Black Hills State volleyball, head coach Bree Davis, and assistant coach Jessy Hibl are pleased to announce the signing of seven student-athletes to the team's 2023 signing class.
 
The incoming recruits include six freshmen and a transfer student.
 
Emma Kruger
Hailing from Thornton, Colorado, Emma Kruger joins the Yellow Jackets in 2023 as a setter. Throughout her career at Horizon High School, Kruger played varsity all four years as well as for the Five Star Volleyball Club and Arete Volleyball Club.
 
"Emma is an incredibly dynamic setter," said Davis. "We immediately fell in love with not only her as a person, but her tempo and court IQ. Emma is a very well-trained setter that plays great in the front and back row!"
 
As a senior, Kruger played in 81 sets and notched 435 assists to average 5.4 assists/set. The incoming freshman also recorded 31 service aces, 147 digs, and 23 kills for a .211 clip while a co-captain of her team that year. Kruger tallied 550 assists and 50 kills in her junior year, which earned her a spot on the Academic All-State team.
 
She currently holds a 3.946 GPA and is ranked 31^st out of 453 in her class. Kruger was a member of the honor society, the Science National Honor Society, and the high honor roll. Upon arrival to BHSU, she intends to major in exercise science with the goal of becoming a sports psychologist.
 
Elena Atkinson
Elena Atkinson comes to BHSU from Severance, Colorado and played setter for Cheyenne Central High School and Severance High School. She was also a player for the Premier Volleyball Club, NORCO Juniors, The Diff Volleyball Club, and the Rocky Elite Volleyball Club.
 
"Elena's size and court awareness as a setter is going to be great for our program. She has competed in high-level volleyball and will be able to quickly transition that knowledge and skill set to the collegiate level. She will make an immediate impact in our program, and I look forward to watching her compete in the RMAC," said Davis.
 
In her high school career, Atkinson tallied 1,729 assists, 401 digs, 173 service aces, and 221 blocks in four years of varsity. In her freshman campaign, Atkinson received the Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete of the Year.
 
During her sophomore season, she ranked third in the state 4A volleyball rankings and was an All-Conference runner-up. Atkinson was named captain of her team in her sophomore, junior, and senior years and was an academic letter all four years of high school.

Atkinson currently holds a 3.756 GPA and ranks 43^rd out of 208 students in her class and comes to BHSU in pursuit of a major in exercise science with ambitions of becoming an athletic trainer or chiropractor.
 
Atkinson's father, Ryan, is a retired Air Force veteran who served for 21 years.
 
Isabelle Saiki
Isabelle "Izzy" Saiki is a six-foot outside hitter/defensive specialist out of Thornton, Colorado where she attended Horizon High School. Saiki also played volleyball for the Norco Juniors Volleyball Club.
 
"Izzy is a high-level volleyball player. Competing at one of the best clubs in Colorado, Izzy brings high level experience to our program. Her court awareness, ball control, and calmness were something we knew we wanted. Her prior coaches have all spoke very highly of her and she is going to have a wonderful career as a Yellow Jacket," said Davis.
 
Saiki was a six-rotation starter for varsity through all four years of high school as well as a starter for the Norco Black teams in those four seasons. In her freshman year Saiki was awarded the Athlete of the Week Award and the First Year Athletic Awards in a season where she recorded a .217 hitting efficiency.
 
During her sophomore campaign, Saiki was named a team captain for the 16s Norcos Black team and was an honorable mention candidate for All-Conference. In her junior year, Saiki was named to All-Conference Second Team and All-Academic First team. Saiki was also a team captain for her high school in her junior and senior seasons.
 
Saiki currently ranks 39^th in her class with a 3.917 GPA and has made the honor roll all four years of high school. She wishes to major in Psychology at BHSU with ambitions to become an FBI Agent.
 
Katelynn Mohrmann
Katelynn "Kate" Mohrmann is the next Yellow Jacket commit, coming in as a six-foot middle hitter out of Sheridan, Wyoming.
 
