WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University head volleyball coach Riley Schenk said Thursday that she was excited about the four high school senior standouts who committed to the Hilltopper program during the NCAA early-signing period.
    Joining the Hilltoppers next fall will be Bella Dart, a 5-8 libero/defensive specialist from Avon, Ind.; Jarynn Hartman, an outside hitter/defensive specialist from Hawthorn Woods, Ill.; Grace Hill, a 6-1 middle blocker from East Liverpool, Ohio and Olivia McAtee, a right side hitter/middle blocker from Lewis Center, Ohio.
    In just her second year at the WLU helm, Schenk has led the Black and Gold to a 20-win season and has them in contention for the first NCAA Division II Tournament berth in program history as one of the top 10 teams in the latest set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings.
    Schenk says the four newest members of the WLU program have the skills and the drive to keep the Hilltoppers on the move, now and in future seasons.
    "This class reflects my competitive coaching style and the direction I want to continue to lead our fast-rising program," Schenk said. "These four young women will compete immediately and I could not be more thrilled to have them as Hilltoppers. I am super excited about this group because I believe they have the ability to push us to continue to play at a high level and take this program to new heights. Each of them brings something different to West Liberty on the volleyball court and off."
    Following are brief summaries along with comments from Coach Schenk on each of the Hilltoppers' four early signees.
    BELLA DART played her high school volleyball at Covenant Christian (Ind.) High School and her club volleyball with the Circle City Volleyball Club. A four-year varsity starter at CCHS, Dart was a second-team All-State selection as a senior, earning All-District and All-City honors after being named to the AVCA Preseason Watch List. A team captain who holds the school single-game record of 36 digs, Dart helped lead Covenant Christian to a sectional title and a berth in the regional finals. The National Honor Society member plans to pursue a Business major at West Liberty.
    "Bella's ability in the back court is what really stood out to me during the recruiting process," Schenk said. "She passes at a high level and is a very calm and collected player. She will fit right into our program immediately."
    JARYNN HARTMAN played her high school volleyball at Lake Zurich (Ill.) High School and her club volleyball with the Sky High Volleyball Club. Hartman helped lead Lake Zurich to a berth in the Illinois Class 4A regional finals where they were upended by perennial power Hersey in last month's regional championship game. A National Honor Society member and a High Honor Roll student, Hartman plans to major in Nursing at West Liberty.
    "Jarynn is a great all-around athlete," Schenk said. "She is strong defensively and offensively and comes to us with a very high ceiling. I'm looking forward to seeing her reach that ceiling once we get her in our gym and our brand-new weight room."
    GRACE HILL played her high school volleyball at Beaver Local (Ohio) High School and her club volleyball with the Ohio Valley Volleyball Academy. A dominant performer at the net, Hill was a four-year starter who led Beaver Local to back-to-back OVAC team titles. Hill was an All-District, All-OVAC, All-Buckeye 8 and All-YSN selection, won the YSN Big Dog of the Valley Award and was a two-time Offensive MVP for Beaver Local. President of her senior class and a National Honor Society member, Hill was involved in multiple extracurricular activities in her school and community. She plans to major in Education at West Liberty.
    "Grace comes from a great family and is the definition of a true student-athlete," Schenk said. "She takes a great deal of pride in performing at a very high level in the classroom and on the court. She is going to grow so much – on and off the court – during her career at West Liberty. I can't wait to have Grace on campus."
    OLIVIA MCATEE played her high school volleyball at Olentangy Orange (Ohio) High School and her club volleyball with the Advancement Academy Volleyball Club. An All-Ohio Cardinal Conference and All-District selection for Olentangy Orange's four-time Ohio District champions, McAtee represented Olentangy Orange in the 2021 District All-Star Game. The National Honor Society member plans to major in Business at West Liberty.
    "Olivia is a great competitor," Schenk said. "She comes to us from a very strong and well-established program that competes at the highest level in Ohio high school volleyball every year. Olivia is very versatile, offensively and defensively, whether she's in the middle or on the right side. I'm super excited to have her at WLU."
    Schenk and her current Hilltopper squad close out the Fall 2021 regular season on Friday night when they travel to Wheeling in a meeting of the top two teams in the Mountain East Conference North Division. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the McDonough Center.