(Rolla, Mo.) – Missouri S&T volleyball coach Jason Holt announced the addition of two mid-season transfers to his roster for the 2013 season on Tuesday. Ciara Sebelius (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada/Westwood Collegiate Inst.) and Dana Shannon (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) will join the team for the spring semester.

Ciara Sebelius (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada/Westwood Collegiate Inst.) (5-9 / S / Michigan Tech Univ. / Westwood Collegiate Inst. / Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)
Sebelius played for the Huskies in 2011 and 2012 after redshirting her 2010 freshman season. During her two playing seasons at MTU, she played in 144 combined sets finishing with 392 assists, 116 digs, 37 kills and 29 service aces.

The 2010 Westwood Collegiate Institute graduate guided her team to three straight final four finishes in the Manitoba Provincial Tournament including runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior. She was named a conference all-star, tournament all-star and graduating all-star in her senior year.

Holt is excited of the additions of Sebelius and Shannon to the program.

 “With the graduation of all-conference, all-region and Academic All-American setter Jennifer Costello (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway South ), we were thrilled to have such a quality setter and woman fall into our laps,” he said. “Ciara will add excellent setting skills as well as leadership on the court and allow us to maintain our fast style of offense we ran with Jenny. We are so excited to have Ciara join the Miner volleyball family. “

Dana Shannon (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) (5-9 / DS-L / Newman Univ. / Crystal Lake Central HS / Crystal Lake, Ill.)
Shannon played the fall 2012 season for Newman University in Wichita, Kansas as a true freshman. During her single season, she notched 205 digs for a 2.53 dig/set averaging, the third highest on the team. She earned double digit dig totals in 11 matches during the year; including a career high 27 digs versus Texas A&M International and 26 digs versus Dallas Baptist.

During her three year varsity career at Crystal Lake Central HS, Shannon racked up 497 digs and 53 service aces while helping lead the Tigers to a 116-15 record, three Fox Valley Conference titles, one regional title, one Sweet 16 appearance and one fourth place finish in the Illinois state championships during that stretch.

“Like Ciara stepping in to the shoes of Jenny Costello, Dana comes in to pick up where all-conference and all-region libero Jocelyn DeMotte (Topeka, Kan./Hayden), as well as four-year defensive great Jennifer Kegler (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy), leave off,” Holt says. “Dana is a very well trained and solid defensive pick up for us and we are so excited to have Dana be able to put on a Miner volleyball uniform. Dana will allow us to maintain the high level of strong ball control and defensive play that has become the signature of our program since its inception. Both Ciara and Dana will make excellent additions to the program this spring, and help prepare us for run at another GLVC West title or perhaps a Midwest Region title.”

S&T finished the 2012 season with a record of 20-13 and repeated as GLVC West Division Champions.