PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s volleyball has signed two new recruits for the 2018 season – Heather Gneiting and Tayler Tausinga – head coach Heather Olmstead announced Monday.
Gneiting, a native of Pleasant Grove, Utah, will play middle blocker for the Cougars.
“Heather has the size and the power to be a really dominant middle blocker,” Olmstead said. “She can attack off of one leg or two while consistently swinging high and hard with range. We look for Heather to continue the tradition at BYU of great blocking because of her length and ability to get her hands over the net. Heather is a true competitor with a growth mindset, and we are so excited Heather is going to be a BYU Cougar.”
The Pleasant Grove High School senior was named the No. 6 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyball as well as an AVCA Under Armour First-Team All-American in 2017.
Tausinga, from American Fork, Utah, will play setter for BYU.
“Tayler is a great setter with the ability to distribute the ball well from anywhere on the court,” Olmstead said. “She has a good serve that will translate well to the college game. Her back-row defense will allow us to create opportunities in transition. We are excited about Tayler’s competitive nature and natural leadership and look forward to her being a BYU Cougar.”
Tausinga was named to the UVCA All-State First Team as a senior and has been named to the All-Region First Team in each of the past three seasons.
The two signees will enroll at BYU in January 2018, helping to replace the three seniors that BYU loses at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Heather Gneiting
Hometown: Pleasant Grove, Utah
Previous School: Pleasant Grove HS
Position: Middle blocker
Height: 6-foot-4
Personal:
- Parents are Tom and Kristin
- Has two brothers and three sisters
- Father played basketball at BYU
High School:
- Named an AVCA Under Armour First-Team All-American
- Named All-State First Team as a senior
- Named the state high school beach champion
- Named a Deseret News 6A Senior All-Star
- Named to the USA Today Third Team
- Named the No. 6 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyball
- Named Ms. Volleyball Deseret News
- A four-year varsity starter
Club:
- Played for Club V, Club Utah and Dig It
- Helped her team finish first in state 17’s
Tayler Tausinga
Hometown: American Fork, Utah
Previous School: American Fork HS
Position: Setter
Height: 5-foot-8
Personal:
- Parents are Sam and Geni
- Has one brother and one sister
- Sister played volleyball and father played football at the University of Utah
High School:
- Named to the UVCA All-State First Team
- Named to the All-Region First Team as a sophomore and junior
- Named a Deseret News 6A Senior All-Star
- Awarded Academic All-Region for volleyball
Club:
Played for Club V