Pirates Announce 10-Member 2021 Signing Class

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team has received commitments from 10 student-athletes to attend the university and compete for the Pirates beginning in the fall of 2021, according to an announcement by first-year head coach Adler Augustin Thursday.

Augustin's first signing class is comprised of nine high school standouts as well as one junior college transfer.

"We are excited about our newest additions in what is a big signing class," Augustin said. "The potential of this group is huge. We feel like we got better at each position and added depth, which was really important to us. We're not only trying to recruit great volleyball players but also great young women that will add to our team culture in a big way and continue to hoist Pirate Nation's flag. They are highly motivated, outstanding competitors and, above all, they are great students. All of these players will be ready to step in and compete for starting positions."

Kianie Cummings, 6-4, Middle Blocker, Cape Coral, Fla. (Florida SouthWestern State College)

Played in all 24 matches for the Bucs during their inaugural season in 2019.
Led the club with 96 blocks while also pacing the team in hitting percentage (.316).
Finished the campaign averaging 1.01 kills per set and 1.19 blocks per set.
Recorded two or more blocks in 22 of 24 matches, including a career-high 10 in the Bucs' State Tournament win over Central Florida.
Twice notched eight kills in a match, doing so in wins over Richard Bland and Florida Gateway.
Named to the 2019 Suncoast Conference All-Academic Team.

Amelia Davis, 6-5, Middle Blocker, Denver, Colo. (Arapahoe High School)

Earned Colorado 5A honorable mention all-state honors and first-team all-conference accolades in 2019.
Served as team captain her senior year.
As a junior, racked up 235 kills, 87 total blocks and a .321 hitting percentage.
Also lettered four years as a member of the swimming team, specializing in 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle.
Plays club volleyball for Colorado Juniors.

Payton Evenstad, 6-0, Setter, Faribault, Minn. (Faribault High School)

Ranked the No. 7 recruit in the state of Minnesota by Prep Dig.
Named to the 2019 Big 9 Conference First Team
Garnered a spot on the 2018 Faribault Daily News All-Area Team.
Plays club volleyball for Northern Lights.

Aaliyah Griffin, 5-10, Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter, Bowie, Md. (Arundel High School)

Helped lead the Wildcats to the 2019 Maryland 4A state title as Arundel finished the season with a 21-1 record.
Plays club volleyball for Maryland Juniors Elite Black.
Also lettered in track and field, specializing in the high jump, long jump and 100-meter dash.

Anaiah Jones, 5-6, Defensive Specialist/Outside Hitter, Charlotte, N.C. (Mountain Island Charter)

Named to the 2020 American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom List and Under Armour All-American Watchlist.
Has racked up 828 kills, 719 digs and 213 aces through three seasons of prep volleyball.
Tabbed the PAC 7 Conference Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
Helped lead Island Mountain Charter to a 24-4 record and a spot in the North Carolina 1A West Region championship match.
Earned all-region honors as a sophomore.
Served as a team captain all four years on the varsity squad.
Plays club volleyball for Carolina Juniors 18 Elite.

Sophia Kruczko, 6-3, Outside Hitter/Right Side, Cary, N.C. (Green Hope High School)

Played her freshman season at Wilmington Christian Academy before transferring to Green Hope High School where she helped the Falcons win back-to-back North Carolina 4A state championships.
Selected to the 2020 AVCA All-Region 3 Team.
Tallied 70 kills and 30 total blocks as a junior.
Plays her club volleyball with NC Academy.

Izzy Marinelli, 5-11, Outside Hitter, Yardley, Pa. (Pennsbury High School)

Has been a varsity starter for the Falcons since her sophomore season, helping lead Pennsbury to 47 wins.
Collected 261 kills, 43 digs, 21 blocks as a junior while earning all-conference, all-district, all-state and Bucks County Golden Team accolades.
Propelled the Falcons to a 21-5-1 overall record and 18-0 conference mark in 2019 as Pennsbury reached the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania 4A state tournament.
Competes for the Princeton Volleyball Club's 18-1 team.
Also earned four letters in track and field, specializing in the 400-meter dash, high jump and 4x400 relay events.

Tia Shum, 5-6, Defensive Specialist/Libero, London, Ontario (Saunders Secondary School)

Put together an MVP season her sophomore year, helping Saunders Secondary School to a 55-2 overall record and its first Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations provincial title in 27 years after not dropping a set the entire tournament.
Served as team captain and was MVP her junior season, helping the Sabres win the city and Western Ontario titles after averaging 12 digs per game.
Tabbed to the 2020 Team Ontario Elite roster.
Named MVP of the 2019 St. Clair Invitational.
Earned a silver medal as the starting libero for Team Ontario, the third-ranked team in all of Canada, at the 2019 USA Volleyball High Performance Championships.
Was ranked first nationally at the 2018 U15 Canada Beach Volleyball Championships.
Won the gold medal in the U16 division at the Volleyball Canada Indoor National Championships in 2017 while also being named Best Attacker at the Capitol Hill Classic.
Guided her U15 team to the title at the 2016 Indoor Ontario Championships while playing up two age divisions.
Captured back-to-back gold medals at the 2015 U13 and U14 Ontario Beach Volleyball Championships.

Alex Singleton, 5-8, Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist, Spring, Texas (Oak Ridge High School)

A three-year member of the Oak Ridge High School varsity squad who has helped the War Eagles to an 83-22 record.
Has accumulated 471 career kills and 716 career digs through the beginning of November of her senior season.
Competes for the Woodlands Revolution Club.

Merritt Woodson, 5-11, Outside Hitter/Right Side, Jarvisburg, N.C. (Currituck County High School)

A four-year varsity starter at Currituck County High School who has paced the Knights to three conference titles and a state championship in 2018.
Has recorded 714 kills, 361 digs, 181 blocks and 148 aces entering her senior campaign.
Selected to the 2020 AVCA All-Region 3 Team.
Named to the AVCA Phenom List three times (2017, 2018, 2019)
Tabbed to the 2020 Under Armour All-America Watchlist.
Three-time all-conference honoree and 2019 all-area player of the year.
Was the 2019 Northeastern Coastal Conference Player of the Year as a junior while also being named to the WRAL All-East Region Team.
Exploded for a school single-season record of 465 kills her junior season in addition to tallying 294 digs and 66 aces.
As a freshman, was the only underclassman selected to the All-Northeastern Coastal Conference Team.

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