Volleyball | 6/10/2016 12:51:00 PM

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern volleyball coach Dustin Wood announced today that Kendall Adams (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park), Brooke Birch (Lorton, Va./South County), Kelsey Meins (Fairfax Station, Va./Trinity Christian) and Ryan Tuten (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic) will compete for the Eagles in the 2016 season.

"We are excited to announce the rest of our 2016 recruiting class," said Wood. "This group is very talented, and they love to compete. I'm very happy to have this group join our program and see the impact that they will have on our program on the court, in the classroom and as leaders on and off campus in the community. They will be fun bunch to watch grow together as players and leaders. We have high expectations for them to be productive in our program, and the staff is excited to start working with them in August."

Kendall Adams, 5-10, Outside Hitter, Orlando, Fla./Winter Park, OVA
Prep: Lettered three years for Stephanie Gibbson at Winter Park High School • Helped team to 8A state championship in 2013 • Named to All-Metro Team in 2014 and 2015 • Recorded 249 kills, 18 blocks, 267 digs and 46 aces as a senior • Played for the Orlando Volleyball Academy club team.
Wood on Adams: "Kendall is another player who does everything well. She can pass, play defense and can take a rip at a ball. As we got to know Kendall, we knew she would fit this program perfectly. She makes her teammates better around her and has a great attitude. She is a smart outside hitter who has a lot of range with her arm. When she figures out the speed of the college game, she is going to score points."

Brooke Birch, 5-1, Defensive Specialist, Lorton, Va./South County, NVVA
Prep: Won four letters for coach Trista Barnhart at South County High School • First-team all-conference in 2015 and 2014 and earned second-team accolades in 2013 • Second-team 6A All-North Region in 2015 and earned honorable mention accolades in 2014 • Posted 392 digs and 70 aces as a senior • Owns school record with 1,250 career digs • Played club for NVVA and coach Kris Wojieck.
Wood on Birch: "I have known Brooke for a long time now, and we have seen her grow as a person and player. She comes from a great family. She passes the ball really well, gets her nose dirty on defense and is all over the floor making plays. She has become a confident player in the past year, which was nice to see. She will come in and compete hard every day and will make the most out of the opportunity in front of her."

Kelsey Meins, 5-4, Defensive Specialist, Fairfax Station, Va./Trinity Christian, Virginia Juniors
Prep: Lettered four seasons for coaches Chantal Brache and Jeanette Fisher at Trinity Christian High School • Named second-team all-state in 2015 and 2016 and earned all-conference honors all four seasons • Played club for Meagan Johnson on Virginia Juniors team • Virginia Juniors were Northeast Qualifier Champions in 2015 and 2016 • Also lettered in soccer.
Wood on Meins: "I have known Kelsey for a while now, and I have seen her grow as a player and leader. She has set and played libero in her club and high school days. Her work ethic is what we look for in a player. She comes from a great family that has taught her to work hard. She has a nasty serve and will help our program be better. I am anxious to see what see what she is able to do when she gets used to the speed at this level. She is a hard-nosed competitor who will compete hard every day in the gym to get better."

Ryan Tuten, 5-7, Outside Hitter, Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic, Ocala Power United 18 Rox
Prep: Lettered three seasons for coach Jeff Reavis at Trinity Catholic • First-team all-county in 2015 and earned second-team honors in 2014 • Posted 510 kills, 152 digs, 33 aces and 14.5 blocks as a senior; led the county in kills and kills per set • Logged 496 kills in her junior campaign • Led the Celtics to a runner-up state finish in 2015 and to four straight district championships • Played for Reavis on the Ocala Power United 18 Rox club team; advanced to nationals in 16s and 17s seasons • Four-year member of the academic honor roll.
Wood on Tuten: "We are excited to have Ryan join our program. We noticed Ryan early on in the recruiting process, and each time we saw her, she got better and better. She brings us great defense and ball control. She is a little undersized at the outside hitter position but is very smart and hits the ball really hard, which helps her score. I am excited for her to come in and show what she can do. She is a great all-around player who will develop a jump serve that will help us."

Georgia Southern returns five starters and All-Sun Belt libero Alex Beecher to the 2016 roster. The Eagles open the campaign Aug. 26 against North Carolina at the Penn State Classic.

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