PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s volleyball has added three new recruits to the 2018 roster—Whitney McEwan, Madi Robinson and Riley Lyman—head coach Heather Olmstead announced Friday.
McEwan comes to Provo from Woods Cross High School and Bountiful, Utah. She will play middle blocker for BYU.
“Whitney has great size and athleticism that will help her be a great middle blocker at BYU,” Olmstead said. “She has a knack for blocking and finds herself stuffing a lot of balls. Whitney has embraced the growth mindset and wants to be great. We love Whitney’s enthusiasm and she will bring a lot of energy to the team.”
McEwan was most recently named an AVCA Under Armour Third-Team All-American as well as first-team All-State in 2017.
Robinson comes to Provo after leading her Lone Peak High School squad to back-to-back state championships.
“Madi is a great athlete with a big arm and the ability to score from both the left and the right,” Olmstead said. “We are excited about Madi’s ability to play six rotations. She wants to be great and understands the work it takes to keep getting better. Madi plays with a lot of emotion that Cougar fans will enjoy watching.”
The outside hitter was named an AVCA Under Armour All-American as well as a finalist for the 2017 PrepVolleyball.com National Player of the Year.
Lyman, a junior college transfer from Snow College, will compete as an outside hitter for the Cougars.
“Riley is a skilled outside hitter who will bring experience to our team,” Olmstead said. “She is a six-rotation outside who knows how to score and loves to play defense. She had a great career at Snow which will serve her well as she joins our team this summer. We love Riley’s raw emotion and love for the game.”
The incoming junior was recently named an AVCA Two-Year College First Team All-American in 2017 and added to the NJCAA First Team All-America list.
The three signees will join the team in the fall of 2018 alongside fellow newcomers Heather Gneiting and Tayler Tausinga.
Whitney McEwan
Hometown: Bountiful, Utah
Previous School: Woods Cross HS
Position: Middle blocker
Height: 6-foot-3
Personal:
- Parents are Mitchell and Brenda
- Has two brothers and four sisters
- Sisters Lacey and Savannah also play volleyball
High School:
- Named an AVCA Under Armour Third-Team All-American in 2017
- Named first-team All-State in 2017
- Named second-team All-State in 2016
- Made the Honor Roll
Club:
- Played for Club V
- Helped her team finish ninth at AAU’s in 2017
Madi Robinson
Hometown: Highland, Utah
Previous School: Lone Peak HS
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 5-foot-10
Personal:
- Parents are Jill and Dan
- Has five siblings
High School:
- Named an AVCA Under Armour All-American as a senior
- Named a PrepVolleyball.com 2017 High School All-American
- Named a finalist for PrepVolleyball.com’s 2017 National Player of the Year
- Helped Lone Peak to back-to-back state championships
- Named to the 2017 All-Tribune Volleyball Team by The Salt Lake Tribune
- Named the MVP and added to the 6A All-State Team by the Deseret News as a senior
- A two-time Daily Herald All-Valley Player of the Year
- Had 450 kills, 230 digs while hitting at a .389 clip as a senior
Club:
- Played for Club V
Riley Lyman
Hometown: Central, Utah
Previous School: Snow College
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 6-foot-0
Personal:
- Parents are Brett and Camille
- Has three sisters and one brother
- Older sister Tressa played volleyball at Idaho State
- Majoring in business management
High School:
- Collected the Utah Governor’s State of Sport Award as the 2015 High School Female Athlete of the Year
- Named a Frosh 59 and Soph 79 by PrepVolleyball.com
- The UHSAA record holder for blocks in a career (511) and blocks in a season (197)
- Named to the All-Tribune Team in 2013 and 2014 and to the 2A First Team from 2011-14 by The Salt Lake Tribune
- Named the 2A Defensive MVP in 2012, the 2A MVP in 2013 and 2014 and to the 2A First Team from 2011-14, as listed by The Deseret News
- Named an AVCA Utah Prep Volleyball Player of the Week
Junior College:
- Named an AVCA Two-Year College First Team All-American in 2017
- Added to the NJCAA First Team All-America list
- Named the Region XVIII Player of the Year in 2017
- A four-time SWAC Player of the Week in 2017
- Named MVP by her team in 2017