Wheat State Athletes Joining Bethel Threshers For NAIA Harvest

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A week ahead of a large rankings update, Prep Dig continues to feature Kansas athletes from the Class of 2024 who have committed to play college volleyball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That list will feature 200 athletes and over 100 college-committed athletes. Updated rankings for the Class of 2025 will follow after that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two NAIA programs have signed two significant-sized classes that consist of Kansas athletes Bethel and Kansas Wesleyan. Here is a report on 10 Kansas athletes who will be joining Adriana Leake's Thresher volleyball squad. More reports on other NAIA signees from Kansas will be coming this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leake's signing class includes four deep-digging liberos who will fight for court time and two impressive local talents from Newton High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='237255' first='Langley' last='Barger']</strong>, 5'10”, OH, Eisenhower</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barger is a solid front-row attacker who is north of Goddard to play for the Bethel Threshers. He finished her senior season with 211 kills. She also just completed her powerlifting season for the Tigers, and if she continues to be a workhorse in the weight room, then she could evolve into a dominant NAIA attacker on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514505' first='Emily' last='Born']</strong>, 5'3”, DS/L, Douglass</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Born is a multiple-sport athlete who is choosing volleyball over softball and basketball. She is a bouncy libero who can do a lot on the court. She filled up her senior stat line with 263 digs, 289 serve receptions, 109 kills, and 31 aces for the Douglass Bulldogs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514507' first='Mya' last='Free']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Campus</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Free has a big reach and is a raw talent with upside. Nothing about her stat line as a senior is eye-popping, but she is joining a program in Newton where she can continue to evolve as a player and compete for playing time in the middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514504' first='Madison' last='Godwin']</strong>, 5'7”, DS/L, Wichita Northwest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Godwin is a consistent first passer who will come in and compete with the four other defensive-oriented prospects being brought in by Leake's coaching staff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514503' first='Avery' last='Hambrick']</strong>, 5'7”, S, Nickerson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hambrick is one of three-setters in Bethel's 2024 recruiting class. Hambrick can also serve as an opposite-side hitter and has solid basketball skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514477' first='Avery' last='Harp']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Moscow</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harp, a Moscow Wildcat product, is headed east to Newton to show off her passing and defensive skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514506' first='Emily' last='Hynes']</strong>, 5'6”, S, Wichita North</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hynes has some of the best stats of the three setters Bethel has added. She finished with 585 total assists for the RedHawks during her senior campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185698' first='Abigail' last='Koontz']</strong>, 5'11”, DS/L, Newton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Koontz is one of two local talents staying home to play for Bethel. She has had a major impact on the Railers' sports scene as she competes in volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and softball. She is a member of the 1,000-career dig club. She had three consecutive seasons with more than 500 digs and racked up 1,976 career digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514474' first='Marley' last='Little']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Kiowa County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Little is arguably the most likely prospect in the Bethel signing class who could become a six-rotation all-conference player. The Mavericks senior racked up a two-season total of 524 kills, 351 digs, and 88 aces during her final two seasons of high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='495613' first='Elena' last='Vanderweg']</strong>, 5'4”, S, Newton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vanderweg is the second Railer prospect staying home. She ran Newton's offense last season and recorded 702 assists in 83 sets played. She finished with a total of 1,616 assists in three seasons of varsity action. She has a nice tip-game which resulted in 106 kills during her high school career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->