Oberlin, Ohio – Oberlin College Head Volleyball Coach Erica Rau announced the addition of seven first-year athletes who will be joining her team this fall.
 
"I am extremely excited about the caliber of this class," Rau said. "I have high expectations for these young ladies not only on the court, but also with their involvement in the Oberlin campus community. Last year we really focused on improving our defense and this year we shifted that focus to offense. I expect each of these seven young ladies to contribute right away."
 
Jillian Hostetler is a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Chicago, Illinois. She was a standout for Dundee-Crown High School where she was named Most Valuable Offensive Player and had the highest hitting percentage on the team in 2011 and 2012. She was also named to the Great Lakes Region All-Conference Team and played club for Sky High Volleyball.
 
Hannah Tyburski is a 6-foot outside hitter from nearby Lakewood, Ohio, and plays club for AVC out of Cleveland. Tyburski graduated from Lakewood High School in just three years, and received Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards during her career. As a junior she was named as a second-team all-conference selection and was an honorable-mention all-district recipient. The past two years she was also named a Scholar-Athlete.
 
"Jillian and Hannah will bolster are attack and provide additional depth at outside hitter from day one," Rau added. "I am really excited to teach these young ladies and see them help our team grow."
 
Maggie Middleton is a 5-foot-10 middle hitter from Reston, Virginia. She played club for both NVVA and NV Premiere and was a three-year starter and a two-year captain for Herndon High School.
 
Ave Spencer comes to Oberlin from Goodyear, Arizona. A versatile player at 5-foot-10, Spencer can play on the ride side or as a middle hitter. A former member of Millennium High School, Spencer helped her team make the state tournament. Additionally, her club team – Shenu - was ranked third in the state. Spencer will also be competing on Oberlin's track and field team as a pole-vaulter.
 
A four-year starter at the Maret School in Washington, D.C., Jesse Arnholz is a 6-foot-1 right side hitter. She served as team captain as a senior and led the team in kills.
 
"Maggie, Ave and Jesse will help fill the void up front due to the graduation of Laura Jessee," Rau said. "They will certainly have large shoes to fill, but I am confident in each of them to step up right away."
 
Rounding out the incoming class are setters Meredith Leung and Krista Langhans.
 
Leung hails from Lomita, California, where she was a three-year starter and captain at Rolling Hills Prep. A three-time first-team all-league selection, the 5-foot-5 Leung helped Rolling Hills earn the CIF Southern Sectional Championship in 2011. A captain for club team Nfinity, she and her teammates are competing at nationals this summer.
 
Langhans was a three-year captain at Spring Creek High School and three-time team MVP. A former Division 1-A Ruby Mountain League MVP and Nevada Division1-A All-League Honorable-Mention selection, the 5-foot-8 Langhans comes to Oberlin from Spring Creek, Nevada.
 
"Meredith and Krista are both highly talented players with the ability to run our offense," Rau said. "I am confident they can handle the job of orchestrating our attack with the proper rhythm and tempo."
 
These newcomers will play in their first collegiate game when Oberlin begins its season at the Westminster College Tournament on August 30.