MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University volleyball has signed five student-athletes for the 2017 season, head coach Dana Cordova announced Monday, marking her first recruiting class as head coach at Minot State.

Cordova signed incoming freshmen Emily Barker, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Giovanna Hamilton, Brownstown, Mich.; Karli Koza, Temecula, Calif.; and Kayla Verity, Carduff, Saskatchewan and added junior college transfer Mekayla Gurley, Sweeny, Texas, who played last season at Blinn College.

"The coaching staff is extremely excited to welcome these five student-athletes to the team," Cordova said. "They each bring passion and excitement to our returning group. We really concentrated on building our defense with this class and have taken great strides in that direction."

Barker, a 5-foot-9 right side / outside hitter, prepped at Holy Cross High School, earning the School's Monica Asterlock Memorial Award for seniors. She played basketball and was on the track & field team along with playing volleyball for Holy Cross.

"Emily just loves to play volleyball," Cordova said. "She will be able to play multiple roles for us."

Hamilton comes to Minot State from Romulus High School. The 5-foot-2 defensive specialist was named to the all-conference team as well as her team's Most Valuable Player award after her senior season. She was named team captain and is a member of the National Honor Society.

"Giovanna is another great defensive addition," said Cordova. "She is quick and full of energy. She is always talking on the court and that will help us as we continue to stress the defensive side of the game."

Kosa is a 5-foot-4 libero who played her high school volleyball at Chaparral High School. She was earned her team's scholar athlete award twice as a prep.

"Karli is a natural court leader," Cordova said. "She has amazing court awareness and will be able to give us the defensive aspect of the game that we have lacked."

Verity is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter / right side who excelled in the classroom with a 3.97 GPA for Carduff Educational Complex. She is a multi-sport athlete, playing hockey and softball and participating in track & field along with volleyball. She was captain of both her high school and club teams, going undefeated with her club team Redcoat Rebels in the 2017 SVA Provincial Championships DIV 2 where she was named Most Valuable Player of the finals.

"Kayla will bring us some depth in the outside and from the right side front row positions," said Cordova. "She is a passionate player that will continue to work hard to help our program succeed."

Gurley is a 5-foot-8 defensive specialist who earned multiple awards at the prep level. She was her school's Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 and earned multiple all-district honors as a prep. She finished with 129 digs for Blinn College last year.

"Mekayla is another great defensive addition to this team," Cordova said. "She will bring us experience having played two years at the junior college level. We will look to her to help build the defensive side of the ball."

The five April signees join two student-athletes who signed during the early period in November to give Minot State seven total. Mackenzie Froehlich is an incoming freshman setter from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and Katie Dufner, a junior college signee originally from Glenburn, N.D., who joined the team at the semester break, both inked in November. Cordova indicated she would like to sign a couple more student-athletes before the start of the 2017 season.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.