Middle Tennessee State is the recipient of two Auburn transfers, Taylor Hammill and Brienna Tankesley, coming into the program for 2017. Both players were a part of the Auburn program for just one season and will be sophomores in the fall with three years left of eligibility.
A 5’11” setter from Greenwood, Indiana, Hammill appeared in just one match for Auburn in 2016 as she dished out seven assists against Furman. Prior to her collegiate days, she attended Center Grove High School and was named to the Indiana All-State First-Team as a senior with second-team honors as a junior.
“Taylor is incredibly dynamic. She by far has the strongest wrists of any setter I have seen,” Middle Tennessee first-year head coach Chuck Crawford said in the team’s release of the signings. “She will be able to set the tempo we want from anywhere on the court. She is high-energy, but she doesn’t get rattled. Taylor is going to be able to run the offense, the tempo, the speed – in system and out of system – that we are looking for.”
Tankesley, a 5’4″ defensive specialist/libero from Landisville, Pennsylvania, appeared over the span of seven different matches and 10 sets with the Tigers last season. She recorded five digs, an assist and an ace as a freshman. Before that, she won two AAA state championships and had two runner-up finishes at Hempfield High School as she earned All-District her final three seasons.
“Bri is one of the fastest defenders I have seen in my coaching career,” Crawford added in the release. “I’ve seen her play right-back defense and beat the middle blocker to cover the outside hitter. She’s lightning fast. She comes from a great culture with her club and high school that helped establish her as a gritty player. With speed, intelligence, ball control – she is the complete package and will help to stabilize our back court.”
Beyond stabilizing the backcourt as one of two libero/defensive specialists on the roster, Tankesley will join with Hammill, one of two setters on the team, in attempt of a team turnaround after a 5-24 season. Instead, they will look to get back to 2014 – the last time Middle Tennessee sported a winning record – as they look to be in much better shape in 2017.
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