Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) head volleyball coach Taylor Mott has announced the addition of seven newcomers to the 2024 roster.
“We are excited about this group of newcomers consisting of six freshmen and a graduate transfer,” said Mott. “They all come from competitive high school, club, and collegiate programs. We are looking forward to getting started in a few weeks and blending our returners with our newcomers.”
The Governors kick off their 2024 campaign at Memphis’ Carrie Verty Classic, August 30th-31st, at the Larry O. Finch Center.
Dani Kopacz | Outside Hitter | Pewaukee High School
Named the 2024 MVP Women’s Athlete of the Year for Pewaukee High School, Kopacz holds the record for kills (1,325) and aces (211). Kopacz made the All State First team her senior year and is a two-time Wisconsin All-State honorable mention selection. Outside of Pewaukee High School, she played for the club team VC United, where she was named to the President’s Day Classic 2024 All Tournament Team.
Aubrey Stitcher | Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist | Noblesville High School
A four-year varsity starting outside hitter and defensive specialist, Stitcher was a 2023 Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association North All Star Nominee and a 2023 IHSVCA Academic All-State nominee. She led the Crossroads Conference in kills her junior season and was a IHSVCA Player 2 Watch in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Nobelsville, Indiana native played for the Municana Volleyball Club where her team placed third at the AAU Nationals for the 2024 season.
Tayler Baron | Libero | Oakland High School
A Lascassaas, Tennessee native, Baron reached 1,000 career digs at Oakland High School. Baron is a three time all-regional tournament award recipient, a two time all district award recipient, and the 2023-24 All Tournament MVP. During her time at Oakland, she was a two-time district champion and was a member of the regional championship team. Outside of Oakland, she played for the MidTN Volleyball Club where she won the Southern Region Volleyball Association High Performance All Tournament Award.
Gabriella MacKenzie | Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter | Menlo College
A two-time Golden State Athletic Conference player of the week, MacKenzie led the Oaks with 214 kills her sophomore season and 199 her junior season. She helped lead the Oaks to a second place finish at the 2023 GSAC finals and played in the Global Challenge on the GSAC All Star team in Pula, Croatia.
Luci Lippelgoos | Middle Blocker | McKeel Academy of Technology
A Winter Haven, Florida native, Lippelgoos was named to the American Volleyball Association’s Best and Brightest First Team in 2023. During her career at McKeel Academy of Technology, Lippelgoos was also a part of the Third Team All-County in 2021 and the First Team All-County in 2023. Outside of high school, she played for the Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy under coach Roberto Santasofia.
Chloe Sutake | Middle Blocker | Westfield High School
Hailing from Carmel, Indiana, Sutake was a co-captain and varsity MVP at Westfield High School. During her time at Westfield High, she was a Hoosier Crossroads Conference All- Conference First Team Member and an All-USA Central Indiana Super Team honorable mention. Sutake played for club volleyball for Team Indiana under coach Rich Coleman, where she was named a 2022 AVCA Phenom and 2022 and 2023 JVA watchlist.
Kayleigh Ryan | Setter/Defensive Specialist | St. Agnes Academy
A Memphis, Tennessee native, Ryan was a three time region champion at St. Agnes High School. In 2022, Ryan was named the Division II AA West All-Region MVP and was a Player of the Year nominee. She was named to the AVCA Phenom watch list in 2021 and 2022 and the JVA watch list in 2021.
