Press Release courtesy of Lewis Athletics
Lewis University head men’s volleyball coach Dan Friend announced on Tuesday (Nov. 21) that he has signed Cole Brillhart (York, Penn./Northeastern), Jason Gibbs (Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire) and Clay Messenger (St. Augustine, Fla./Nease) to National Letters of Intent to play for the Flyers beginning with the 2019 campaign.
“We are excited that these three young men have joined the Lewis Flyer family,” Friend said. “They have a lot of playing experience and bring a wealth of knowledge that will improve our gym.
“I’m excited to see the impact they will make down the road for us.”
Brillhart, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound outside hitter is a three-year letterwinner for Northeastern High School. In 2017, Brillhart helped Northeastern win the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 2A State Championship as well as a mark of 20-2. For his efforts, Brillhart was named to both the PIAA All-District 3 First Team and PIAA All-State First Team.
“Cole is a workhorse in the gym both physically and mentally,” Friend said. “He will push the guys around him, as well as set a standard that we love to see.”
Gibbs, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound setter, competed for the Texoma High Performance Club Volleyball Team, on their U17 and U19 squads. He played a key role in helping Texoma to a Gold Medal at the U17 (2016) and U19 (2017) Beach High Performance Championships. He also was a two-time captain of the Texoma squad that finished third (2016) and fifth (2017) at the National Division Indoor High Performance Championships.
“Jason is a talented, versatile player who has the ability to play multiple positions for us,” Friend said. “He has a great overall volleyball IQ and is a fierce competitor.”
Messenger is an accomplished beach volleyball player who has played for the Ocean Bay Volleyball Club, JJVA Volleyball Club and MVP Volleyball Club. He was twice selected to the Team USA Beach Volleyball Team, where he placed 17th in the 2016 U19 World Championships in Cyprus and 9th in the 2017 U21 World Championships in China.
“Clay is an extremely gifted player with a high level of play already under his belt,” Friend said. “He will make our defense and serve receive better as soon as he gets in the gym.”
Lewis opens its campaign on December 30th, as the Flyers will welcome Humber College for a 7 PM exhibition showdown at Neil Carey Arena.
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