"Kate brings size to our middle position. Kate immediately impressed with both her offensive and defensive skill set. She is a well-rounded athlete, competing in multiple sports! Kate also is a great person and I look forward to watching her grow in our program!" said Davis.
 
Mohrmann was a three-year starter for Big Horn High School. During her sophomore season, Mohrmann's team finished third at the Wyoming State tournament. Her team became state champions in her junior year and Mohrmann received All-Conference status as well. The success continued as they once again made state and were named runner-up in Mohrmann's senior year.
 
The daughter of Brad and Susie Mohrmann, Kate currently holds a 3.8 GPA and wishes to pursue a business or marketing major at BHSU, with hopes of having a career in business and interior design.
 
Her father, Brad, played collegiate basketball for the University of Sioux Falls between 1994-1998.
 
Jade Ridgeway
Jade Ridgeway joins BHSU from her hometown of Jackson, Wyoming, where she played volleyball at Jackson Hole High School as well as the Jackson Elite, Pocatello Elite, and Mountain Peak Volleyball clubs as a right side/outside hitter.
 
"Jade brings high-level athleticism to our team. She competes in multiple sports and has a huge ceiling for growth. Her work ethic and desire to win was immediately recognized. She is very well-versed as a hitter and has experience at every hitting position. I look forward to watching Jade grow in our program," said Davis.
 
Ridgeway lettered through her latter three years of high school. In her senior year, she served as a team captain during a season where her team beat multiple 4A schools for the first time in the school's history. It was in this season that she played as an All-Tournament player. In her time at Jackson Hole, she led her team with a 2.7 kills/set average and held a serve-receive rating of 2.89.
 
Jade currently holds a 3.85 GPA and intends to major in exercise science at BHSU and hopes to one day coach her own athletes.
 
Eden Schlinger
Up next for the signing class is defensive specialist/libero Eden Schlinger, who joins the Yellow Jackets after playing her first two collegiate seasons at Bismarck State College.
 
"Eden will be here in the Spring (2023) to begin training with us following an incredibly successful career at Bismarck State College," said Davis. "In just two years, Eden eclipsed the 1,000-career dig mark and is currently ranked 8^th in total digs in the NJCAA Division 2 and 11^th in Digs/Set. Eden brings maturity and confidence with her skill set. We are so excited to get Eden here in January!"
 
In her time with BSC, Schlinger, who hails from Bismarck, North Dakota, is coming off a season where she led her team as a captain. Schlinger received Mon-Dak First Team All-Conference accolades and was also named to the Iowa Central All-Tournament team. She also competed as a player on the Region 13 championship team. She played in 226 sets for the BSC Mystics and currently sits at 1048 career digs.
 
Schlinger is a graduate of St. Mary's Central High School, where she played varsity. During her time in high school she also played for the Bismarck Royals and Bismarck Storm volleyball clubs. During her senior season, she was named team captain and was named to the Second Team WDA All-Conference team. She recorded 104 kills and 213 digs in the regular season, with a career-high 21-kill game in the mix.
 
Schlinger held a 3.998 GPA at St Mary's as she ranked 29^th in her graduating class of 2021. She plans to pursue a biology degree with a minor in chemistry when she arrives at BHSU.

Mianna Cardenas
Rounding out the BHSU volleyball signing day class is Casper, Wyoming native Mianna Cardenas. Cardenas will be an incoming freshman upon graduation from Kelly Walsch High School.
 
"Mianna brings success and competitiveness to our program. She has played for a highly successful high school; Kelly Walsh and we look forward to watching her bring that to our program. Mianna is extremely dynamic in the middle and will be a great offensive and defensive weapon for us at the net," Davis said.
 
In her senior year at Kelly Walsch, Cardenas recorded 50 digs and 51 blocks while knocking down 139 kills for a .230 clip. She also held 35 service aces and 27 assists in the season. During her high school career, she also played for the Amateur Athletic Union's Oil City and Garden Creek Volleyball clubs.
 
Cardenas wishes to pursue an Applied Health Sciences degree at BHSU and wants to become a Pediatric Nurse.