MOSCOW, Idaho—Fresh off a split of the Big Sky North Division title, the Idaho volleyball program is shifting its focus to 2018. Head coach Debbie Buchanan announced the addition of five incoming freshmen for the start of next season.

Allison Munday, Becca Owen, Emily Smith, Sam Swayze and Kennedy Warren will join the Vandals next fall, reinforcing a roster that recorded 18 wins in 2017.

"This group of young women work extremely hard and are all going to be great leaders for our program," Buchanan said. "This is a special group because they are all high academic students, leaders and love to compete which is going to add to the talent that we have returning next fall."

Allison Munday
6-foot – Outside Hitter
Post Falls, Idaho (Post Falls H.S.)
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Munday helped lead Post Falls back to the state 5A tournament for the first time since 2012. She is the Trojans' all-time leader in kills, totaling 1,159 in her career. She also ranks second in program history with 827 digs. Munday recorded 188 career blocks (fifth), 109 aces (seventh). She was named team MVP in 2017 to go with her fourth Inland Empire League All-State selection. Munday was a three-year captain at Post Falls. She earned two All-North Idaho team selections, selected by the North Idaho Hall of Fame. Munday was earned recognition as a Scholar-Athlete and was a member of the Nation Honors Society.

Coach Buchanan: "Allison has been an impact player for her high school and club teams. She has really made some big strides this past year and I look forward to her continued growth as a player and what she will accomplish."

Becca Owen
5-foot-5 – Libero, DS
Sammamish, Wash. (Skyline H.S.)
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Owen averaged 4.4 digs per set last season for the Spartans. She totaled 261 on the season to go with her 27 aces and 25 assists. Owen was a four-year varsity star at Skyline H.S., and a two-time King Co. Defensive Player of the Year. She holds the Skyline single-match dig record for Skyline, totaling 35 digs in four sets. Owen was a two-time Academic Student-Athlete of the Month. She played club for the Washington Volleyball Academy where she was a three-year captain. Owen will join Emily Smith on the Kent Juniors, coached by former Vandal Dawn Colston.

Coach Buchanan: "Becca is very strong and makes simple moves. She is going to be able to raise the level of competition among our defensive players which will help in raising the level of play and ball control in our gym."

Emily Smith
6-foot-1 – Outside Hitter
Kirkland, Wash. (Tahoma H.S.)
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Smith helped lead Tahoma to a fifth-place finish in the Washington State 4A Tournament in 2017, earning All-Tournament honors. Smith was a four-year varsity player for the Bears, totaling 897 career kills. She was a three-year team captain and was named 2017 First Team All-League and All-Area Second Team by The News Tribune. Smith was the Tribune's 2016 4A NSPL Cascade League MVP. She also earned All-State honors in 2016. Smith played club for former Vandal Dawn Colston at the Kent Juniors. She captained the USA Youth AI team in 2016.

Coach Buchanan: "Emily has all the tools to develop into a top-six rotation player which is very valuable at this level. She has a very fast arm and great vision on the court. She is a great student, leader and will continue to get great experience playing for one of the top clubs in Washington."

Sam Swayze
5-foot-7 – Libero
Hayden, Idaho (Coeur d'Alene H.S.)
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Swayze played three years of varsity for former Vandal and current Coeur d'Alene head coach Dee Pottenger. She was voted a team captain in 2017 and was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year for the Vikings. Swayze was the CDA Boosters Athlete of the Month for September 2017. She played club for the VIP Juniors in Spokane, Wash. Her team was back-to-back Evergreen Regional champions in 2016, 17. Swayze twice helped the VIP Juniors qualify and compete in the Junior National Championships. She is an Honor Roll student at CDA and earned the Team Distinguished Scholastic Award.

Coach Buchanan: "Sam is a libero who is very competitive and loves volleyball. She has had a lot of success on her high school and club teams over her career. She is a great student and I am excited to have another ball control player in the gym."

Kennedy Warren
6-foot – Middle Blocker
Weatherford, Texas (Peaster H.S.)
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Warren, a two-time Texas Sportswriters First Team All-State selection and the 2017 Texas Associate of Volleyball Coaches Hitter of the Year recorded 2,017 career kills for the Greyhounds. Warren played all four years on varsity at Peaster H.S. She hit .402 percent for her career and totaled 211 career aces. Defensively, she totaled 447 blocks and 1,023 digs. She was a three-time team captain, a three-time District MVP and earned District 9-AAA Newcomer of the Year her freshman season. Warren earned 10 different All-Tournament honors in her four years, including two State Tournament All-Tournament selections. She was an AVCA Phenom her junior year, identified by the AVCA as an elite rising high school volleyball student-athlete. Warren played club for the TX Advantage, Tejas Volleyball and TX Image. She earned Academic All-District honors all four years and was twice selected Academic All-State in 2015, 16.

Coach Buchanan: "Kennedy is a very physical player who can play middle and outside. She has continued to be an impact player for her high school and club team and I am excited to see what she will accomplish during her time at Idaho."

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also follow Idaho volleyball on Twitter and Instagram, @IdahoVolleyball.