(Rolla, Mo.) – Missouri S&T volleyball coach Jason Holt has announced the signing of five student-athletes that will join the Miner volleyball program in the fall of 2013. Joining the Miners next year are Caitlin Brocker, Cydney Denning, Claire Luther, Allie Plunk and Shelby Wagner.

"We graduate a ton of talent off our 2012 GLVC West Championship team,” Holt said. “We have five outstanding seniors this year and they will be impossible to replace. However, this new class is definitely up to the challenge of picking up where our seniors left off. I am excited about the addition of these five outstanding student-athletes to our seventh season of Miner volleyball. Each brings something unique to the program and will provide us outstanding options in all positions both offensively and defensively. All five are incredibly strong students as well, that will excel in the academic atmosphere of S&T. We are honored to have them apart of our program."

Caitlin Brocker (5-5 / DS-L / Marian Central HS / Crystal Lake, Ill.)
Brocker earned three letters for the Hurricanes and helped lead the team to a third place finish in Illinois Class 3A her sophomore year and a runner-up finish her junior year in Class 3A. She was an all-area honorable mention selection as a junior and earned the best defensive player award in both her junior and senior seasons. This past season she had 478 digs, 57 assists and 29 aces. Her sister Erin played volleyball for four seasons at GLVC member Saint Joseph's College and her cousin Cole is currently playing baseball at Oregon State.

"Caitlin is a great little player, Holt said. “She is a strong defensive specialist who happened to be looking for a school with strong academics. Missouri S&T fits the bill both academically and athletically for her. I am very excited to have another great DS-Libero like Caitlin join our roster next fall. She has excellent ball and body control on the court and should provide us with excellent depth on in the back court."

Cydney Denning (5-5 / DS-L / Brandeis HS / San Antonio, Tex.)
Denning four seasons for the Broncos and earned two letters. She was selected to the all-district and academic all-distract teams for volleyball. Denning led the team in digs averaging 6.09 per set which was good for fifth for all of San Antonio and the surrounding districts for all classes. She had 38 set assists which led all liberos in the district. Denning also finished the season with 28 services aces and 17 kills.

“We are extremely excited about Cydney joining out team next fall, one of our two Texas recruits,” Holt said. “With the loss of all-conference libero Jocelyn DeMotte (Topeka, Kan./Hayden) & defensive specialist Jennifer Kegler (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy), we have huge holes to fill in our defensive backcourt.  Cydney will come in right away and challenge for time at either the libero or defensive specialist position. She is extremely fast, has great instincts for the ball on defense and has outstanding ball control skills at both defense and serve receive. She will make a solid back row option for the Miners in 2013.”

Claire Luther (6-0 / RS-MH / Lutheran South HS / St. Louis, Mo.)
Luther was a four year letterwinner for the Lancers. As a junior she earned first team all-conference and all-state honors while being named to the all-district second team. This past season she averaged 3.04 kills/set while hitting .363 percent, she had 141 total blocks, 73 solo, 39 aces and scored 197 points.

"Claire is a great fit for us,” Holt said. She has knowledge and high level experience at both the middle hitter and right side hitter positions, which makes her a very versatile addition to the roster. Claire has a strong work ethic and confidence in her game. I am very excited to have another great athlete like her join our roster next fall. Her height and reach enables her to be a dynamic blocker and to have the ability to adjust on the fly and hit wherever she wants.. We see Claire as an under recruited gem who's game has not even come close to reaching its potential yet."

Allie Plunk (5-9 / S / Birdville HS / Hurst, Tex.)
Plunk was a four year letterwinner for the Hawks playing as many as three positions, but was primarily used as the setter. She was named the District 6-4A Newcomer of the Year in 2009 and this past season was named the most valuable player for District 6-4A. Plunk was also named to the District 6-4A first team in both her sophomore and junior seasons. She was also named to the honorable mention squads for prepvolleyball.com and lonestarvolleyball.com. This past season she had 325 kills, 59 service aces, 22 total blocks, 372 digs and 548 set assists.

“With the loss of two-time All-GLVC & Academic All-America setter Jennifer Costello (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway South ), we were in need of a very strong and very intelligent setter to fill Jenny's shoes,” Holt said. “We fill we have definitely found that in Allie. We are extremely fortunate to have her join us in our seventh season as a program. Allie brings with her a wealth of very solid technical volleyball skills and knowledge to our setting position. She is extremely competitive and possesses a wonderful touch on the ball, allowing her to make great decisions and run a very effective offense. She was also one of her team's leading hitters, which makes her even more versatile in the setter position. She is incredibly intuitive on the court and will do an amazing job running the court for the Miners.”

Shelby Wagner (6-0 / MH / Lee's Summit HS / Lee's Summit, Mo.)
Wagner played four years for the Tigers and earned three letters. She was named to the All-Suburban Big 6 honorable mention team as a junior and the All-Suburban Big 6 second team this past season. Wagner is school's all-time leader in kills and ranks second in hitting percentage and is fifth in blocks.

“Shelby is the kind of athlete coaches' dream about,” Holt said. “She is aggressive, explosive, poised, smart and has completely untapped potential. Although she can play multiple positions, we are excited about Shelby in the middle because of her great vision, fast response and great movement along the net. She can close to either antenna quickly and gets great penetration on the block, while also fast in transition for offense. She has a strong arsenal of offensive swings at her disposal as well which makes her such an effective hitter. We are excited to have Shelby join the Miners next year.”

The Miners finished the 2012 season with a 20-13 mark and went 15-3 in the GLVC's West Division and won its second straight divisional championship.