Graystone Adds to Roster with Pair of Transfers

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball head coach Tony Graystone added to his roster Tuesday with the signings of Mississippi State transfer Emily Hill and North Central Texas College's Madison Lopez.

Hill, a native of Denton, Texas, was Mississippi State's second-leading attacker in her freshman season with 382 kills at a .228 clip and 3.29 kills per set during SEC play, which ranked in the conference's top ten. The 6-1 outside hitter started 24 games for the Bulldogs last season, and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining beginning this fall.

"Emily is a big addition to our program and I'm so excited about her becoming a Red Raider," Graystone said. "She's an elite outside hitter and complete player, and will make us better in every phase of the game. Emily was one of the best freshmen in the SEC last season, and she's going to have an immediate impact on our team. Emily is very driven and committed to being the best volleyball player possible and is a perfect fit for our team and the direction of our program."

Hill signed with Mississippi State after a stellar prep career at Denton Guyer, where she was ranked as one of the top 50 players in the nation by MaxPreps.com, and No. 52 overall by PrepVolleyball.com. During her four years, she accumulated eight all-tournament awards, two District 5-6A MVPs and three first team All-District 5-6A selections while being named to the LonestarVolleyball.com All-State Team and the PrepVolleyball.com All-American Watch List after her senior season. Additionally, she finished with a 4.75 GPA, placing her in the top five percent of her class and earning 2015 Academic All State.

Lopez, a native of Aledo, Texas, comes to Texas Tech from North Central Texas College where she was a 2016 NTJCAC All-Conference selection, leading the Lady Lions to back-to-back NJCAA Region V finals. The 5-9 defensive specialist averaged 4.14 digs per set last year, and will have two seasons of eligibility entering the fall.

"Madison is an athletic, versatile player who will make us better in many areas," Graystone said. She has strong ball control, serves tough and is very offensive from the back row, making her a great compliment to our system and the skills we've committed to improving this season. Madison had a very successful junior college career and I'm happy she chose to continue as a Red Raider."

Lopez attended NCTC after playing three years at Aledo High School, where she led the squad to the state semifinals in her senior campaign and the state finals her junior year. Following her senior season, she was named to the Class 5A All-State Third Team by the Texas Sports Writers Association and All-Parker County First Team. She was named to the District 8-5A First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as Academic All-District all three years.

Hill and Lopez join Long Beach State's Missy Owens as transfers who have joined the program since the end of the 2016 season and are eligible to compete this fall. Five freshmen are also set to enter the fold this fall for Graystone, who enters his second season at the helm of the Red Raiders in 2017.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Graystone Adds to Roster with Pair of Transfers

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