VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota head volleyball coach Leanne Williamson is pleased to announce the addition of five players set to join the team ahead of the 2019 season. Those athletes include Aimee Adams, Brooklyn Bollweg, Ally Grothusen, Madison Harms, Elizabeth Juhnke.
 
"This class may be one of the most complete recruiting classes that we have ever brought in," said Williamson. "Not only do we have different players in different positions, but all of these players have excelled in their respective roles. I expect that many of them will push for playing time early in their careers. They are also complete student-athletes. This group will continue our program expectations of excelling in the classroom as well as on the court. Their experiences will be a great addition to our program, and I am certain that this group will do amazing things during their time at USD as Coyotes."
 
Information on each athlete follows:
 
Aimee Adams | Outside Hitter | Breda, Iowa | Kuemper Catholic (Carroll) HS
The 6-foot, 1-inch Adams is a two-time Iowa Coaches Association first-team all-state selection in Class 3A (2016, 2017) while helping the Knights reach the state tournament all four years, accumulating a 142-10 record. The four-time first-team all-conference selection in the Hawkeye 10 has amassed 1,375 kills, 789 digs and 239 blocks in her prep career. She guided the Knights to a state title and earned all-tourney honors at state in 2018.
 
Adams is a member of the National Honors Society who will study nursing at USD.
 
"Aimee is a long lefty right side that has the ability to play multiple positions," said Williamson. "She is a very competitive player who pushes herself to be the best player that she can be. She is someone that will attack in different areas along the net making her a more unique player. She has a fast arm which allows her to put pace on her swings. Her defensive mentality is really good. She has a knack for getting digs and making big plays in the back court."
 
Brooklyn Bollweg | Defensive Specialist | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Harrisburg HS
The 5-foot, 4-inch Bollweg was a member of back-to-back state championship teams in 2016 and 2017. She set a new single-season school record in digs as a senior with 563 (7.0 digs per set) and finished her prep career with 971 as a three-year varsity performer. She is a member of the National Honor Society who owns a 4.0 GPA.
 
Performing with her club team, Kairos Elite 18 Adidas, she helped them to a third-place finish in the AAU Nationals 18 Premier division. She was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA Phenom List in 2017. She will enroll in the Pre-Physician's Assistant Studies program at USD.
 
"Brooklyn is a defender who absolutely fits in to our defensive mentality as a team," said Williamson. "She moves very smoothly to the ball and has great touch on the ball. I think she will thrive in our defensive system. She has been a leader on her team, and I am excited for her to bring that experience to our defensive core. I have been able to work with her at camp, and she does a lot of the things that we teach naturally. She will be joining a solid returner group which will give her the experience that she needs to really thrive during her time here."
 
Ally Grothusen | Middle Blocker | Davenport, Iowa | Bettendorf HS
The 6-foot, 2-inch Grothusen, a top 250 recruit as named by PrepVolleyball, is a three-year varsity letter winner who accumulated 519 kills, 173 blocks and 349 digs in her high school career. She earned first team all-conference honors in the Mississippi Athletic Conference as a senior.
 
On her club team, the Iowa Rockets, Grothusen helped her team qualify for the USA Volleyball Nationals on numerous occasions. She was on the highest honor roll all four years, is a member of the National Honor Society and was named an Academic All-State selection. Grothusen plans to study nursing at USD.
 
"Ally will primarily be a middle blocker for us, but she has the ability and experience to play in different positions along the net," said Williamson. "I believe that her experience in multiple positions has made her a very smart attacker and blocker. She has the drive to be a very good middle in our system, and her strength and length have already helped her to become a very good blocker at the high school and club levels. Even though her strengths are attacking and blocking, Ally still finds ways to improve her ball control. I know that this drive will help her become an elite player for us."
 
Madison Harms | Middle Blocker | Sergeant Bluff, Iowa | Sergeant Bluff-Luton HS
The 6-foot, 2-inch Harms was a four-year varsity starter for the Warriors, helping them reach the Iowa State Tournament three times. The three-time Missouri River Conference all-conference honoree was a second-team Iowa Coaches Association all-state choice as a junior. She recorded 1,069 kills and 481 total blocks in her prep career that saw Sergeant Bluff-Luton amass a 141-38 record.
 
The 2018 Class 3A state high jump champion won a 2016 AAU national championship in the club division while playing for Midwest Volleyball Power (MVP). Harms plans on studying health sciences at USD.
 
"Madison is a very athletic player who has a lot of room to grow within volleyball," Williamson said. "Her length and speed has helped her develop into a dynamic blocker. Her athleticism and jump allow her to play at a high contact point offensively which will help her to be able to score points at this level.  She is going to play volleyball and also compete in the high jump for track and field. We are looking forward to having such a determined student-athlete in our program."
 
Elizabeth Juhnke | Outside Hitter | Lakeville, Minnesota | Lakeville North HS
The 6-foot Juhnke, a top 250 recruit as named by PrepVolleyball, was a four-year varsity performer for the Panthers, earning all-conference honors (South Suburban Conference) her final three seasons. The two-time all-state selection led her team to a state title as a junior in 2017 while as a senior she was named the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and the Pioneer Press Player of the Year. She had 481 kills and 248 digs as a senior as part of a career that saw her amass 1,513 kills, 1059 digs, 152 blocks and 140 service aces.
 
Playing for her club team, M1 volleyball, Juhnke was named to the all-tournament team at the 2018 AAU nationals in the 18U open division. She is a 2018 AVCA Under Armour All-American honorable mention selection who plans to study nursing at USD.
 
"Elizabeth is a six-rotation outside who is able to play with power and finesse," Williamson said. "Her ball control is unmatched, and her volleyball IQ allows her to know how to score in different situations.  She has played at some of the highest levels in both high school and club, and she consistently finds a way to lead her team and stand out from her peers. I am certain that these experiences will help her have success early on in her career and help our program continue to grow."
 
All five future Coyotes will enroll and compete for South Dakota in the fall of 2019.