Women’s Volleyball Announces Incoming Players

MACON, Ga. – First year Mercer head women's volleyball coach Chad Sutton has officially introduced the incoming 2023 recruiting class ahead of the upcoming season.

Sutton and the Bears welcome five transfers and two players from the high school ranks to Macon. The incoming Mercer women's volleyball players are Kylee Quigley, Jessica Dunn, Gia Padilla, Skylar Bumpers, Katilyn Steffes, Carley Raleigh, and Aria Eisel.

"How you do anything, is how you do everything. In our pursuit of greatness at Mercer Volleyball we will have to call on the efforts of special people to achieve our goals," said Mercer head coach Chad Sutton. "That is why it is so easy for me to speak about the young women joining our program. The talents these young women possess is humbling and their status as human beings off the court is inspiring. The present and future of MUVB is already blessed by the immediate and lasting impact these young women will make."

2023 Mercer Women's Volleyball Newcomers:

Kylee Quigley
Outside Hitter | Port St. Lucie, Fla. | Jacksonville State
Kylee Quigley joins the Bears as a graduate student after spending four years at Jacksonville State. For her career, Quigley has 319 kills, 92 aces and 550 digs. In her senior season in 2022, Quigley played in all 30 matches and appeared in 105 sets for Jacksonville State. She totaled a career-high 46 service aces on the year to lead her team and ranked third in the ASUN. She also led the conference in the regular season with 45 aces. She totaled 81 kills and hit .177, while adding 194 digs and 10 blocks. She posted a career-high hitting percentage of .545 in their match at Queens.

Coach Sutton on Kylee:
"We are very excited and fortunate to have Kylee Quigley join our Mercer family. She has previously been described as an academic and athletic weapon. Kylee is an experienced 6 rotational player with 85 career wins at the D1 level, making her the perfect addition to our team. She is a great leader with tons of energy who wants to compete. She represents what we want in our program, and I honestly could not ask for a better first commitment as HC of Mercer Volleyball. Kylee's impact on this program will be felt instantly and last for years to come."

Jessica Dunn
Setter | Southlake, Texas | Jacksonville State
Jessica Dunn will join her Jacksonville State teammate, Kylee Quigley in Macon. Dunn joins the Bears as a sophomore after appearing in eight matches as a sophomore with the Gamecocks. She had five starts in the No. 5 spot. In high school, Dunn had a stellar senior season in 2021. She earned numerous awards including Texas Sports Writers All-State Setter, AVCA All-Region Setter, and Fort Worth Star Telegram All-Region Setter. She was an All-State Team selection by the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) and VYPE as well as a two-time First-Team All-District Setter.

Coach Sutton on Jessica:
"Jessica Dunn is a former all state setter from the great volleyball state of Texas. She has a smooth delivery of the ball with a great IQ for the game. We're excited about her ability to bring competition to the setting position while making an impact on our program as a person. We are very excited about Jess's future here at MUVB."

Gia Padilla
Outside Hitter | Apollo Beach, Fla. | Akron
Gia Padilla joins the Bears as a junior transfer from Akron. In two seasons at Akron, Padilla played in 10 matches and 17 sets. She had 21 kills and 21 digs, including a career-high eight kills her freshman year against Virginia. During her high school career, she was an AAU All-American and earned AVCA All-Region III Team accolades. Padilla was named All-State by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, Second Team All-State by Prep Volleyball, and First Team All-County.

Coach Sutton on Gia:
"I have had the pleasure of knowing Gia Padilla for quite some time, dating back to competing against her in the high school ranks. When I was named HC, she was one of the first players I reached out too. She is a fantastic competitor who excels at everything she does. She is exceptionally smart and has a natural feel for this game. On top of all that, she is truly a special individual who elevates everyone around her. We are very excited Gia is in our program and can't wait to witness the impact she makes on and off the court."

Skylar Bumpers
Middle Blocker | Mobile, Ala. | Tulane
Skylar Bumpers arrives in Macon after spending her first two collegiate seasons at Tulane. The incoming junior played in 24 matches in her career with the Green Wave, including 17 matches last season in 2022. For her career she has 124 kills, 18 digs, and 66 blocks. In her sophomore season last year, Bumpers had 109 kills to average 1.21 per set. She claimed the highest total on the team in blocks, with 64 total blocks, including 17 solo. She also added 16 digs and five assists. Bumpers set new career highs in kills with 10 against Wichita State and Fresno State.

Coach Sutton on Skylar:
"Skyler hails from Tulane and before that McGill Toolen Catholic High School. She has played for two coaches I respect very much. Her athleticism, work ethic, and competitive fire will challenge everyone in the gym. Her versatility as an attacker will give us more options while her effort in defense will establish a certain standard. We expect big things from Skyler and can't wait to get her on campus."

Katilyn Steffes
Outside Hitter | Rochester, Minn. | Iowa Central CC
Katilyn Steffes joins Mercer after spending three seasons at one of the best Division II junior college programs in the country at Iowa Central. There she was a two-time All-American and is coming of a record breaking 2022 season at Iowa Central and was named a NJCAA Division II First Team All-American. Steffes was also named 2022 Conference Player of the year.

During the 2022 season, Steffes led the country among Division II junior college players in kills with 790, kills per set with 5.27, to go with a .306 hitting percentage. She had double-digit kill performances in every match but one and had over 20 kills in 18 matches with a high of 32 kills. In her three seasons at Iowa Central she finished with 1,540 kills, 4.53 kills per set, a .280 hitting percentage, 115 aces, and 1,111 digs. Iowa Central head coach Sara Horn said, "She is statistically the best attacker to ever play at Iowa Central, and that is saying a lot with the amazing players that have gone through this program."

Coach Sutton on Katilyn:
"Katilyn "KT" Steffes is a very special person and player to me. As a NJCAA 1^st Team All American she will carry big expectations. From the first time I turned on her film I knew I wanted to coach her. She has an incredible competitive fire and displays great confidence in her play. Her passion for her teammates and the energy she competes with is infectious. We expect KT to have a very successful career here at Mercer."

Carley Raleigh
Setter | Cullowhee, N.C. | West Henderson HS
Carley Raleigh joins Mercer after playing two years at West Henderson high school in Cullowhee, North Carolina where she helped lead her team to back-to-back conference championships. In her last two years playing at the varsity level, Raleigh has 1,271 assists for 7.0 assists per set, 392 digs, 2.2 digs per set, and. 242 kills, 1.3 kills per set.

Coach Sutton on Carley:
"Carley "Fries" Raleigh is a special human and great young talent. We are very excited about adding Carley to our program. She has been immersed in collegiate athletics her entire life through her family and has all the tools and experience to be successful at this level. She will compete at the setting position but is in a class of her own as person. We are very grateful and excited to have "Carley Fries" join the MUVB family and can't wait to coach her."

Aria Eisel
Defensive Specialist | Ocala, Fla. | Vanguard HS
Aria Eisel joins the Bears after playing her high school volleyball in Ocala, Florida. She played her final two seasons at Vanguard high school where over her two seasons there she finished with 370 digs, 514 serve receptions, and 40 aces. Her junior year, she led her team with 3.7 digs per set and 326 receptions.

Coach Sutton on Aria:
"Aria Eisel is a fiery defensive specialist coming to us from Ocala, Florida. Trained by one of the best, Jeff Reavis, Aria will bring competition and depth to our DS group while elevating everyone's work ethic around her. We're excited to add someone of her personal caliber as we know she will enhance our culture and performance."

FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer Volleyball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBearsVB (Twitter), and @mercervolleyball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

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