Blue Raiders sign five to complete class of 2017

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee inked five signees as a part of the 2017 spring class after Taylor Hammill, Alyssa Mathis, Josie Maxim, Leilani Mayer and Brienna Tankesley signed their National Letters of Intent, head coach Chuck Crawford announced. Along with 2016 fall signee Maddie Sweeney, the Blue Raiders will welcome six newcomers to the program for the 2017 season.

"We are absolutely thrilled with this class," Crawford said. "Every player we recruited shares our priority of building culture, and they have a high moral compass on and off the court. We are very excited to have them join the Blue Raider family."

Taylor Hammill // Greenwood, Ind. // Auburn // S

Hammill comes to Middle Tennessee after spending a season at Auburn. The Greenwood, Ind. native served as a key reserve last season following a stellar prep career at Center Grove High School and playing club with Circle City. Hammill was named to the Indiana All-State first team as a senior and earned second team All-State accolades as a junior. The four-time Metro Interscholastic All-Conference first team member totaled over 4,000 assists in her high school career. Hammill also excelled in the classroom as a three-time MIC Academic All-Conference honoree.

Crawford on Hammill: "Taylor is incredibly dynamic. She by far has the strongest wrists of any setter I have seen. She will be able to set the tempo we want from anywhere on the court. She is high-energy, but she doesn't get rattled. Taylor is going to be able to run the offense, the tempo, the speed – in system and out of system – that we are looking for."

Alyssa Mathis // Spring Hill, Fla. // San Diego State // OH

Mathis joins the Blue Raider program as a redshirt sophomore transfer from San Diego State. The Spring Hill, Fla. native prepped at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School for the final three years of her high school career. Mathis was named to the All-Suncoast first team as a junior and senior, and helped her team advance to the Regional semifinals in both seasons. She also represented the Southeastern U.S. in the Bring It Promotions summer tour, competing in Europe against teams from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Italy, Romania and Asia.

Crawford on Mathis: "Alyssa is super dynamic and she has a great arm. We would like to see her help carry the load on the outside. With our returners in the middle and right-side, they will pull away the attention from her and allow her to be highly effective. She is extremely athletic and physical. Along with her high volleyball I.Q. she will be able to terminate and beat the blocks."

Josie Maxim // Oswego, Ill. // Oswego HS // MH

Maxim comes to Middle Tennessee from Oswego High School in Oswego, Ill. A dynamic force in the middle, the 6-foot-1 Maxim can also provide a balanced attack from the outside with a peak vertical at 10-foot-1. She also brings a wealth of experience after playing club volleyball with the legendary Sports Performance club in Chicago.

Crawford on Maxim: "She is an amazing kid and is very dynamic off one foot. It is important to me that every middle blocker we recruit from this point forward can hit off one foot. She can also transition to the right side if we have an injury or need depth, and can run the right-side attack and slide attack off one foot. She has a high volleyball IQ. She is used to playing and training at a high level. She is a great culture kid with high integrity. She is the complete package in the middle."

Leilani Mayer // Germantown, Md. // Northwest HS // MH

Mayer joins MT after a standout prep career at Northwest High School and with Revolution Volleyball club. The 6-foot-2 middle hitter hit for a .333 clip her senior season, and exceeded national average marks in kills, hitting percentage, blocks per set and total blocks. Mayer helped lead the Northwest Jaguars to a 19-1 record, including a perfect 13-0 ledger in regional play, while also earning the No. 2 ranking in the state of Maryland.

Crawford on Mayer: "Leilani is probably the most physically gifted of all the recruits that are coming in. Her father is a personal trainer, so she has been lifting weights at an early age. As a senior in high school, appearance-wise she looks like a senior in college. She is a big jumper and is very dynamic side-to-side. Fortunately with her, she has the ability to hit from the middle and outside. She is highly intelligent on and off the court."

Brienna Tankesley // Landisville, Pa. // Auburn // L/DS

Tankesley rounds out the 2017 class after transferring from Auburn. The Landisville, Pa. native played a key role on defense with the Tigers and brings speed and athleticism to MT. Tankesley played for Hempfield High School and was a member of Ballyhoo Club. The sophomore helped guide the Hempfield Black Knights to a pair of AAA state championships as a freshman and sophomore, and was a part of two AAA state runner-up teams in 2014 and 2015. Tankesley garnered first team All-District accolades as a junior and senior after being named second team All-District as a sophomore.

Crawford on Tankesley: "Bri is one of the fastest defenders I have seen in my coaching career. I've seen her play right-back defense and beat the middle blocker to cover the outside hitter. She's lightning fast. She comes from a great culture with her club and high school that helped establish her as a gritty player. With speed, intelligence, ball control – she is the complete package and will help to stabilize our back court."

Players Mentioned

Taylor Hammill

Alyssa Mathis

Josie Maxim

Leilani Mayer

Maddie Sweeney

Bri Tankesley

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics