WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State University volleyball added 10 high school standouts on day three of the signing period, head coach
Chris Lamb announced Friday, Nov. 15.
Marriah Buss (Lincoln, Neb., outside hitter);
Sophie Childs (Tulsa, Okla., right side/outside hitter);
Natalie Foster (Mattawan, Mich., middle blocker/right side hitter);
Cyra Kelley (Hutchinson, Kan., libero/outside hitter);
Kylie Marneris (Athol, Idaho, libero);
Lauren McMahon (Dallas, Texas, middle blocker);
Lauren Phillips (Stillwater, Okla., setter);
Hailey Plugge (Bakersfield, Calif., setter);
Morgan Stout (South Hutchinson, Kan., middle blocker); and
Morgan Weber (Dike, Iowa, outside hitter) will continue their education and play volleyball at Wichita State beginning in the fall of 2020.
Marriah Buss
6-0 | OH | Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Lutheran)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter, and was a team captain as a senior at Lincoln Lutheran High School…Three-time first team all-state honoree and four-time first team all-conference selection…Third team AVCA/Under Armour High School All-American, and AVCA All-Region selection as a senior…Three-time All-Class State Tournament Team…Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Preseason All-American as a junior…First team Super State as a junior, second team Super State as a sophomore and third team Super State as a freshman…Was a Super State Captain her junior year…Prep Volleyball All-American as a sophomore, and a MaxPreps Underclass All-American as a freshman and sophomore…AVCA Phenom her freshman year…As a senior, hit .415 with 624 kills, 305 digs, 66 aces and 49 blocks…In her career at Lincoln Lutheran, compiled a state-record 2,372 kills, going along with a .391 attack percentage, 1,121 digs, 232 blocks and 211 aces…In addition to career kills, holds the state records for both kills in a match (38) and season (684)…Helped lead her team to the Nebraska State Championship and 37-3 record as a senior…Also was a member of a state runner-up team as a junior, and third-place team as a sophomore…Also competed in track and field, where she holds the school record in the triple jump (35 feet, 5 ½ inches)…
Club: Club team placed third at USA Nationals in 2017 and 2019, and third at AAU Nationals in 2018…Named to the USA National Division All-Tournament Team at the club level in 2016…
Personal: Daughter of Alan and Melissa Buss…Has two brothers, Payton and Luke.
Coach Lamb on Marriah: "We were attracted to Marriah right from the beginning because of how invested she is as a competitor. You can't help but notice the amount of energy and enthusiasm she brings to every match. Beyond that, in terms of her volleyball talent, she's a pretty powerful and explosive attacker. I believe there are a lot of ways we will be able to get Marriah on the scoreboard."
Sophie Childs
6-3 | RS/OH | Tulsa, Okla. (Bixby)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter at Bixby High School…Two-time first team all-conference honoree (junior and senior)…Honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore…Also an all-state selection…As a senior, had 238 kills, 186 digs, 50 blocks and 24 aces…In her career at Bixby, posted 842 kills, 308 digs, 276 blocks and 65 aces…Four-year academic all-conference selection…
Personal: Daughter of Clinton Childs and Amy Stivers Krauter…Has a sister, Emma Childs…Plans to major in sports medicine at Wichita State.
Coach Lamb on Sophie: "I think of Sophie Childs as a diamond in the rough. She's a physical volleyball athlete who can play three positions. Having worked with her a little at camps, I'm also excited that she is a willing learner, who will continue to develop here at WSU."
Natalie Foster
6-4 | MB/RS | Mattawan, Mich. (Mattawan)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter, and senior team captain at Mattawan High School…Named second team all-state as a junior, and was honorable mention all-state as a freshman and sophomore…Four-time first team all-conference honoree…Three-time selection to the Beast of the East All-Tournament Team…Averaged 12.2 kills per set and hit .398 as a senior…In her career, played in 457 games, compiling 1,698 kills, a .387 attacking percentage, 3.72 kills per set, 224 aces, 226 blocks and 168 digs…Helped her team to district titles three times (2017-19)…Also was an all-state and all-conference basketball players, and tallied four triple-doubles (points, rebounds, blocks)…
Personal: Daughter of David and Heidi Foster…Has a brother, Nolan…Her grandfather, Robert Foster, played basketball at Dyke College, her mother, Heidi, played basketball and volleyball at Michigan Technological University, her father, David, played basketball at Siena College, and her brother, Nolan, played basketball at Ohio…Plans to major in biomedical engineering at WSU.
Coach Lamb on Natalie: "Natalie is another athlete I could see training and playing at multiple positions. She is like so many Shockers before her where you almost think that, relative to her class, what she can do on the volleyball court as a high school sophomore, compared to what I think she'll be able to do as a college sophomore. There is a big upside with her, and we think she may be able to contribute right away."
Cyra Kelley
5-8 | L/OH | Hutchinson, Kan. (Nickerson)
High School: Three-time first team CKL All-League honoree at Nickerson High School…Was a second team all-league selection as a sophomore…Was second team all-state as a sophomore and honorable mention all-state as a junior…All-tournament team accolades as a senior…As a sophomore, helped her team to a 37-8 record and state runner-up showing…Her freshman season, assisted her team to a third-place state finish and 35-10 record…Also competed in track and field, and soccer…Placed third at regionals as a sophomore in the 100 meter hurdles…
Personal: Daughter of David Kelley and Barbara Ford…Has three sisters, Braylen Ford, Asha Kelley and Aleska Kelley…Her mother, Barbara, played volleyball at Sterling College…Plans to pursue an athletic training major at Wichita State.
Coach Lamb on Cyra: "I love how much Cyra has wanted to be here. She's always been an outside hitter at the youth level. We'll probably let her train at both pins, but, I believe moving forward, we see her excelling at the libero position. She's another hungry, athletic, back-row player that will upgrade our athleticism. Additionally, we've always been impressed with her serve and defensive range."
Kylie Marneris
5-5 | L | Athol, Idaho (Timberlake)
High School: Three-year letterwinner and starter, and senior team captain at Timberlake High School…Second team all-state honoree as a sophomore, and was honorable mention all-state as a junior…Named Team MVP her senior season…First Team Inter Mountain All-League as a senior…Her senior year, compiled 351 digs, 32 aces, 28 assists and 11 kills…In her career, had 982 digs, 94 aces and 82 assists…Helped her team to a fourth-place finish at state in 2017…Her team ranked first in the Inter Mountain League in 2017 and 2018…Gained a state bid all three years of her varsity career…
Beach: Earned a national bid in 2018 for Junior Beach Volleyball Tour…2015-16, posted top-10 showings at the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament…
Personal: Daughter of Mike Marneris and Anne Erickson…Intends to major in exercise science at Wichita State.
Coach Lamb on Kylie: "The thing I like about Kylie is she's just a very enthusiastic, hungry, eager defender. Watching her play, there's just never a time where I feel like she's not going to give maximum effort to try to make plays. As her skill develops, so will go her career, but effort has never been a problem. I can't think of a coach who's not looking for that at the libero position."
Lauren McMahon
6-3 | MB | Dallas, Texas (Highland Park)
High School: Two-year letterwinner and starter at Highland Park High School…Tabbed the District 11-5A Outstanding Blocker of the Year as a junior…Helped her team to a 36-11 record as a senior…
Personal: Daughter of Joe and Mary McMahon.
Coach Lamb on Lauren McMahon: "Lauren comes from a pretty solid background. She's played high-level youth volleyball for a while, so she is used to the speed and things about the game that are often a huge step from high school to college. She will come in here pretty prepared for the next step. Lauren has a high expectation of herself, and she's really pushing herself to be available to make plays."
Lauren Phillips
6-0 | S | Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter at Stillwater High School…First team all-conference accolades as a senior, second team all-conference honors as a junior, and honorable mention all-conference selection as a freshman and sophomore…As a senior, compiled 535 assists, 248 kills, 222 digs, 97 blocks and 52 aces…In her career, tallied 2,000 assists, 650 digs, 550 kills, 200 aces and 180 blocks…AVCA Region Four All-Area as a senior…Also competed in track and field, and was in the FFA program…
Personal: Daughter of John and Jana Phillips…Has a brother, Jake, and sister, Katie…Plans to major in exercise science at WSU.
