HAMILTON, ON - Coming off consecutive seasons with OCAA medals, the Mohawk Mountaineers women's volleyball program is excited to announce its recruiting class for the 2023-24 season.

The Mountaineers earned a bronze medal this past season under first-year head coach Kelsey Kovar, who explained that it was important to bring in a significant group of new student-athletes.

"We unfortunately did lose a lot of players going into this 2023-24 season, so it was super important to bring in a big class and a diverse class because we want to continue to build and work towards that provincial gold medal and a national berth for the program," Kovar said.

The newest group will not only have an impact on this upcoming season, but they will also be key to the program's success looking ahead to the next couple years.

"We have enough returning pieces that we have some good building blocks to maintain the level that we have been at, but this new class brings in this new sort of future of Mohawk women's volleyball," Kovar added.

The first of six recruits for Mohawk is Hannah Bennett, who will add depth on both the right side and in the middle. Bennett is from St. Catharines, ON where she attended Eden High School, but played club volleyball for the local Smash Raiders.

"Hannah has all the right qualities and attitude I look for in an athlete," Kovar said. "She's super hard working, euthanasic, she wants to be here and is eager to learn."

With her high school, Bennett was a back-to-back Zone Champion and SOSSA finalist.

Also, joining the Mountaineers are twin sisters Alora and Hannah Lavallee. The two are from Milton, ON where they attended Craig Kielburger Secondary and played club for the Milton Iron Edge.

As twins the two have mirroring accomplishments that include a total of 17 OVA medals from 13U to 18U, and this past season with the Craig Kielburger senior girl's volleyball team they posted an 11-1 regular season record and won the 2022-23 Tier 1 Championship.

Alora, who also won the 2021 OVA Award of Excellence, will be stepping into a big role for Mohawk.

"She's going to come in as a rookie setter and that's a position that we're definitely trying to fill and build over the next couple seasons," Kovar said. "She's going to be able to come in and learn under some Mohawk alumni on our coaching staff who will be able to mold her and teach her the offensive system."

Hannah on the other hand has the ability to play multiple positions, explained Kovar.

"She's athletic enough I can put her in a couple different positions," the coach said. "She's going to come in and be able to have an impact in a few different areas."

The addition of Melissa Meyer will bring height to the Mountaineer roster. The Notre Dame Catholic Secondary graduate from Burlington, ON is a 6'0-foot middle blocker.

"Melissa is someone who is really raw and brings a lot of athleticism to the program," said Kovar. "She's very long and tall, so she adds a lot of height at the net and she's going to be a great addition offensively."

Defensively, Marie Cerasuolo will be a major addition for Mohawk. From Etobicoke, ON, Cerasuolo attended Bishop Allen Academy and played club for the Aurora Storm.

"Marie is someone that's going to contribute a lot on the defensive side and the ball control side," Kovar said. "She's definitely going to help strengthen a lot of different aspects of our game."

Finally, Emily Pigott will be joining the Mohawk program with both playing and coaching experience. From Paris, ON and Paris District High School, Pigott played club with the Brant Youth Volleyball Club where she now is an assistant for their 17U and 18U teams.

Pigott, who represented Team Canada at the 2015 International Children's Games in Holland, had initially committed to play for Mohawk for the 2020-21 season but the year was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Emily is someone who's immediately going to come in and have an impact in our lineup," Kovar said. "She has a really high IQ and really understands the game well."

Looking ahead to the 2023-24 year academically, Bennett will be studying in the Mohawk Nursing program, Alora will be enrolled in Biotechnology, while her sister Hannah will register in the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant program, Meyer will study Small Business, Cerasuolo will enter the Business Marketing program and Pigott will study Photography.