University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Hazelwood Announces Six Additions to 2022 Volleyball Roster
7/14/2022 3:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – With the additions of three transfers, two high school standouts and a key member of the 2020 Southern Miss volleyball team returning, first year head coach Jenny Hazelwood has completed her 2022 roster ahead of the season opener on Aug. 26.
"Southern Miss volleyball added the perfect mix of players to complement the strong talent we already have on our roster for this upcoming season," said Hazelwood. "Our coaching staff was so pleased with the spring training and how much we improved. Adding the rest of this group for the fall makes us so excited to begin preseason training and pick up right where we left off!"
Nyanuer Bidit (RS | 5'10" | Senior | Anchorage, Alaska | Returner)
Bidit returns to the Golden Eagles after a season away from the program. The Anchorage, Alaska native started in all 19 matches during the 2020-21 season and played in all 69 sets. She was one of four Golden Eagles with 100 or more kills, tallying 137 on the year to go along with a team-leading 60 blocks. Bidit tallied double-digit kills in five matches, including a career-high 13 against LA Tech.
Hazelwood on Bidit: "Having Nyanuer back in the gym this spring has been great for the program! Anytime we can get a player touching 10'2" in our program that is huge. Add her great work-ethic and positivity on the court and she has only brought great things to this program. She really brings an imposing block at the net and her quickness makes her a big offensive threat as well."
Madison Bowles (RS | 6'0" | Graduate Student | Strafford, Mo. | Central Arkansas)
Bowles joins Southern Miss volleyball for the 2022 season as a graduate transfer after a four-year career with Central Arkansas. She tallied 609 kills for the Sugar Bears, including 337 during her sophomore season. She added 10 or more kills 26 times over her career with UCA. During her time at Strafford HS, she was named Class 2A All-State, All-Conference Honorable Mention and was an Academic All-Conference selection.
Hazelwood on Bowles: "We are very fortunate to add someone like Madison that has so much experience playing at the Division I level. As a lefty, opposite hitter, she will bring a different dynamic to our offense and adds another strong weapon among our attackers. She also has an infectious personality that brightens up those around her. We are luck extremely lucky to have an elite athlete like her and an even better human."
Cailin Demps (OH/RS | 6'1" | Freshman | Tallahassee, Fla. | Leon HS)
Demps joins the Black and Gold after racking up 1,081 career kills for Leon HS. In her final season for the Lions, Demps totaled 446 kills, guiding her team to a 25-5 record and the quarterfinals of the FHSAA Class 6A playoffs. She had double-digit kills in 22 of her 30 matches, including a career-high 35 in a five-set victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. Over the course of her senior year, Demps, added 11 double-doubles, including 27 kills and 15 digs in her final match.
Hazelwood on Demps: "Cailin brings a lot of power and a great arm to the Golden Eagles. She has experience playing all the way around and can handle a lot of pressure during a match, so we could put her in a lot of different situations and know that she will be able to handle them. Not only do we get a great volleyball player and a great athlete, but she is a wonderful human on and off the court. We are excited to see how she continues to grow at the collegiate level."
Megan Harris (DS/L | 5'4" | Sophomore | Nesbit, Miss. | SEMO)
Harris comes home to Mississippi after spending the first year of her career at Southeast Missouri. She appeared in 31 of the Redhawks 34 matches, making three starts during her freshman campaign. Harris recorded double-digit digs in a three-set victory over Eastern Illinois. The Nesbit, Miss. native prepped at DeSoto Central, where she helped lead the Jaguars to a MHSAA Class 6A State Championship in her senior season, garnering AVCA Region 4 All-Region Team. Harris earned Mississippi Association of Coaches First Team All-State honors during her sophomore, junior and senior season. She is the all-time leader in digs for the Jaguars with 1,598 over her high school career, while ranking second with 1,441 service aces.
Hazelwood on Harris: "We are so fortunate to have Megan transfer back to Mississippi! She had a phenomenal high school career, and I was originally bummed she had been recruited out of the state. When I took this job, she was one of the first recruits I was contacted about, and I was beyond thrilled to bring her to Southern Miss. She is a very strong back row player, in both her ability to pass and play defense. She fits in so well with the great defensive players currently on the roster."
Ella Vorhees (DS/L/S | 5'6" | Freshman | Morgantown, W.Va. | Morgantown HS)
Vorhees comes to the Hub City after collecting 873 digs at the varsity level for Morgantown HS. She helped guide the Mohigans to the WVSSAC Class AAA semifinals en route to 32 wins during her senior campaign. Vorhees was selected as a Special Honorable Mention All-State Team member, All OVAC 5-A Conference, North-South All-Star and served as a captain for her squad. She had 49 double-digit dig matches over her junior and senior seasons, including a career-high 28 against Bridgeport as a junior.
Hazelwood on Vorhees: "Southern Miss is honored to have Ella join our team. She comes from a top club volleyball program and knows how to train at a very high level. Ella has also played multiple positions, and that only adds depth to our roster. We will utilize her as a defender and have her in a setting role as needed. Her athletic ability and volleyball IQ allow us to move her as needed and that is always great for a coach to have."
Leighton Willoughby(MB |6'2" | Junior | Brandon, Miss. | PRCC)
Willoughby makes the short trip up I-59 to join USM after spending the past two seasons at Pearl River. The Brandon native appeared in 55 matches for the Wildcats, adding 152 kills in her freshman season. She finished third in kills with 165 during her second season at PRCC to end her JUCO career with 317 total kills to go along with 101 blocks. Willoughby swung her way to back-to-back 11 kill matches this past season against Louisiana College and Coastal Alabama for a new career best. She added 340 kills at Northwest Rankin over three years as a letterwinner for the Cougars to add All-Region honors during her career.
Hazelwood on Willoughby: "Leighton joined our program this past spring and quickly fit right in with this team. She will be one of only two players from Mississippi on the roster, and that is a huge testament to the hard work she has put in to get to where she is today! She is a very strong athlete and puts in the work every day. She is helping make a name for high level volleyball players coming out of Mississippi and that has been fun to watch develop."
