COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs first year volleyball head coach Tara Hittle announces her first recruiting class as seven newcomers will join the Mountain Lions program this fall – Reilly Babcock, Joei Barela, Clara Benskin, Rylie Hahn, Brooke Leiker, Nicole Medlin and Mackenzie Ransom.
 
"I'm excited to bring in our incoming group of players who will add a ton of value on and off the court," said Hittle. "Their combined experience and athleticism will strengthen our team and add depth to our roster. They are a hard-working and competitive group that will play a major role in building the championship culture we are striving for here at UCCS."
 
A transfer from the University of California-Bakersfield, Reilly Babcock will join the Mountain Lions with four years of eligibility after redshirting the 2021 season and having the 2020 season cancelled due to COVID.  Babcock is a 2020 graduate of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. where she earned first team all-region honors in beach volleyball in 2017-18, and second team all-region accolades in indoor volleyball from 2018-20 as a setter.  Babcock competed in 270 sets in high school, racking up 171 attacks, 122 aces, 543 digs and averaging 5.5 assists per set (1,496 career assists).  She graduated Cum Laude from Hamilton and made the Honor Roll all four years.
 
Setter Joei Barela will stay close to home for college.  A 2022 graduate of Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Barela helped the Spartans to three playoff appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2021.  A three-time varsity letterwinner and an honorable mention selection for three years, Barela eclipsed 1,000 set assists in 2021.  A four-time academic letterwinner, Barela is a Doherty Heisman Scholarship award winner.
 
Clara Benskin started all four years of her prep career at Blue Valley North High School in Leawood, Kan.  She earned All-Eastern Kansas League First Team honors as a senior and was named to the Kansas 6A State All-Tournament Team, and to the MOKAN All-Star Team.  The Academy Sports Player of the Game at the state tournament, Benskin led the Mustangs to their first state championship title in 2021, and the 2021 Substate championship.  The 6-foot-1 middle blocker led the EKL in blocks and blocks per set, and was the second leading blocker in Kansas 6A, finishing her career with the fifth most blocks in school history.  This past season, she attacked at a 46 percent kill rate and totaled 113 blocks (1.3 blocks per season).
 
Hailing from Elgin, Ill. and a 2022 graduate of Burlington Central High School, Rylie Hahn accounted for 113 kills, 15 digs and seven blocks as a junior.  In the first half of her senior season before suffering an injury, Hahn put down 133 kills, blocked 10 attacks and chipped in 19 aces and 79 digs for the Rockets.  A four-year member of the varsity team, she was a three-time captain and named Team MVP her senior year.  Twice she was named to the Fox Valley All-Conference team and the All-Area team and was a 2020 All-Area Honorable Mention selection.  Hahn competed on the USA Volleyball Junior National A2 Team and received All-American accolades from the AAU Nationals. Hahn graduated from BCHS with High Honors and received the Presidents Education Award and the Four-Time Central High School Award of Excellence.
 
A 6-foot-0 outside/right side hitter, Brooke Leiker comes to UCCS from Overland Park, Kan. where she competed for the Jaguars at Blue Valley West High School.  In her senior season, she averaged 4.1 kills per set and owned a 42.9 kill percentage and a .272 hitting percentage.  She led the Eastern Kansas League and 6A in 2021 in kills (403) and was named 2021 All-EKL First team and all-region. As a junior in 2020, Leiker was named to the 6A State All-Tournament Team, the 6A All-State Second Team, the All-EKL Second Team and the Eastern Kansas Sports First Team.  A three-year varsity letterwinner, she led the Jaguars to the 2020 state championship title and the 2020 and 2021 Sub-state championships.  Leiker and the Jaguars finished runner-up in the 2021 state tournament. A member of the National Honor Society, Leiker was named to the 2019 Kansas Volleyball All-Academic Honorable Mention team and the 2020 Kansas Volleyball All-Academic Second Team.
 
A native of Fort Smith, Ark. and a transfer from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Nicole Medlin played the 2020 and 2021 seasons for the Trojans at UALR.  She hit .301 in 49 career matches behind 331 kills and 790 attempts.  Medlin, who averaged 1.95 kills, 2.5 points and 0.88 blocks per set, added 12 service aces, 63 digs and 149 blocks.  The 6-foot-0 middle blocker graduated from Northside High School in 2020.  The Student Body President, she was a letterwinner in volleyball and track while graduating with honors.  She helped the Grizzlies to the state quarterfinals and posted 397 career kills and hit .530, marking the 14^th best hitting percentage in the nation.  
 
Mackenzie Ransom is a 2022 graduate of Perry High School in Gilbert, Ariz.  A defensive specialist, she played in 127 sets and averaged 2.5 digs per set and landed 17 aces.  Also a four-year member of the beach volleyball team, Ransom was named 6A Premier Region honorable mention as a senior.  Perry High School won the 6A Premier Region in 2020 and 2021, and finished runner-up in the 2020 state championship tournament.  She was named to Sports360AZ All-Academic Beach Volleyball Honorable Mention team in 2021, All-Academic Beach Honorable Mention in 2022, and All-Academic Volleyball Honorable Mention in 2020 and 2021. A 2022 academic letterwinner, Ransom graduated Cum Laude.
 
The Mountain Lions will kick off the 2022 season Aug. 26-27 at the West Texas A&M Lady Buff Classic.