Graduation Weekend Blessings: In-State NAIA Signees

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In honor of graduation weekend for the class of 2023, I did some research and found several Kansas players who have committed to NAIA programs in Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The majority of these names were unfortunately new to me and prove how much college talent there is across the state. This is not an all-inclusive list and includes athletes who have not been regularly featured on Prep Dig. Check out Prep Dig's 2023 rankings to see other committed players.  Other Kansas players who have committed can feel free to contact me on Twitter or by email to let me share the commitment news.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congratulations to all of the graduates across Kansas this year and good luck to all of the state's student-athletes as they transition to college sports.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cara Cox</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Norton Community, Bethany</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cox finished with 294 kills during her senior season and had 816 total kills during her high school career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liyah Huynh</strong>, 5'7”, S, Valley Center, Bethany</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huynh is a spark plug on the court. She can really push the ball to the pin and her tip-game is solid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matilynn Montandon</strong>, 5'8”, OH/DS, Hutchinson, Bethel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Montandon makes a consistent first pass during serve receive. She has quick feet and communicates well on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ryleigh Foster</strong>, 5'3”, S, Meade, Bethel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foster is very athletic and she finished with 666 assists during her senior year. She also added 193 digs and 70 kills during the 2022 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jenna Hayhurst</strong>, 5'8”, OPP, East (Wichita), Kansas Wesleyan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hayhurst has a nice touch and sets up her hitter consistently.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexi Gagnon</strong>, 5'6”, DS, Andover, Ottawa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gagnon finished with 240 digs and 113 kills during her senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='214636' first='Ryleigh' last='Sander']</strong>, 5'6”, DS, Gardner-Edgerton, Ottawa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sander is a skilled setter coming out of Gardner-Edgerton. During her junior season, she finished with 323 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sutton Diller</strong>, 5'7”, L, Hiawatha, University of St. Mary</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diller finished her senior season with 258 kills and 313 digs. She could evolve into a six-rotation player for the Spires.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->