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Skylights add a host of new spikers

Second-year head coach Rose Obunaga has been hard at work recruiting for the upcoming Montana State University-Northern volleyball season.

And Obunaga has recently announced a slew of new recuits to the MSU-N program.

The newest batch of signees include, Jordan O'Connor from Burbank, Washington, Shay Waldbillig from Florence, Montana, Madison Powers from Boulder, Montana and Abby Ellison from Bigfork, Montana.

O'Connor is a 5-11 middle hitter from Columbia High School in Burbank, Washington. In her sophomore year, she was on the class leadership team, class secretary her junior year, and also the ASB Public Relations officer. Academically, she is an honor roll student, Lamps of Learning, received achievement in physics, excellence in English III, excellence in pre-calculus, excellence in U.S. history, and math excellence. O'Connor was volleyball team captain, awarded team MVP, and earned first team all-league her sophomore and senior seasons. Jordan has been a very active member of her community and has participated in Buddy Walk, Senior Luncheon, the Marcie Brown Banquet, planting flowers at the high school, volunteering as a soccer coach, a speaker at baccalaureate, and graduation set up and take down.

Waldbillig is a 5-9 setter from Florence High School. She has played four years of varsity volleyball, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout her high school career. Waldbillig earned Academic All-State for four years, second team All-Conference her junior year, All-State honors her senior year, and was awarded honorable mention in the Class B State Volleyball Tournament. Shay also played softball for four years and made All-State Academic and second team All-Conference her sophomore and junior year. Shay participated on a Montana Conservation Corps Crew for three weeks and volunteered as a student council member for four years, becoming the president her senior year. She was on the National Honor society for three years and became co- president her senior year. She was a key club member for two years and lastly science Olympiad for four years.

Powers is a 5-10 outside hitter from Jefferson High School in Boulder, Montana. Powers previously attended Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington, the past two seasons where she was selected to the vice president's academic list both her freshman and sophomore years. Maddy was an All-Conference and All-State selection in volleyball her junior and senior years in high school respectfully, and earned All-Conference in basketball her junior and senior seasons. Powers' sister Jordan is a former Skylight basketball player.

Ellison is a 5-9 outside hitter from Bigfork High School in Bigfork, and is formerly from Chinook. In addition to volleyball, Abby played basketball and ran track for her high school. She was a Class C first-team All-Conference selection and a second-team All-State selection in volleyball in 2015, a Class B first-team all-conference and first-team all-state volleyball player in 2016-2017, and a first-team all-state basketball player in 2017. Ellison was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA all throughout high school and tied for the first position out of 63 students in her class. She is also a two-year member of the National Honor Society and the secretary of NHS this year at Bigfork High School. Abby has been an honor roll member every semester since 2014 and was awarded a Class C Academic All-State award for the years 2014-2016.

Earlier this winter, Obunaga also announced the signings of Tessa Krueger, Siera Jordan Proff and former Havre Blue Pony Tatiana Ralph.

Krueger is a 5-10 outside hitter that previously attended Carroll College. She was All state for two years in high school for both volleyball and track, and Academic All-Conference at Carroll College in both volleyball and track. Krueger is the younger sister of two-time Frontier All-Conference standout Cassie Krueger, who finished her Skylight career last fall.

Proff is an outside hitter/defensive specialist from Dutton Brady High School and is looking forward to starting her major in Agricultural Operations Technology. In 2015, she was second team All-Conference, in 2016 and 2017 she was First team All-Conference selection, Academic All-Conference, and also served as the captain of her team.

Ralph was a former defensive specialist for the Blue Ponies, and was also a two-time Central A All-Conference performer in tennis at HHS.

 

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