Dec. 12, 2007

CANYON, Texas - In a position to return all 13 players off of this season's national semifinal team, the West Texas A&M volleyball program does not have many roster holes to fill, but this week, head coach Tony Graystone announced the signing of two outstanding high school student athletes who will add depth and talent to the roster. Kristen Beck and Kayla McKinney will join the program next fall when the Lady Buffs take aim at a third straight Elite Eight tournament appearance and Lone Star Conference Championship.

Beck is a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Odessa, Texas, who earned selections to the 2007 SURVA High Performance Team and to the 2007 Youth National A1 Development Camp during her prep career. The Odessa High School product also nabbed 2007 first team All-District accolades as a senior this fall.

"Kristen is a talented middle blocker with a great deal of potential," said Graystone. "She covers the net well and puts a lot of heat on the ball. Kristen is still fairly raw as an athlete and player, but has received good training at the high school and juniors level, and will do very well in our system. I'm really looking forward to working with her and watching her develop."

A local talent, McKinney hails from nearby Amarillo where she helped lead San Jacinto Christian Academy to the APPS 3-A State Championship in 2007. During the team's title run, McKinney garnered All-State TAPPS 3-A as well as All-State TAPPS MVP honors. Additionally, she is a stand out in the classroom where she earned Academic All-State recognition.

"Kayla continues the long tradition of local players who have chosen to continue their volleyball careers at WT," noted Graystone. "Kayla is an outstanding setter and ball control player who will add a lot depth to our roster in those areas. Although Kayla comes from a smaller high school program, she understands the game at a high level, plays with a lot of energy and knows how to win. She will definitely make us better and we are looking forward to having her in our program."