SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- University of Sioux Falls Volleyball head coach Joel McCartney announced the signing of six student-athletes, who will join the Cougar family as they continue their academic and athletic careers.  The NCAA signing period opened November 13.

McCartney has added a talented group of recruits which include Caitlin Kellner, defensive specialist, West Des Moines, Iowa; Megan Riddle, outside hitter, Windsor Heights, Iowa; Peyton Kriegel, defensive specialist, Center Point, Iowa; Jordyn Hamm, middle blocker, Spirit Lake, Iowa; Jordan Kuper, middle blocker, Scotch Grove, Iowa; and Ally Beresford, setter, Wynstone, S.D.

"We are all very excited about the 2020 class of athletes and their families becoming a part of our Cougar program," said McCartney, who has directed USF to 132 wins as a member of the NSIC. "This class not only brings serious and committed players to our team, but also connected and engaged leaders. Collectively, these six give us great depth in position areas of need, but more importantly the talent to challenge for impactful roles in our program," he said.

Caitlin Kellner, 5-6, Defensive Specialist, West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian

Caitlin Kellner, a three-year starter and letter winner at Des Moines Christian, was a team captain who was named West Central All Conference in 2018 and 2019. As a senior she averaged 4.41 digs per set and .61 aces per set. Kellner, who is the daughter of Julie and Kevin Kellner, was named an Iowa Coaches Association Senior All-Star in 2019. Kellner played with the Iowa Power Plex Club Team.

"Caitlin brings a pretty accomplished resume to our court, but her most impressive attribute is the personal engagement she brings to our program," said McCartney. "On the court she was a high level three-year starter with 4.41 digs per set and .61 Aces per set as a senior. However, the reason she was voted team captain for her high school and club teams was because of her leadership and the ability to connect her team on and off the competitive floor," he said.  

Megan Riddle, 5-11, Outside Hitter, Windsor Heights, Iowa/Des Moines Christian

A standout outside hitter, Megan Riddle, who was teammates with fellow signee Caitlin Kellner, was a four-year letter winner and starter at Des Moines Christian. In both 2018 and 2019, she was named to the West Central All Conference Team. In 2018, she was the West Central Conference Offensive Player of the Year. The daughter of Toby and Jim Riddle, she was also honorable mention All-West Central Conference in 2017. She plays for the Iowa Power Plex Club Team.  
"Megan is a fantastic addition to our outside hitter group as she brings a very accomplished set of six-rotation skills to our court.  She fits the prototypical O2 position on the left pin because of her ball control and the ability to create great shots offensively," said McCartney. "Although Megan has a high-level list of accomplishments for her high school career, what really caught my eye in the recruiting process is how hard she plays the game and how coachable she is on the floor," he said.

Peyton Kriegel, 5-6, Defensive Specialist, Center Point, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana

A standout defensive specialist at Center Point-Urbana, Peyton Kriegel was a four-year starter and letter winner. A highly decorated performer, she was named WaMAC West All-Conference in both 2018 and 2019. In her career, she surpassed 1,000 digs and set school marks for digs in a season and digs per set. In addition, Kriegel, the daughter of Gretchen and Scott Kriegel, was selected to the WaMaC All-Academic squad in both 2018 and 2019. Named, KCRG Athlete of the Week as a senior, she has also played with the Iowa Rockets Club Team.

"Peyton is one of the most serious and focused competitors we have recruited into our program," said McCartney. "She also brings an impressive list of accomplishments from her high school and club experience, but her drive and passion for the game was the eye catch for me in the recruiting process. As a four-year starter and record holder in digs per set, digs in a single season and over 1,000 digs in her career. Peyton is likely to become a shining star for us sooner rather than later," he added.
 
 
Jordyn Hamm, 6-3, Middle Blocker, Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake

A four-year starter and letter winner, Jordyn Hamm had a standout career as a middle blocker for the Spirit Lake High School. The daughter of Sonja and Jason Hamm, she was a three-time selection to the Lakes All-Conference Team (2017, 2018, 2019) and named an Iowa Coaches Association Senior All Star in 2019. In her career she hit .533 and set a school mark for aces with 91. Named the Des Moines Register Athlete of the Week during 2019, she played on the KAIROS club team.  

"Jordyn (Hamm) brings a great deal of experience and skill to the middle blocking position.  She has the size and reach to be a dominating terminator on both sides of the net," said McCartney. "Although Jordyn is known most notably for her strength in blocking and attacking, she is sneaky good with other parts of the game as well. She not only set a new school program record for hitting efficiency with a .533 percentage, but she also set a new aces record by recording 91 for her career," he said.

Jordan Kuper, 6-2,  Middle Blocker, Scotch Grove, Iowa/Monticello

At Monticello High School, Jordan Kuper was a four-year letter winner and starter, who was a two-year team captain. Four times (2016-19), she was named to the River Valley All-Conference Team. The daughter of Gwen and Dan Kuper, she was selected to the Iowa 3A Northeast All-District Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She set the career record for kills with 1,297 and single season with 456. Twice she set a school record for kills in a match with 31. She also played for the Club Iowa team.

"Jordan is as physical a middle blocker that we have recruited to our program.  She is a strong athlete with the potential to become a dominating starter on our floor," said McCartney. "As a four-year starter Jordan holds her school program record for the most career kills but even more impressive is that she also holds the record for the most kills in a single season with 456 and has twice put away 31 kills in a single match," he said.

Ally Beresford, 5-8, Setter, Wynstone, S.D./Dakota Valley

A four-year starter and letter winner at Dakota Valley High School, Ally Beresford was a team captain and a three-time Dakota XII All-Conference selection (2017-2019). The daughter of Sherri and Todd Beresford, she was voted the South Dakota 4A Region Athlete of the Year in 2018. She played for the MVP United club team.

"Ally (Beresford) is a pure setter with an unbelievably smooth touch delivering the ball.  She has an amazing ability to take an out of system pass and create the most hittable situation for her attacker," said McCartney. "Ally can also fly around the court making amazing saves. However, I believe Ally's greatest gift is her vision and being able to read the game in every situation.  She can take some pretty complicated decisions and make them look fairly simple because she sees the game so well," he said.