FAIRBANKS – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team and head coach Brian Scott have announced their incoming recruiting class for the 2022 season. The class will feature seven, three transfers and four incoming freshmen.
"This was a very challenging class to fill." said head coach Brian Scott, "COVID created some unique complications with some athletes wanting to use the extra year of eligibility they gained and others wanting to finish schooling and move on. As a result, we had many spots to fill. Despite these challenges, I feel we may have recruited the overall deepest and most talented class of athletes in the past several years. I am very excited about what Nanook volleyball will look like for the foreseeable future. Overall, we have gained a great mix of veteran college transfer students and young high school athletes. We gained some great height and fantastic athleticism. In addition, this group is extremely academic oriented and great role models. They were each highly recruited by other programs and we are grateful to add them to our team, it'll make for exciting volleyball this fall."
Ella Bines, 6'3", Right Side, Orlando, Fla.
Bines is a 6'3" right side who will join the Nanooks from Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando, Fla. The incoming freshman intends on studying biology. While at Bishop Moore Catholic High School, Bines was the varsity team captain and was a part of the Social Studies and Athletic Honors societies. In her senior year at Bishop Moore, Bines tallied 77 kills, 1.4 K/S and a .179 hit percentage while picking up a total of 18 blocks, including two solo blocks in 57 sets played. In her varsity career she played in 187 sets, tallying 296 kills, a hit percentage of .149, 76 total blocks, 272 digs and 29 service aces.
She is the daughter of Sonja and Mark Bines and has one sibling, Carly.
Scott's Thoughts
"Ella Bines is probably the tallest of the recruiting class and a very long, athletic right-side hitter. She will cause problems with her attack and ability to block. She is also left-handed, which creates difficult challenges for opponents."
Johnasia Michelle Carr, 5'11", Middle Blocker, Yonkers, N.Y.
Carr will join the Nanooks after two years at Seattle University and one year at Florida Southwestern State. In her time at Seattle U, Carr played in 23 matches and 71 sets, collecting 83 kills for 1.17 K/S, a .220 hit percentage, five assists, 63.0 total blocks and 10 solo blocks. She joined FSW for the 2021 season and in 42 sets over 18 matches, she picked up 55 kills for an average of 1.31 K/S, a .264 hit percentage, 27 total blocks, including three solo and two digs.
Carr went to high school at Yonkers High School in New York and was a three-time All-League selection, two-time All-Conference selection and one-time All-Section selection. Johnasia intends on majoring in Digital Journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is the daughter of Maureen Van-Eer and has one sibling, Johnell.
Scott's Thoughts
"Johnasia Carr is a fast, high-flying middle. She has played at both the Juco and DI level and will be a huge asset to the team. She will definitely make some plays that will bring fans to their feet."
Elena Guc, 6'0", Right Side, East China, Mich.
Guc joins the Nanooks from Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School. The incoming freshman boasts an impressive high school resume in both the academic and athletic accomplishments. On the academic side, Guc was named an AAU Academic All-American while earning the Leadership Award, the Academic Award for earning honor roll all four years, the Citizenship Award all four years and was named Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) All-Academic from 2019-2021. On the court, Guc was a Second Team All-State selection as a junior, a First Team All-State selection as a senior while being named the 2021 MVP and earning two tournament MVP's.
She was named All-Catholic during her junior and senior seasons while also earning All-Region those two seasons. Guc was a one-time Times Herald Athlete of the Week. Guc is the daughter of Katherine and Steve Guc and has one sibling, Elizabeth.
Scott's Thoughts
"Elena Guc is a tall and athletic left-handed right-side hitter. She is a hustler! It didn't take long to recognize the effort she puts into playing every ball. I can't wait to get her in the gym and compete."
Kristina Head, 6'0", Middle Blocker, Lyons, Kan.
Kristina Head will join the Nanooks after spending the previous seasons at Hutchinson Community College. Head, who hails from Lyons, Kan., is a 6'0" middle blocker who tallied 511 kills in two seasons at HCC. 2020, her freshman year, saw Head gather 227 kills in only 91 sets played while maintaining a .315 hit percentage. She averaged 2.49 kills per set while also picking up 95 total blocks on 81 assists and 14 solos. Head averaged over a block a set and just under a dig a set, picking up 78 digs on the season. She added 26 service aces in 20. In her sophomore season, she played in 33 matches, seeing time in 120 sets and put together an all-around season. Head bested her previous career-high with 284 kills. She added a .238 hit percentage while tallying 177 digs and a dig/set average of 1.48. She ended the year with 98 total blocks, 14 solo and 84 assisted; this gave her 193 career blocks at HCC.
During her time at Hutchinson, Head was a President's Honor Roll member for two semesters as well as the Valedictorian. On the court, she was a Second Team All-KJCCC selection in 2020 and a First Team All-KJCCC selection in 2021.
Scott's Thoughts
"Kristina Head is another athletic middle blocker. She is great at hitting a slide and will cause problems defensively for our opponents. She has proven at the Juco level that she is an elite athlete."
Cynphany Henderson, 5'9", Setter, Otsego, Minn.
Henderson comes to Fairbanks by way of St. Michael-Ablertville High School in Albertville, Minn. A two-time All-Conference selection in 2020 and 2021 and the Rookie of the Year her freshman season, Henderson is a 5'9" setter. She intends on studying Biological Sciences and is the daughter of Malia Cotter. She has two siblings, Mikala and Lyla; Mikala currently attends and plays volleyball at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Henderson's mother played volleyball in college as well.
Scott's Thoughts
"Cynphany Henderson is a very athletic freshman setter and hitter. She grew up in the gym and has a firm grasp on all volleyball skills. She is a great competitor and is going to make a tremendous impact in our gym."
Jessa Long, 5'4", Libero, Dixon, Ill.
Jessa Long is a 5'4" libero coming to Fairbanks from Florida A&M. Daughter of Stacy and Duane Long, Jessa earned accolades both on and off the court. In the classroom, Long was a Dean's List member, the 2021 President of HPER Club, earned the Highest GPA Ranking on the women's volleyball team, graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Health, Fitness and Recreation in the Spring 2021 and followed that degree with a Masters of Sports Management in July 2022.
On the court, Long was the 2021 SWAC Libero of the Year, First Team All-Tournament Team, Defensive Player of the Year, SWAC dig leader, ranked seventh in NCAA DI for digs per set and led FAMU to their first NCAA appearance since 2009.
Scott's Thoughts
"Jessa Long is a proven libero. She has played for two very good DI programs and brings a wealth of knowledge and skill. She will be exciting to watch."
Kelli Wright, 6'0", Outside Hitter, Herriman, Utah
Wright is the final newcomer of the Nanooks recruiting class. She is a 6'0" outside hitter from Herriman, Utah and comes to Fairbanks by way of Mountain Ridge High School. Wright earned honor roll while at MRHS. She is the daughter of Amanda and Cory Wright; her mother, Amanda, played basketball at BYU. Wright intends on studying Biological Sciences while at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
She has three siblings; Katie, Tim and Makayla.
Scott's Thoughts
"Kelli Wright is an outside that will cause problems for other teams. She is tall, jumps well, and can hit the ball at a very high point. It will be fun to see what she is capable of doing this season."
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @AlaskaNanooksVB on Instagram, @NanooksVB on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
