From K-State Athletics
K-State volleyball announced the signings of setter Téana Adams-Kaonohi, outside hitter Anna Dixon, middle blocker Faith Hammontree and libero/setter Loren Hinkle to National Letters of Intent (NLI) on the first day of the fall signing period, head coach Suzie Fritz announced Wednesday.
“This is a well-rounded class with the ability to make a significant impact on our program due to their collective skill level, athletic makeup and high standards,” Fritz said of the 2019 signing class. “They have had proven academic success and are young women of high character from wonderfully supportive families.
“They will all be joining us early this spring, which will be a tremendous advantage. It gives us the opportunity to expose them to the collegiate level of speed and power, allow them to get comfortable with our systems and vocabulary and build relationships with their teammates. We are excited about the impact this class can have, both with the culture of the team and the future success of our volleyball program.”
Adams-Kaonohi, a 6-foot-1 setter, was a three-year letterwinner at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawai’i, playing her club volleyball for Rainbows VBC. A captain her senior season for the Buff ‘n Blue, she was named a 2018 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball.com as one of the top 150 recruits in the nation while twice being named All-State Fab 15 list. Adams-Kaonohi led her high school and club teams to multiple tournament titles, including a Junior Prep Sports Under-18 tournament championship as a sophomore and Power League Under-18 championship in 2017.
“Téana is an excellent all-around volleyball player and high-quality setter,” said Fritz of Adams-Kaonohi. “She has a very smooth and effortless way about her, and her size and length will allow her to take the ball high and easily connect with hitters. For a young setter, she also has good situational awareness in regard to her ability to make adjustments to better the ball and put attackers in good situations. From a leadership perspective, she has a patient and positive presence, which is a job requirement for the setter position.”
A 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Louisburg, Kansas, Dixon tallied over 2,000 kills in her high school career and is a two-time Class 4A Kansas Player of the Year. She earned an Under Armour All-America Honorable Mention selection along with being named a finalist for the 2018 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year. Dixon led Louisburg High School to back-to-back 4A state runner-up finishes, twice being named first team all-state. Playing her club volleyball for KC Power, she was tabbed a top 50 recruit for the 2019 class by PrepVolleyball.com.
“Anna is a high-level recruit with great size and athleticism at the outside hitter position,” Fritz added of Dixon. “She has the potential to contribute early on in her career as she is a strong presence at the net, both offensively and defensively. She has a nice combination of size, power, athleticism and control as an attacker and can play physically at the net. We believe she is well prepared to quickly transition to the college game with elite club experience at KC Power and coming off a 4A State Player of the Year performance in leading her team to the 4A state championship final.”
Hammontree, a middle blocker who stands 6-foot-5, led De Soto High School to a 5A substate championship and earned a second-team all-league selection her senior season. She also won back-to-back 2A state titles while at Christian Heritage Academy in her sophomore and junior campaigns while collecting two straight first-team all-state and 2A state all-tournament team nods. Hammontree played her club volleyball for MAVS.
“Faith has great size and length, but most importantly she has good arm speed for an athlete with her length,” said Fritz. “She is able to hit with range from the middle blocker position and get on the ball quickly, which is a he asset. Her size demands attention on the defensive side of the ball as well, as she has the ability to be a strong blocking presence. We believe that collegiate-level strength and condition will greatly benefit her and have a significant impact on her physical development as a player.”
A 5-foot-10 utility player, Hinkle played outside hitter, defensive specialist and setter in her career at De Soto High School and with MAVS club team. As a setter her senior year, she led the Wildcats to a 5A substate championships while earning 5A all-state honorable mention and state all-tournament team accolades. A three-time all-academic team recipient, Hinkle helped her team claim three straight Frontier League titles.
“Loren is a great all-around athlete,” Fritz said of Hinkle. “Her speed and versatility are what most attracted us to her as a volleyball player. She has the ability to do a lot of things well. Defensively, she is an instinctive and high IQ defender who understands and sees the game incredibly well, in addition to her capacity to put together point-scoring runs with her serve. From an offensive perspective, her versatility to both pass effectively, as well as be able to set an offense, give us a lot of option in regard to how to utilize her strengths and talents.”
