FULLERTON, Calif.--- The Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball program has signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the regular signing period, head coach Ashley Preston announced on Tuesday. All six athletes will officially join the Titans beginning with the 2017-18 academic year.
Tyler Fezzey, Alicia Dennis, Savahna Costello, Makenzi Abelman, Jayla Norman and Cady Francis hope to serve as great ambassadors for Fullerton on and off the court, as the Titans look to continue their climb toward the top of the Big West.
"I'm thrilled to have this group of incoming athletes join our program, all of whom are high academic and high volleyball IQ players," said Preston. "Along with their athletic accolades, they serve on mission trips, give their time doing community service and two will be a part of the honors program and business honors program here at Fullerton."
Let's meet the new Titans.
Tyler Fezzey | RS | 6'1" | Riverside, Calif. (John W. North HS)
Tyler Fezzey comes to Cal State Fullerton from John W. North High School in Riverside, California. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies and earned all-league, all-county and scholar athlete honors in in her freshman, sophomore and junior years. She also obtained multiple tournament MVP awards throughout her high school career, including being named team MVP her junior year.
In addition to her on-the-court success, Fezzey was a superstar in the classroom, as she was involved in the prestigious International Baccalaureate program and maintained a 4.6 GPA. She also earned the Hourglass Award which is given out to a student who completes more than 100 hours of community service within a year.
In 2016, Fezzey took part in the European Global Challenge and won the gold medal for Team USA in the U17 division.
From coach Preston
"Tyler is an International Baccalaureate Diploma candidate who was admitted into our honors business program here at Cal State Fullerton. She is a 6'1" lefty who is a great defender at the net."
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Destinee Hooker
Sports Venue: Staples Center
Athlete: Kerri Walsh
Musical Artist: Roy Woods, TYuS, Kehlani
Website: Amazon
Restaurants: Chipotle, Olive Garden, Wing Stop
Athletic Team: Kerri Walsh and Misty May
Volleyball Venue: Titan Gym
Movie: Good Will Hunting
Book: Crime and Punishment
Actor/Actress: Quincey Brown
Food: Chicken wings and blue cheese
Alicia Dennis comes to Cal State Fullerton from John W. James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, South Carolina. She was a three-year letterwinner for the Rebels. Was named to all-region teams in both 2016 and 2015, while she was named her school's best offensive player in both years. She was placed on the USA Volleyball HP National Continental Team in 2016 and USA Volleyball's HP National A2 team in 2015. She was also a member of the 2015 AVCA Phenom List.
"Alicia may be small in stature, but she played like she's 6'1". She's a six-rotation player who can play across the net. Her greatest attribute is her desire to learn all she can in volleyball and be impactful for the program."
Get to know Alicia Dennis....
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Hailey Washington
Sports Venue: Bank of America Stadium
Athlete: Steph Curry
Musical Artist: Rhianna
Website: Netflix
Restaurants: O'Charley's
Athletic Team: Golden State Warriors
Volleyball Venue: Georgia World Congress Center
Movie: Pursuit of Happiness
Book: Wuthering Heights
Actor/Actress: Will Smith
Food: Pomegranates and crab legs
Jayla Norman makes the trek to Cal State Fullerton from Bushland High School in Amarillo, Texas. She was a three-year letterwinner for the Falcons and was named the 1-4A Newcomer of the Year and Amarillo Globe News Newcomer of the Year her freshman year. She earned district 1-4A Offensive Player of the Year honors her sophomore season and made the region 1-4A All-Tournament Team. In her junior season she was an All-State Honorable Mention, a TGCA All-State Selection Team member and led her team to the state finals. Senior year, the Falcons finally broke through and won the state title thanks to her leadership. Norman was named the District 1-4A MVP, Region 1-4A MVP and the 4A state MVP.
She was nearly as impressive off the court, as she was named a seven-time Superintendent Scholor, a TGCA Academic All-State member and AVCA Academic All-American.
