MARTIN, Tenn. – Jaclynn Wilson, head coach of the University of Tennessee at Martin beach and indoor volleyball programs, has announced three additions to the 2024 rosters for both teams as Katie Cruise, Tess McConnell and Dylan Sulcer have all joined the Skyhawks.
Cruise (Appalachian State) and McConnell (Kansas City) are both NCAA Division I transfers while Sulcer is an in-state product who redshirted at NCAA Division II Dallas Baptist last fall. Each of the trio were part of indoor volleyball squads last season but will also compete for the UT Martin beach volleyball team this semester.
Katie Cruise, S, 6-0, R-Fr., Charlotte, NC (Appalachian State)
Transfers to the Skyhawks from Appalachian State, where she was the starting setter in 2023 under head coach Sarah Rumely Noble…Was part of 32 victories and 15 Sun Belt Conference wins in her two seasons in Boone, NC…Started in 28 of her 29 matches in 2023, topping the Mountaineers in assists (540), service aces (32) and sets played (109)…Additionally provided 182 digs as the squad began the season with nine consecutive victories…Directed an offense that hit .210 as a team for the season and had at least a .300 attack percentage on six different occasions (including a blazing season-best .458 mark on Oct. 26 against Old Dominion)…Recorded six double-doubles, setting a career-high with a dozen digs three times during a six-match span from Oct. 6 through Oct. 21…Career-bests of 30 assists and four service aces came in a Sept. 7 victory over North Carolina A&T…Served up multiple aces in 10 separate matches, including four outings with three or more…Redshirted in 2021 as App State went 18-10 with an 11-5 mark in league play, winning 11 of the last 12 regular season matches…Prepped at Providence High School, where she was an all-state, all-region and all-conference honoree for head coach Maggie Malone…Helped the Panthers to a 91-16 record during her storied career and back-to-back state 4A playoff appearances over her final two seasons…PHS went 18-1 and earned a berth in the championship finals in 2020 after knocking off the No. 1, 3 and 4 seeds – capturing the Western Regional after a win over four-time defending 4A state champion Green Hope…Garnered third team Under Armour All-American status and Southwestern 4A Player of the Year plus SoMeck 4A Conference Player of the Year awards…Posted 2,605 assists, 623 digs, 263 kills, a .347 hitting percentage, 179 service aces and 45 blocks in 288 sets over her four-year high school career…Came away with season career-highs of 928 assists, 208 digs and 110 kills as a freshman in 2018…Landed a career-best 56 service aces during her sophomore campaign, helping guide the Panthers to the SoMeck 7 championship.
Tess McConnell, MB, 6-0, Fr., St. Louis, Mo. (Kansas City)
Joins the Skyhawks from Kansas City, where she played the 2023 campaign under head coach Christi Posey…Was part of a Roos squad that went 22-9 and 12-4 in the Summit League, earning a share of the regular season conference championship…Kansas City made its first conference tournament finals match since 1997 before falling in five sets, eventually making an appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship…Saw playing time in 12 sets spread out over seven matches…Posted six kills on a .200 hitting percentage, four digs, one block and one assist…Best match came against Omaha on Nov. 2 when she collected four kills on eight swings…Prepped at Oakville High School, where she was a three-time all-conference and three-time all-district performer for head coach Lucas Allen…Helped guide the Tigers to a 73-29-1 record and 18-3 district mark in her four-year high school career, coming away with three district championships…Piled up 565 kills, a .212 hitting percentage, 159 digs and 144 blocks and 70 service aces over 246 sets in her stellar prep career…Season career-highs of 242 kills, 64 blocks and 36 service aces came during her junior campaign as the squad went 21-8 with an unblemished 7-0 district record…Career-best .245 attack percentage came during her sophomore season when OHS recorded a 12-2 record…Also was a key part of the 2019 Tiger team that went 29-3-1 with a perfect 7-0 mark in district play…Mother Jessica played volleyball at Missouri Baptist University.
Dylan Sulcer, S, 5-9, Fr., Brentwood, Tenn. (Dallas Baptist)
Comes to UT Martin from Dallas Baptist, where she was a member of the 2023 squad under head coach Jordan Fish…Was part of the Lady Patriot team that went 24-8 with a 14-2 record in Lone Star Conference play, which was good enough to win the league’s regular season championship…DBU advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament (the school’s first postseason appearance in a decade) and notched the program’s first victory in that event…Graduated from the prestigious Brentwood High School program, where she was a three-time all-state setter under head coaches Cathy Cram and Barbara Campbell…Helped guide the Bruins to back-to-back Class 3A state championships in 2019 and 2020 (the school’s seventh and eighth consecutive state titles) and a third-place finish in the 2022 state tournament…Won an astounding 86.1 percent of her matches during a remarkable four-year career, combining for a 155-25 record…Was selected as an American Volleyball Coaches Association Regional All-American as a senior in 2022 as BHS went 36-12 and won a Region 6-AAA championship…Handed out 3,175 assists during her illustrious career (all but one coming over her final three years), ranking ninth all-time in the state of Tennessee in assists upon graduation…Also amassed 373 kills, a .260 hitting percentage, 863 digs, 165 service aces, 86 blocks over 363 sets in her varsity career…Distributed a career-best 1,328 assists (10.3 per set) with career-highs of 193 kills and 317 digs as a senior…Set season career-highs in attack percentage (.300), service aces (54) and blocks (45) during her junior campaign…Also dished out 1,102 assists as a sophomore in 2020.
These three will join Skyhawk beach volleyball and volleyball programs that have combined for five Ohio Valley Conference championships and three postseason appearances since the spring of 2022.
