Missouri State volleyball’s incoming freshman class received high praise this week as PrepVolleyball.com rated the five-player group in the High Honorable Mention category of its annual recruiting rankings. The publication compiled the list of the nation’s top 30 recruiting classes, along with additional honorable mention categories, with the help of college coaches based on the cumulative impact each class could make during its time at each school.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Missouri State has been recognized by the publication, as the seniors-to-be were rated the No. 30 class nationally three years ago, while the Bears ranked just outside the top 30 in 2015 and 2016.
MSU’s incoming class of Maddie Back (DS, Jessieville, Ark.), Sam Brinkmann (DS, St. Louis, Mo.), Alyssa Doucette (MB, Eagan, Minn.), Emilie Orlando (S, Wildwood, Mo.) and Veronica Snelling (RS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.), includes three players (Brinkmann, Orlando, Snelling) who were named high school All-Americans by various outlets.
The Bears begin their 22nd season under head coach Melissa Stokes in late August. Stokes has guided the Bears to a 464-222 mark since taking over in 1996, and the team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 14 seasons while reaching the 20-win mark 17 times in the last 18 years. The Bears also return the vast majority of last year’s Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship club.
