessica to our family!" Darty said. "Getting two transfers for the spring semester was huge for us. We are so excited to continue to bring in great people and great players, and Alden and Jessica meet those standards."
Seeing time in 30 matches at middle blocker and right-side hitter for the Wolfpack as a redshirt junior in 2019, Jessica Kemp finished second on her team both in kills (312) and blocks (89). She collected five or more blocks in nine matches and tallied a .272 hitting percentage for the season. One of her best performances came on Oct. 4 when she totaled 22 kills on a .395 mark against Virginia Tech.
A Fort Mill, South Carolina native, Kemp prepped at Nation Ford High School where she earned Under Armour third team All-America honors while setting the school record for kills (1,136) and blocks (341).
"Jessica is an experienced volleyball player who comes to us after a tremendous career at NC State," Darty said. "She is a mature, wise and extremely savvy volleyball player who will add a lot of experience to our young team.
"Jessica is a physical player and also plays with a very high volleyball IQ and she will come in and immediately make a difference on the court and in the locker room. I am so excited to have Jessica here this semester and get to train all spring with us and get fully immersed with the team and life in Starkville."
Alden Willis becomes a Bulldog after collecting double-digit digs in five matches as a sophomore at ECU in 2019. The defensive specialist totaled 112 digs and 14 service aces after a freshman campaign when she earned 177 digs and 19 aces.
In her prep career, Willis totaled 566 digs and 75 aces at Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, as she helped the Capitals to a pair of conference championships, a 60-8 overall record and 37-3 league mark over three seasons.
"Alden is a feisty defender who brings a lot of energy and fire to the court," Darty said. "She is a hard worker and a tough competitor.
"We can always use more depth with our ball control and defense, and we felt like Alden was the perfect addition to our team. Alden loves the game and is going to help us immediately with our first contact. She had a great two seasons at ECU and we are excited that she chose to join us here in Starkville for her final two years."
Both student-athletes are immediately eligible to compete in the 2020 season and have started classes at Mississippi State.
With the additions of Kemp and Willis, Darty's 2020 signing class increases to seven student-athletes set to join the team for the upcoming season. More information about MSU volleyball's incoming freshman class can be found here.
Mississippi State Volleyball 2020 Signing Class
Akacia Brown - 6-2 - Outside Hitter - Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls HS
Skylar Buckley - 5-9 - Setter - Raleigh, N.C./North Raleigh Christian Academy
Shania Cromartie - 5-9 - Outside Hitter - Tallahassee, Fla./Leon HS
Lilly Gunter - 5-8 - Libero - Oviedo Fla./Oviedo HS
Jessica Kemp - 6-3 - Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter - Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford HS (NC State)
Francesca McBride - 6-3 - Opposite Hitter - Troy, Mich./Troy HS
Alden Willis - 5-4 - Junior - Defensive Specialist - Raleigh, N.C./Broughton HS (ECU)
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateVB.
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