By Ben Rikard | @BenRikard

ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour and her staff have announced the addition of five student-athletes to the 2016 volleyball roster in Kyle Jedlicka, Mary Pettibon, Allie Deese, Madelyn St. Germain and Madison McConnell.

Seymour and her staff made it a point of emphasis to bring in size and athleticism to the roster, and did just that with four players checking in at 6-0 or taller. Of the five signees, all originate from Texas with four joining in the fall directly from the high school ranks.

"You don't have to be huge in the Sun Belt Conference to win, but you have to be big and you have to be athletic," Seymour said. "That was the thing we decided to do 2-3 years ago when we decided we wanted to be fast and athletic. From there we wanted to try to get some size with that and we have been able to do it successfully."

Jedlicka, a 6-0 outside hitter from League City, Texas (Clear Springs HS) was recently named District 24-6A offensive player of the year and has led CSHS to a berth in the UIL regional tournament. She was named to the Greater Houston Area Volleyball Coaches Association Fab50 list as both a junior and senior after breaking and setting numerous school records during her prep career.

She started off on the club circuit playing for AVA, but most recently has suited up for coach Sharon Nelson's Houston Stellar squad. While on the club scene she has captured a pair of USAV national championships in both 2012 and 2015.

"Kylie is the true outside hitter we were looking for," Seymour said. "She is 6-0 and a winner, having played on a couple of national championship teams herself in club and her high school team still competing at this point. We think she will come in and compete for playing time right away. We wanted to get a little bit bigger in that outside hitter position and we think we have addressed that need with Kylie for sure."

Meanwhile, Pettibon is a versatile 6-0 player who comes in with the possibility of playing a multitude of positions on the court. She led College Station High School (College Station, Texas) three rounds deep into the state playoffs as a senior and was a first team all-district performer after both her sophomore and junior seasons.

Additionally, those seasons she also garnered all-state nods, including TSWA and TGCA first team honors as a junior and TSWA honorable mention as a sophomore.

Pettibon also proved to have a successful club career, helping the Woodlands Wave to a 17-1 record and a USAV USA Divisional silver medal in 2015 under head coach Joe Lind.

The Mavs also inked 6-2 outside hitter Madison McConnell who put up 4.1 kills per set and hit .394 as a senior at Frisco (TX) Centennial High School. McConnell started her prep career in the Houston area at Katy High School where she was twice named to the all-district squad for the Tigers before relocating to the Metroplex where she was also named first team all-district.

McConnell was named to the GHVCA preseason team entering the 2013 season and earned all-tournament honors at the Spring Branch ISD Tournament in 2012 and the Battle of the Rock Tournament in 2015. A four-time academic all-selection, she also played her club ball for Dallas Premiere.

"We got three, solid 6-foot players from high school who can do multiple things for us," Seymour said. "Madison and Mary, particularly, can play middle blocker but can also play on either antenna for us. They are both extremely athletic and good jumpers."

Deese is a local product from Midlothian, Texas (Midlothian HS) via Lee College where she has spent the last two seasons. The 6-2 outside hitter is set to join the team in January and take part in spring practice.

She has helped the Rebels to a 21-10 record this season, averaging 2.39 kills and 0.83 blocks per set while hitting at a .365 clip and earning academic all-America honors.

Prior to Lee, Deese earned all-district honors at MHS and helped lead the Tigers to a district title. She also played her club volleyball for Texas Advantage.

"With losing Stacey (Koch), a big 6-2 kid on the right side, we felt like we needed to go get some size in the program and Allie will do that," Seymour said. "She is coming from a junior college program and is a young kid that graduated high school at 17 and will be able to join us in the spring and she is just starting to develop. We thought that was important to get a kid in here we could train and capitalize on her size."

The Mavs also added another League City native (Clear Falls HS) to the fold in 5-6 libero Madelyn St. Germain. At Clear Falls, St. Germain led her team to consecutive state tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014 and was named a first team all-district performer as both a junior and senior. She also earned all-state honors from both the TGCA and TSWA in 2014.

"We addressed some specific needs, including the libero position and we think we have a great one in Madelyn St. Germain," Seymour. "She is a winner from her club and high school days. She is skilled and has a nose for the ball, but she knows how to win and we think that is a big thing, especially losing (Caitlyn) Cooney. So we addressed that need specifically."

St. Germain was also named to the 2015 preseason Prep Volleyball High School All-America and Under Armour AVCA watch lists, and in 2014 was voted the Lonestar Volleyball Outstanding Libero of the Year along with being named an honorable mention all-America selection by Prep Volleyball. Additionally, St. Germain earned Greater Houston first team honors and was named to the GHVCA Fab 50 list in 2014.

She competed in the same high school district as fellow UTA signee Kylie Jedlicka, but suited up alongside her on the club circuit as the pair each played for AVA and helped lead that squad to a pair of USAV national championships.

"We are super excited about this class, because they can come in and compete for playing time right away," Seymour said. "They all have a high competitive spirit, are winners and are athletic which are things we want to continue to go after."

The 2015 Mavs currently sport a 18-9 overall record with Sunday's regular-season finale vs South Alabama still on the docket before the team opens up the SBC Tournament next week in Statesboro, Ga.