Norman was a three-sport stud, claiming two area championships in track and field in the long jump and triple jump events, while she was also named an ESPN Elite Top-30 Recruit for basketball. She was a three-year letterwinner in track and field and a two-year lettewinner in basketball.
"Jayla is a lefty middle who is quick, explosive and has a heavy arm. She led her team to a state championship and is such an athlete, excelling in volleyball, basketball and track & field.
Get to know Jayla Norman…
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Micha Hancock
Sports Venue: American Airlines Center- Dallas
Athlete: Allyson Felix and Steph Curry
Musical Artist: Rihanna and Beyonce
Restaurants: Olive Garden and Cheddars
Athletic Team: Golden State Warriors
Volleyball Venue: Curtis Culwell Center
Movie: Ride Along
Book: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Actor/Actress: Taraji P. Henson and Brad Pitt
Food: Salad and Salmon
Makenzi Abelman | S | 6'1" | Las Vegas, Nev. (Durango HS)
Makenzi Abelman comes to Cal State Fullerton from Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. She played two years of varsity volleyball, with the first being at Bishop Gorman and the second at Durango. She was named a first team all-conference member her senior year and was a member of the all-state academic team in 2014.
From coach Preston
"Makenzi by the way of my Alma Mater, Durango High School, was coached by my best friend and BYU setter Amy Schlauder. Kenzie is a 6'1" setter who has had tremendous growth over the last few years, which made her a perfect fit for our program because she will continue to grow. Her combination of leadership and skill will allow her to make an immediate impact."
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Courtney Thompson
Sports Venue:
Athlete: Steph Curry
Musical Artist: Anderson Paak, Marc E Bassy, Childish Gambino
Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
Book: The Book Thief
Food: Greek Food
Savahna Costello | L | 5'6" | Riverside, Calif. (La Sierra HS)
Savahna Costello makes her way to Cal State Fullerton from La Sierra High School from Riverside, California. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Eagles. She earned all-league honors in all four years and was named team MVP in her final three seasons at La Sierra. She also earned her school's outstanding service award.
"Savahna is a solid serve receive passer and defender. She plays with so much heart and understands her role as the leader of the backcourt."
Get to know Savahna Costello…
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Matt Anderson
Sports Venue: Angel Stadium
Athlete: Misty May-Trainer
Musical Artist: Beyoncé and Kanye West
Restaurants: Buffalo Wild Wings, BJ's Brewhouse, Claim Jumper
Athletic Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Movie: Fast and Furious
Book: A Child Called It
Food: Burritos
Cady Francis makes the trek to Cal State Fullerton from Mira Costa Community College in Oceanside, California. In her final year at Mira Costa, she was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year, was named to the all-state team and was a top 12 player in the state. During her freshman year at Mira Costa she was named an all-region honorable mention, while leading her team to the state championship game.
Before attending Mira Costa, Francis was a three-year letterwinner at La Costa Canyon High School. She was a two-time All-Avocado League selection her senior year and was named the league's Player of the Year. Her junior season, she was placed on the all-county second team and was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions. In addition, she was named a two-time San Diego All-Academic Team member.
From coach Preston
"Cady has an infectious personality. She knows how to be an encouraging leader and has great knowledge of the game. She was the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year and a first team all-state member. Her passing rate and digs per set will be valuable to our first contact and defensive game."
Favorites
Volleyball Player: Natalie Huggland
Sports Venue: Beaver Stadium
Athlete: Natalie Huggland
Musical Artist: Christina Aguilera and G-Eazy
Website: Pintrest
Restaurants: Souplantation
Athletic Team: Los Angeles Chargers
Volleyball Venue: Cathedral Catholic HS
Movie: Burlesque
Book: The Giver
Actor/Actress: Will Smith, Nina Dobrev
Food: Pasta
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the volleyball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonVB) and Instagram accounts (Titans_VB).