The offseason was in full swing for the Idaho volleyball program this past week, as the Vandals announced the addition of two transfers to their roster.
Setter Haylee Mathis and outside hitter Klaree Hobart will play in the black and gold this spring.
Hobart spent the last two seasons at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon where she led the Timberwolves to two straight Northwest Athletic Conference Championships.
Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said Hobart’s all-around performance and competitiveness are both beneficial to the roster.
“Her strength is in her passing and defense,” Buchanan said. “She is a very competitive player with a great attitude. She will be a great addition to our team this spring.”
The Lewiston native attended at Lewiston High School, where she was part of the 2012 and 2013 5A State Championship teams. In 2013, Hobart was the Inland Empire League Defensive Player of the Year.
Last season at Blue Mountain, Hobart totaled 179 kills with a 2.59 average per set and was second on the team with 210 digs, averaging 3.04 per set.
Before transferring to Idaho, Mathis spent her first season of collegiate play in the Pac 12 Conference with Washington State. Mathis redshirted and did not play during the 2015 season.
Buchanan said she’s looking forward to seeing what Mathis brings to the table for Idaho.
“Haylee is a very physical setter who will be able to start running the offense this spring,” Buchanan said. “She comes to the Palouse with high level club experience and we are excited with what she will bring to our program.”
During Mathis’s days in high school, the Strasburg, Illinois native earned several accolades in the Prairie State.
Mathis was a two-time National Trail Conference MVP honoree and was selected to all-conference four times.
She led the St. Anthony Bulldogs to four NTC championships and was named to the United States Volleyball High Performance All-Tournament team in 2013.
In 2013, Mathis’s school advanced to the Illinois Super Sectionals, volleyball’s equivalent of the elite eight for the state of Illinois.
Mathis was also named to the Illinois State honorable mention team in 2012.
The Vandals have now added a total of seven recruits to the program, including five incoming freshmen (Maura Donovan, Tara Eaton, Delaney Hopen, Avery Housley and Megan Ramseyer) announced in December.
Hobart, Housley and Ramseyer are the new outside hitters added to the roster while Mathis and also Housley are Idaho’s newest setters.
Donovan and Eaton are the new defensive specialists.
Entering this spring, Idaho will play without several key graduates, including outside hitters Tineke Bierma and Katelyn Peterson, setter Meredith Coba and defensive specialist Jenna Ellis.
The Vandals ended the 2015 campaign with a 10-6 record in the Big Sky Conference (14-16 overall), winning the North Division in the process. Idaho advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament where their season ended in a 3-0 loss against Idaho State Nov. 20 in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles