Grand Valley State volleyball head coach Deanne Scanlon announced the signing of three newcomers to the Laker program who will join the team for the 2018 season. This year's signees include Tatyana Hardwick (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights HS), Bella Rasler (Niles, Mich./Niles HS), and Alexandra Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy).
 
Hardwick, a 6'2" attacker from Sterling Heights, Mich., will come to GVSU having picked up volleyball just six years ago, but has become a prime time player in her short time on the court. Hardwick just wrapped up a senior campaign that saw her earn All-County Honorable Mention Honors, as well as being named as the MVP of the MAC (Macomb Area Conference), while also being named to the All-MAC Blue First Team for the second year in a row. In her sophomore season at Sterling Heights, Hardwick was named as the Most Improved Player, the Rookie of the Year, and earned all-conference honorable mention honors. She was also a member of the varsity basketball team for four years.
 
"Tatyana is an explosive athlete touching 10' that I believe has the potential to develop into an elite player in Division II," said Scanlon, "She has only been playing elite club level volleyball for a short period of time and I am excited to have the opportunity to help her develop her talents. Tatyana's size and quickness will give her the opportunity to compete and play immediately."
 
A native of Niles, Mich., Rasler is a 5'10" outside hitter from Niles High School, who recently wrapped up her high school career with a district championship, regional championship, and a trip to the state tournament. In her senior campaigh, Rasler racked up 718 kills, 522 digs, 21 solo blocks, 52 block assists, and 73 total blocks en route to her team going 41-8-4 on the season. Rasler was an All-Region and SMAC First Team All-Conference honoree all four years, while also being named as an All-State Class A Honoree in 2015 and earned third team all-state honors in 2016. Rasler is also currently nominated for the Academic All-State Team for the 2017 fall season.
 
"Bella will bring a competitive attitude and toughness to our team," noted Scanlon. "She is a dynamic 6 rotation outside hitter that led her team to the Class B State Quarterfinals her senior year and is expected to compete for a starting position her freshmen year.
 
The Lakers final signee is Thompson, a 5'10" MH/OH hybrid player from Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thompson recently closed out her senior season after leading her team to a 28-1 record and a state championship, posting 355 kills, 333 digs, and 55 blocks. For her efforts, Thompson was named a 2017 Under Armour All-American, the Cincinnati Player of the Year, and the District Player of the Year. Additionally, she was named her conference (GGCL) Player of the Year, while earning first team all-league, city, and state honors her final two seasons. In 2016 she was named as the Cincinnati Enquirer Player of the Year and also won an athlete of the week award. Thompson also held a 4.2 GPA, while being selected to the National Honor Society and being named to the Honor Roll every quarter.
 
"You can read through Ali's impressive bio of awards and accolades and see that she is an extremely talented player but that only tells part of the story. Ali comes from a high school program with a long standing tradition of winning and embraces all the expectations that go along with that," said Scanlon. "Ali values the "all in" mentality that successful teams need and we are expecting her to make an immediate impact in our program.  Ali has the ability to play any attacking position in the front row as well as being a 6 rotation passer and defender."
 
The Lakers recently concluded their 2017 season with a 16-12 overall record and an 11-5 mark in GLIAC play.