Coach Lamb on Lauren Phillips: "Lauren fits the mold of a typical Shocker recruit. We've gone after a lot of players over the years that had some physical talent at a position, but maybe didn't have as much experience. I've always been impressed with the range of her feet and hands, and believe a few years down the road she's a player that will surprise everyone at the setter position."
Hailey Plugge
6-0 | S | Bakersfield, Calif. (Frontier)
High School: Three-year letterwinner and starter, and two-year team captain at Frontier High School…First team all-area selection as a junior…Named Rookie of the Year as a sophomore…MVP of the Morro Bay Rocktown Rumble Volleyball Tournament…Selected to the Senior All-League All-Star Game…Her senior season, had 534 assists, 176 digs, 164 kills and a .327 hitting percentage…In her career, tallied 1,552 assists, 511 digs, 356 kills and a .357 hitting percentage…Helped her team to a 22-10 record, and Morro Bay Rocktown Rumble Tournament title as a senior…Also competed in track and field as a sophomore, junior and senior, and played soccer as a freshman…
Personal: Daughter of Matthew and Jenny Plugge…Has a brother, Travis…Her mother, Jenny, played softball at Loyola Marymount, her father, Matthew, played baseball at Loyola Marymount, and her aunt, Tracy Ayres, played volleyball at Pacific…Four-time Volleyball Academic Excellence honoree with a 4.5 grade-point average…Plans to major in biology and/or biomedical engineering at Wichita State.
Coach Lamb on Hailey: "Hailey has the look of a rising star. She's gotten so much stronger over the past year. She's fast and able to locate long balls. At the setter position, coaches hope players are able to range with their hands and be accurate. She's really come a long way in a relatively short period of time. She reminds me a lot of Mary Elizabeth Hooper, who was obviously a great player [at Wichita State], with the way she moves and her hand talent. She's a player that has a big upside at the setting position."
Morgan Stout
6-1 | MB | South Hutchinson, Kan. (Nickerson)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter, and team captain as a senior at Nickerson High School…First team all-state honoree as a senior…Three-time all-league selection…Second team all-state as a junior…Second team all-league accolades as a freshman…Helped her team to a runner-up finish at the state tournament as a sophomore, and was a member of three teams that qualified for state volleyball…Also was honorable mention all-state in basketball as a junior…
Personal: Daughter of Mickey and Amanda Stout…Has a brother, Logan…Her father, Mickey, competed in track and field at Northwestern Oklahoma State…Plans to major in physical therapy at Wichita State.
Coach Lamb on Morgan Stout: "Morgan is another classic Wichita State recruit. She has next-level physicality and volleyball talent. Once we iron out a few wrinkles and teach her a few new volleyball items, I think we have a volleyball talent that can be up there with some of the best."
Morgan Weber
5-11 | OH | Dike, Iowa (Dike – New Hartford)
High School: Four-year letterwinner and starter, and two-year team captain at Dike – New Hartford High School…Four-time first team all-conference honoree, and was the Conference Player of the Year as a senior…First team all-state as a junior and sophomore…Elite Team All-State, and State All-Tournament Team selection her sophomore season…As a senior, tallied 582 kills with 5.49 kills per set, in addition to 531 digs, 5.01 digs per set, 16 block solo, 38 block assists and 54 total blocks…In her career, posted 1,637 kills, 1,465 digs, 185 aces and 170 blocks…Helped her team to state championships as a freshman (48-5 record) and sophomore (50-3 record)…Also was a member of a state qualifying team as a junior (35-13 record), and a team that went 29-15 her senior season…Also played basketball and golf…Was a first team all-conference basketball honoree as a sophomore and junior…Was the individual golf state champion as a sophomore and junior…
Personal: Daughter of Joel and Dawn Weber…Has a brother, Royce, and sister, Briana…Her sister, Briana, played volleyball at Northern Iowa…Has four cousins who played collegiate volleyball…Plans to major in accounting at WSU.
Coach Lamb on Morgan Weber: "Morgan is a classic do-everything volleyball player. She's a great competitor and athlete, and we expect her to be able to just walk in the door and make a difference as a passer and back-row player, while hoping she can have enough right off the bat as a point scorer. She's a well-rounded pin player who's going to come in here and fight for everything, and will have a play-making ability right from the start."
