Volleyball Bulldogs Announce Four Spring Signees
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University has signed four high school volleyball standouts to national letters of intent, MSU fifth-year head volleyball coach Tina Seals announced this week.
MSU’s 2008 spring recruiting class includes Leanna King, a 5-10 libero/outside hitter from Huntsville, Ala., Mandy Mellencamp, a 6-1 middle blocker from Prescott, Ariz., Caitlin Rance, a 6-0 middle blocker/outside hitter from Kingwood, Texas, and Faith Steinwedell, a 6-2 outside hitter from Encinitas, Calif.
"I’m excited about this year’s group of signees and look forward to their joining the Mississippi State volleyball program on campus this fall," said Seals. "They possess the size, the quickness and the athleticism that will make them great assets to our program in the seasons ahead. Our volleyball staff as done an outstanding job of recruiting players that will have an opportunity to excel on the volleyball court, in the classroom and in the MSU community."
King is an all-state performer and four-year letter-winner from Huntsville’s Grissom High School, where she was coached by Tanya Wigley-Broadway. King paced the Tigers with 562 kills and tallied 340 digs, 44 aces and 52 blocks in helping guide the GHS Tigers to a 65-6 record and a State Final Four finish in 2007. A three-time all-area selection, she earned Super All-Metro Huntsville and Birmingham News Super All-State honors as a senior and was accorded MVP honors at the North/South State All-Star match.
An eight-year veteran of the NASA club volleyball team in Huntsville, where she was coached by Anne McArthur and Brent Wistner, she competed on teams that claimed seven southern region titles. She is the daughter of Michelle and David King of Huntsville, Ala.
Mellencamp is a three-year standout from Prescott High School where she was coached by Dan Dendy. She is believed to be the first MSU volleyball signee from Arizona. Mellencamp earned honorable mention all-state, first-team all-region and KYCA All-Area Player of the Year honors as a senior, leading the Badger volleyball team with 176 kills. She earned second-team all-region honors her sophomore and junior seasons.
Mellencamp played club volleyball for seven years, most recently for Club Red, where she was coached by Joe Hesse. She also served as a volunteer coach in the local YMCA youth volleyball program.
The MSU signee was also a four-year member of the PHS jazz and marching trumpet bands and was honored as the 2007-08 Prescott High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She is the daughter of Ann and Ross Mellencamp of Prescott, Ariz.
Rance is a three-year varsity starter from Kingwood (Texas) High School, where she was a standout on coach Ashley Earhart’s teams from
2005 to 2007. Rance paced the Mustangs with 428 kills and 127 total blocks and delivered 261 digs in helping guide KHS to a 34-6 mark, a third consecutive district title and an advancement to the state regional quarterfinals. A two-time team captain and all-district selection, Rance was accorded all-state and district MVP honors in the talent-rich Houston area.
The MSU signee also played softball at KHS and is a five-year veteran of club volleyball. She last played for the Houston Select Juniors volleyball club, where she was coached by Mitch Casteel. A member of the National Honor Society, Rance is the daughter of Jeannie and Rick Rance of Kingwood, Texas.
Steinwedell competed at Sante Fe Christian High School in Solana Beach, Calif., where she helped lead coach Gail Malone’s SFHS team to California state titles in both 2005 and 2007. She was a third-team Union Times All-San Diego Section and first-team All-Coastal North League selection as a senior.
She played club volleyball for the Epic Volleyball Club coached by Ozhan Bahrambeygui. Steinwedell is the daughter of Barbara and William Steinwedell of Encinitas, Calif.
2008 MISSISSIPPI STATE SPRING VOLLEYBALL SIGNEES (4)
Leanna King, 5-10, L/OH, Huntsville, Ala. (Grissom HS)
Mandy Mellencamp, 6-1, MB, Prescott, Ariz. (Prescott HS)
Caitlin Rance, 6-0, MB/OH, Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood HS)
Faith Steinwedell, 6-2, OH, Encinitas, Calif. (Sante Fe Christian HS)