(Editor's Note: Montana State Press Release)
The Montana State volleyball program welcomes perhaps its best class under head coach Daniel Jones, and speculation nationwide has the incoming Bobcat recruits ranked just outside the top 30 in the nation, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
Joining the Bobcat program next season are Stacia Barker, a 6-2 middle blocker from Evanston, Wyo., Camryn Greenwald, a 6-2 middle blocker/rightside hitter from Woodbury, Minn., Mya Larson, a 5-10 outside hitter from Wahoo, Neb., Lauren Lindseth, a 5-9 libero/defensive specialist from Great Falls, Nellie Reese, a 5-10 setter from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Madilyn Siebler, a 5-10 outside hitter from Omaha, Neb.
“This class all committed during COVID and I think they’re one of the best recruiting classes we’ve had,” Jones said. “I have to tip my hat to our recruiting coordinator Cole Aiazzi. He did a really nice job finding them and did a really nice job building relationships with them. They all took unofficial visits without us seeing them. It’s a pretty unique class and I couldn’t be more excited.
“They all came to camp this summer,” Jones added. “They’re all outstanding young women and possibly the highest level of volleyball we’ve ever brought in, in one class.”
Barker was a 2020 Wyoming volleyball all-state selection and was a first-team all-conference pick, as well. The Red Devils are currently 23-7 on the season heading into the final weeks of play.
An outstanding athlete, Barker also lettered in basketball and track. Last season, she was a second-team all-state selection and a first-team all-conference performer in basketball. A state champion in track, Barker earned all-state honors with a school-record clearance of 5-7.25 in the high jump. She was also an all-state honoree in the 100-meter hurdles.
“Stacia is raw in terms of volleyball and is athletic as all get out,” Jones commented. “She’ll most likely redshirt as she adjusts to the speed of the collegiate game. She has all the athletic potential to be a real impact player for us over the years.”
Greenwald led East Ridge High School to a 9-0 mark in the Suburban East Conference this fall, its fourth straight league crown. In addition, the Raptors will make an appearance in the 2021 Minnesota State tournament. Greenwald, who led her team in hitting percentage, kill percentage and blocks as a junior, garnered Suburban East All-Conference accolades. She was an all-conference honorable mention choice in 2019. On Tuesday night, Greenwald was named to the Minnesota AAAA All-State squad
“Camryn is a really high-level, talented player with great size,” Jones commented. “She comes from a very good Northern Lights volleyball club in Minnesota and is doing really big things with her high school program right now taking them to state. Camryn can hit in the middle, can hit on rightside, and can hit on the outside. She’ll really add a nice dynamic to the gym with her versatility. She’s a great kid and can pound the ball.”
Larson is a 2019 and 2020 First-Team Super State selection at Wahoo High School, where she helped the Warriors to the 2018 and 2020 state titles. A three-time first-team Class C1 all-state pick, she also was also a three-time first-team all-Trailblazer Conference honoree, as well. Larson was a 2020 Max Prep All-American and was the PrepExtra Volleyball Player of the Year. In club ball, she was a member of the 2021 USAV 18 National Championship team.
“Mya might arguably be the best incoming freshman this program has ever had,” Jones said. “Coming out of her junior club season, she was ranked the No. 37 recruit in the country overall by PrepVolleyball.com. She’s an all-around kid that passes really well, plays great defense, and has 2,000 plus kills for her high school as a four-year starter with a 50% kill rate. Mya comes from an extremely high level of volleyball in Nebraska.”
Lindseth, the daughter of former Bobcat great Kelly Modrow (1992-96), is one of the top players in the state of Montana and has led her high school squad to the No. 1 seed in the Class AA state tournament. Lindseth is a two-time first-team all-state pick and was a second-team all-state selection in 2018. An academic all-state honoree as well, Lindseth was the Class AA Eastern Player of the Year in 2020. Outside of high school volleyball, she is a part of the USA National Team Development Program.
An outstanding athlete, Lindseth is a two-time all-state selection in basketball and was an all-conference performer in softball.
“With Lauren, we’ve once again signed the best player in the state of Montana,” Jones stated. “She’s a legacy kid having that her mother Kelly is a former Bobcat standout. She’s been playing outside hitter for CMR for a couple of years and will come and play libero for us. Lauren is in the national team development pipeline and she certainly has the potential to be one of the best liberos this program has ever seen.”
Reese, a four-year letterwinner at Lake City High School, led her team to an 18-8 overall mark this season. As a senior, she was named first-team all-league playing in 5A Inland Empire. Reese also garnered the 2021 coaches award. In addition, she was a first-team all-league pick as a junior and a second-team all-league honoree as a sophomore. Reese helped guide the Timberwolves to a fourth-place state finish in 2019, and a state runner-up showing as a freshman.
“Nellie is a dynamic setter that came on our radar just recently,” Jones said. “We moved quickly to get her because we like what she does. Nellie brings a lot of experience and is the daughter of a coach. She lives and breathes the game and has a huge amount of passion for volleyball. She will really add to our depth at the setting position.”
Siebler recently led her team to a third-place finish at the Nebraska Class A state tournament. The Warriors completed the season 27-12 overall. In addition, Westside High School was the 2021 district champion and was the Omaha Metro Conference runner-up. Siebler is a three-time all-state honorable mention pick. She was a 2020 Omaha All-Metro Second-Team selection and was named all-state academic. Outside of volleyball, Siebler lettered four years in basketball, and once in track and field.
“Siebler just finished up her high school career leading her team back to the state tournament for the first time in 20 years,” Jones said. “She is an über competitor and comes from a really high level of volleyball. She’s a good sized rightside that’s very similar to (current Bobcat) Hannah Scott. She’s athletic and has a high volleyball IQ. We’re expecting her to have an impact on the program, as well.”
Stacia Barker MB 6-2 Fr Evanston, Wyo./Evanston HS
Camryn Greenwald MB/RS 6-2 Fr Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge HS
Mya Larson OH 5-10 Fr Wahoo, Neb./Wahoo HS
Lauren Lindseth L/DS 5-9 Fr Great Falls, Mont./CM Russell HS
Nellie Reese S 5-10 Fr Coeur d’Alene, Idaho/Lake City HS
Madilyn Siebler OH 5-10 Fr Omaha, Neb./Westside HS
