Lady Falcons Ink Four For Next Year

Monday, November 24th, the Lady Falcons inked four new players into the program at a signing on campus in Daytona Beach, FL.  This signing marked the commitment of the first four players for the Falcons for the upcoming 2015 season. 

On campus Monday to share in the festivities with Coach Stegall were Haley Jensen, Madison Rogers, Megan Miller, and Delaney Freeman.  In addition to the commitments of these four exceptional volleyball players, Daytona State shipped a letter of intent to future Falcon, Mariah Baker in Chicago, Illinois.

These young ladies have demonstrated academic excellence at the high school level and will prove themselves as great students in the Daytona State College classroom next year.  Additionally, each have been leaders in their high school programs and will have an opportunity to further grow the budding program at Daytona State College.

After graduating 11 players from the 2014 squad, Coach Stegall has had her work cut out for her.  With a goal of growing the program, she has aggressively set her eyes on Florida talent, as well as, recruits from all over the country and internationally.

Delaney Freeman was one of the first recruits to commit to Daytona State.  Her commitment came over the summer.  Coach Stegall had set her sights on Delaney early, after seeing her perform in a volleyball camp prior to her junior year.  Stegall recognized early her passion and athleticism for the game and knew that she could fill the big shoes of graduating sophomore libero, Kiara Colson. 

Freeman is currently as senior at New Smyrna Beach High School.  She transferred to New Smyrna her junior year after attending Olympia High School in Orlando, FL.  Freeman has played volleyball for over 7 years, and has enjoyed playing the game both indoor and on the beach.  She has played for the prestigious, Orlando Volleyball Academy.  Additionally, she has qualified for AAU Beach Nationals each year of competition.  She has received special invites to the Best of the Beach Tournament in California, as well as, being named AAU Champion in 2010.  In 2014, Freeman was invited to try out for the USAV Junior National Team.  She has been awarded as Best Defensive Player on her New Smyrna High School team, as well as, receiving the distinguished honor, The Cuda Award.  In addition to being a great player, Freeman currently holds a 3.87 grade point average and has been given the Renaissance Award.

The next commitment was made by outside hitter, Haley Jensen.  Haley Jensen resides in Orange City, FL and attends University High School.  The Titans made a great run for state this year, finishing 3rd in Florida for 8A.  Her sophomore year she was named MVP.  Additionally, Jensen and her club teammates finished 9th in the state her junior year for USAV volleyball.  She was also named MVP of her Powers Club team.  This year, Jensen will advance her skills with Top Select Volleyball Club.  She also is an exceptional student, currently boasting a 3.6 grade point average.  She will bring strong leadership skills to Daytona State drawing upon her role at University as team captain.

Madison Rogers, a Deland High School student, committed to the Falcon program in September.  This small, but explosive outside hitter will bring a lot of playing experience and technical skill to Daytona State.  She has received numerous honors in her playing career.  In addition to being named MVP her sophomore and junior seasons at Deland High School, Rogers has been named to 2nd Team All American.  She has been named Team Captain, and has had the opportunity to play in a program that has finished as high as 3rd in the Florida State Tournament.  She too will be enhancing her skills this club season at Top Select Volleyball Club under the direction of Blake Rawlins.  Rogers is also a great student carrying a 3.8 grade point average which includes numerous credit hours of dual enrollment courses at Daytona State College.

The fourth player to sign her letter of intent with Daytona State on Monday was Megan Miller.  Miller is an exceptional setter from Foundation Academy and will be a huge asset to the Falcon volleyball program.  Her high school team has been two time runners up in the Florida State Tournament.  Miller’s strong leadership skills are evident in her role as setter and team captain of her Foundation and club volleyball teams.  In addition to the time Miller invests with her Foundation team, she has committed to growing her game with Orlando Volleyball Academy.  Miller has received numerous honors during her high school and club careers.  She was named All-Metro in 2013, All Conference in 2014, and MVP from 2012-2014.  Additionally, Miller was named All Star Setter at Rollins Volleyball Camp.  She currently carries a 3.93 grade point average, so in addition to excelling on the court for the Falcons, Miller will be an All Star in the classroom.

All four of these young ladies will impact the Falcon program along with the final signee for the Falcons, Mariah Baker.  Baker will sign next week at her high school, Brooks Academy in Chicago, Illinois.  Baker is a 6 foot middle hitter.  Baker plays for KACE Volleyball Club and will join two of her former high school teammates as she begins play in the competitive FCSAA Region.

“We have been very fortunate to attain the commitments of these five young ladies, and are hopeful that we will acquire some additional commitments to offers we have on the table before the Christmas holiday.  I am very pleased at the direction our 2015 recruiting is going, and know that these young ladies will nicely compliment the returners we have coming back from this year,” Coach Stegall remarked on Monday’s signing.