POCATELLO, Idaho – ISU Head Coach
Chad Teichert announced Tuesday that he has signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The three players who will join the Big Sky runner-up Idaho State next season are Chloe Hirst, Marissa Todd and Desiree Nielson.
Hirst, an outside hitter from Woods Cross High School in Woods Cross, Utah, led the Wildcats to their first Region 6 title since 2003 with a 15-3 record. Under head coach Stefanie Jensen, Woods Cross was ranked 27
th in the state and finished fifth at the 2012 4A state championship. Hirst was named second team all-state this season. Hirst plays club volleyball for the Club V U18 Elite.
“Chloe Hirst is a hard working outside hitter who has already spent numerous hours developing her game,” Teichert said. “She is continuing to work hard to hone the skills necessary to be successful as a Division I athlete. With Chloe, we feel that we are getting a good volleyball athlete with an excellent work ethic and a strong desire to succeed, an excellent student, and a first-class young lady.”
Marissa Todd is a 5-10 outside hitter who currently attends Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. The Darts went 31-2 overall this season and a perfect 14-0 in league play. The squad was ranked second in the state of Utah and 139
th nationally this season. In 2011, Todd helped lead Davis High School to its first 5A state title in 36 years under first-year head coach Lori Salvo. The Darts went to the third round of the state tournament this year. Todd is teammates with Hirst on the Club V U18 Elite club volleyball team.
“Marissa Todd is also one of those young athletes who understands the value and importance of work,” Teichert said. “She puts in a great deal of time and focused effort to continue to improve her game. She is an athletic volleyball player who will be a wonderful addition to our team at Idaho State. She is also a quality student and a top notch person. I look forward to working with her.”
Teichert's third signee, Desiree Nielson, is a 6-1 middle blocker transfer from Walla Walla Community College. Nielson has close ties to the area as she graduated from nearby Rigby High School in 2011. This season, Nielson led WWCC to a second-place finish in the NWAACC East Region and was named all-tournament second team at the NWAACC Championship. She also helped lead the Warriors to a third-place finish at the NWAACC Championship.
“Desiree Nielson has had a very successful junior college career,” Teichert said. “She was successful as a high school player, as a junior college player and we anticipate her being successful here at ISU. We look forward to having her skills, her work ethic, her maturity and her desire to succeed in our gym at Idaho State. We feel that we are getting another good athlete and quality person on our team with Desiree.”
During the 2012 campaign, Desiree averaged 4.42 kills per set. She was named an East Region NWAACC First Team All-Star as well as NWAACC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2.
During her tenure at Rigby High School, she was named first team all-state, all-area and all-conference.
The three signees join a Bengal squad that finished second in the Big Sky regular season as well as at the conference tournament. The Bengals return four starters to the 2013 team including reining conference MVP Lori Mendenhall.
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