Volleyball Adds Four for 2021 Season

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State volleyball head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch announced the addition of four graduate transfers to the program on Monday. For the 2021 season, ISU will welcome right side Mariah Mitchell from Western Illinois, setter Jaden Newsome from Missouri, defensive specialist/libero Marija Popovic from Pittsburgh and OH/RS Solei Thomas from Clemson.

All four will be immediately eligible for the 2021 fall season. Mitchell, Newsome and Thomas will each have two seasons of eligibility remaining, while Popovic elected to take advantage of the blanket waiver for fall sport student-athletes and will play a fifth season in 2021.

"Our staff has been working non-stop to build a great team around what is already a very talented group of returners," Johnson-Lynch said. "Kudos to Recruiting Coordinator Jen Malcom, who has been working incredibly hard to identify and evaluate additions to our team that are the perfect fit both academically and athletically. I am so excited about the future of Iowa State volleyball."

Mitchell joins from Western Illinois, where she played in 73 matches for the Leathernecks. Mitchell, a two-time Summit League Preseason Player to Watch, recorded 546 kills across her three seasons in Macomb along with 161 total blocks. In May, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture with a minor in Plant Breeding and will begin her Master's in Seed Technology and Business.

Mitchell will be returning to her home state as a Wapello, Iowa native. In high school, she recorded 951 kills across three seasons, earning conference player of the year as a senior while being first-team all-conference twice.

"Mariah really wanted to come back to play in her home state," Johnson-Lynch said. "She was a great player for Western Illinois and carried a heavy load as an attacker. She is very experienced and has the ability to terminate on the pins. I always love having left-handed attackers on the team – it's a different look and it helps us in so many ways. Mariah is a pretty unique student as well, I've been impressed with her character, dedication to her studies, and desire to get her Master's Degree."

Welcome to Iowa State Mariah Mitchell!

Mariah had 546 kills and 161 blocks in her three seasons at Western Illinois 🌪️🏐🌪️ pic.twitter.com/0ttJKgSCi3
— Iowa State Volleyball (@CycloneVB) May 25, 2021

Newsome spent the past three seasons at Missouri, playing in 29 matches and recording 432 assists and 79 digs during her time in Columbia. She also helped Missouri to a pair of NCAA Volleyball Championship appearances. Newsome started her collegiate volleyball career at Colorado in 2017, where she redshirted. In the high school class of 2017, she was the No. 36 recruit in the country according to PrepVolleyball and was an AVCA/Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American. Newsome completed her Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management and will begin her Master's in Information Systems.

"As soon as we saw Jaden's name in the portal, she was the setter we wanted," Johnson-Lynch noted. "From her club days to her recent play at Missouri, I've always thought she was a gifted athlete and a difference maker. Her setting is so smooth, I love the tempo she sets to the pins and her location is remarkable. Jaden is a complete player, she is an offensive threat, great blocker and great defender. She is very experienced and ready to play her best volleyball these next two years. She is exactly the type of setter we were hoping to find, and we are so excited to see her run our offense."

Welcome to Iowa State Jaden Newsome!

Jaden joins us from Missouri, who she helped lead to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances! 🌪️🏐🌪️ pic.twitter.com/2WRyEha95g
— Iowa State Volleyball (@CycloneVB) May 25, 2021

A native of Serbia, Popovic spent last season at Pittsburgh after spending her first three collegiate seasons at East Tennessee State, and has played in 111 career matches. She comes to Iowa State with 1,718 career digs, 397 assists and 63 aces. Popvoic helped lead Pitt to the Regional Finals last season, playing in 20 matches and recording 113 digs for Pitt, making eight starts at libero. At ETSU, she was a two-time Sothern Conference Libero of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was the 2017 SoCon Freshman of the Year. A two-time All-SoCon First Team honoree, she was a six-time Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week. She recently completed her Bachelor's Degree in Interior Architecture at Pittsburgh and will pursue her Master's in Information Systems.

"Pop has also played a very high level of volleyball for many years, from the Serbian senior national team, to SoCon Libero the Year, to an Elite Eight run last year in the NCAAs with Pitt. She is a high-level passer and defender and fits in very well with what we ask of our defensive players and liberos. She can handle a lot of responsibility on the court. She is super quick, and I've been so impressed with her ability to run just about anything down. Pop will help solidify our passing and defense big time."

Welcome to Iowa State Marija "Popche" Popovic!

Popche join us from Pitt, where she played last year. At ETSU, she was a two-time SoCon Libero of the Year. 🌪️🏐🌪️ pic.twitter.com/cxkEw95SXp
— Iowa State Volleyball (@CycloneVB) May 25, 2021

Thomas comes to the Cyclones after three seasons at Clemson. The Detroit native has 779 career kills to her name, and was second on the Tigers last year with 204 at 2.46 per set, being in double figures 10 times in 2020-21. Thomas also notched 137 blocks in her three seasons at Clemson. In 2018, Thomas was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and was a two-time ACC Freshman of the Week. She got her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Clemson.

"Solei is a great athlete that gives us more depth and experience on the pins," Johnson-Lynch said. "She is incredibly explosive, gets on the ball fast and has a very quick arm. She is versatile and we can use her in a lot of different ways on either the left or right side. I have also really enjoyed getting to know Solei during the recruiting process; she is fun, has a great personality and is very driven. She has already accomplished a lot as a collegiate volleyball player, we are looking forward to helping her continue her growth on and off the court."

Welcome to Iowa State Solei Thomas!

Solei joins us from Clemson, where she had 779 kills and 137 blocks in her three years as a Tiger. 🌪️🏐🌪️ pic.twitter.com/jqRb57xu03
— Iowa State Volleyball (@CycloneVB) May 25, 2021

Players Mentioned

Mariah Mitchell

Jaden Newsome

Marija Popovic

Solei Thomas

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics