STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton Volleyball has announced the addition of four more standouts – two high school and two junior college players – that are set to compete this fall for the Purple and White.
“I am so excited for our final four signings and cannot wait for them to be here already,” said head coach Mary Schindler.
These additions bring Schindler’s recruiting class to eight following the signing of four high school standouts in March – Alissa Johnson, Kassidy McCabe, Michaela Rodriguez, and Bailey Meggs.
Here is a look at the newest additions to the reigning Lone Star Conference champions:
Elizabeth Muliaga | OH | Pago Pago, America Samoa | N.M. Military Institute
Muliaga comes to Tarleton after a standout career with the Broncos of the New Mexico Military Institute. She is a 6’1 outside hitter from Pago Pago, America Samoa.
“Liz is tough. Period,” said Schindler. “She reminds me so much of my former assistant and best friend, Christabell Hamilton. A native of American Samoa, Liz comes from NMMI and is used to routine and hard work. I immediately fell in love with her tenacious personality and the way she carries herself.”
The Broncos won 32 games over the last two seasons, including an all-conference campaign from Muliaga last year. She was named the NMMI Athlete of the Year and team MVP last season after landing 261 kills and 2.31 kills per set and totaling 81 blocks as a sophomore. She continued her career at NMMI after graduating from Leone High School, where she led her team to a 14-1 record during an MVP senior season.
She is a criminal justice major with intentions of joining the ROTC. In high school, she earned the Army ROTC award and the Superior Cadet award.
Kiana Leveston | RS | Missouri City, Texas | Fort Bend Hightower HS
Leveston will continue her career and education at Tarleton following a three-year varsity career at Fort Bend Hightower High School in Missouri City. She is a 5-9 right side hitter.
“Kiana is very athletic and very fast,” said Schindler. “I have no doubt that she will get better every single day because of her amazing work ethic.”
She was a two-year captain for Hightower and a three-time all-district selection. Leveston is the only player in her school’s history to earn all-district honors at three different positions throughout her career – middle blocker as a sophomore, outside hitter as a junior, and libero as a senior. She was the defensive player of the year as a junior and the team MVP as a sophomore in the middle of the front line. She was also a four-time academic all-district.
Her club volleyball team, AVA of Texas, won the 2015 USAV National Championship.
Jordyn Keamo | S | Mililani, Hawaii | Blinn JC
Keamo comes to Tarleton after one of the top volleyball careers at Blinn Junior College. She is a 5-8 setter from Mililani, Hawaii.
“Jordyn is just a volleyball player,” said Schindler. “Her volleyball IQ is exceptional and will absolutely have her stand apart from any other setter in the conference. She knows how to win. She makes good decisions and puts her team in position to score and be successful. The team loved her when she visited the campus and so did I. I can’t wait to watch her compete for us this fall.”
Her junior college resume is a well rounded one after the Hawaii native racked up 2,514 assists over the last two seasons, which ranks her No. 2 all-time in Blinn history. Her 89 service aces as a sophomore was No. 1 in the nation and moved her into second most all-time at Blinn with 153 in her career.
Keamo racked up the awards in her two-year stint with the Buccaneers, earning All-America honors in both seasons as well as all-conference, all-region, and was an all-tournament selection at the NJCCA Division I National Tournament.
Her junior college career came after a four-year varsity career for Mililani High School where she was a four-time team MVP. She was a four-time Westside first-team selection and a two-time Westside Player of the Year while leading her team to the school’s first OIA championship in its volleyball history.
She was also the Player of the Year and the first Hall of Fame inductee for her club team, Mililani Volleyball Club.
Alexis Applewhite | RS | Sugarland, Texas | Dulles High School
Applewhite will continue her career and education with Tarleton this fall after graduating from Dulles High School in Sugarland. She is a 6-0 right side hitter.
“Alexis has a great range of shots from the right side,” said Schindler. “She is very athletic and I’m excited to get her in the gym and watch her work.”
She joins the TexAnns after a four-year varsity career with the Vikings, where she was a team captain. She was a four-time all-district selection, including first-team honors as a sophomore and junior. In addition to her success with Dulles, she led her club team to the 2016 USA Division Championship.
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