UAA coach Chris Green wrapped up recruiting for the upcoming Friday with the signing of another Alaska prep volleyball player.
Makenna Hurd, a 5-foot-7 libero from South High, signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Seawolves next season.
"She's a great athlete," Green said. "I think we're obviously gonna train her to play in that back row as a defensive specialist. She did some great things for South High School and we expect her to do some really nice things for us too."
Hurd helped South to a Class 4A state title in 2014 and a third-place finish in 2015, earning all-state and all-Cook Inlet Conference honors last season. She also lettered twice in softball.
Hurd joins a seven-player recruiting class that will try to replace the offensive firepower of departed seniors Katelynn Zanders, Julia Mackey and Caitlin Hanson, who helped lead UAA to a program-record 27 wins and a Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown last season.
"Our big problem for next year is going to be replacing our offense from last year," Green said. "We're hoping we have a pretty good class of incoming hitters to fill those shoes.
"We have seven returning players and seven new players. It will be lot of new faces out there."
Green's other recruits include four incoming freshmen — middle blocker Diana Fa'amausili (Federal Way, Washington), setter Madison Fisher (Greeley, Colorado), middle blocker Vanessa Hayes (Salem, Oregon) and middle blocker Kara Viotto (Eagle River).
Also joining the team are two junior-college transfers — libero Keala Kaio-Perez (Western Nebraska Community College) and outside hitter Anais Vargas (Northeastern Junior College).
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Hurd and Viotto continue the trend of top Alaska high school players joining the Seawolves. Zanders (South) and Mackey (West Valley) became All-Americans while playing at UAA.
Four of UAA's seven returning players are from Alaska — senior setter Morgan Hooe (South), sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss (Dimond), sophomore outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson (Dimond) and sophomore outside hitter Taylor Noga (East).
"We had more than half of our roster (come) from Alaska last year," Green said. "We feel very fortunate that we were able to bring those girls to come play here … It's good to have Alaskans on the court. It means bigger crowds at the games."
With the signing of Hurd, Green's squad is set for 2016, but he's not done on the recruiting trail. He never is.
"For 2016 we're pretty much done I think, but recruiting is a never-ending thing," Green said. "We're recruiting on the 2017 and 2018 classes now. It's something that goes on 12 months of the year."
Green owns a record of 159-69 entering his ninth season with the Seawolves.
UAA begins the 2016 season Aug. 20 with an alumni exhibition game at the Alaska Airlines Center.