Stars Flock to Pro Volleyball Federation as Player Signing Period Opens

Published on June 5, 2023 under Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) News Release

Columbus, OH / Frisco, TX - Pro Volleyball Federation opened its player signing period with a bang, as nearly two dozen players have signed with Pro Volleyball Federation teams since the start of the league's free agency signing period. The signings were highlighted by Atlanta making Leah Edmond the first player to sign with a Pro Volleyball Federation team, along with the inking of superstar athletes like Morgan Hentz (Atlanta), Tori Dilfer Stringer (Atlanta), Sydney Hilley (Omaha), Claire Chaussee (Grand Rapids), Camila Gomez-Hernandez (Grand Rapids), and Emiliya Dimitrova (Grand Rapids) to play in the league's inaugural season.

Overall, 23 players signed contracts with Pro Volleyball Federation teams during the first week of the free agent signing period, led by 12 player signings by Atlanta and head coach Todd Dagenais.

"We have continued to say that Pro Volleyball Federation is going to attract many of America's greatest players," said Pro Volleyball Federation CEO Jen Spicher, "and the past several days have proven that. But it's not just the top American players who are joining us. We are also attracting veteran international players, including national team players from around the world. That's not only a testament to the unprecedented opportunities Pro Volleyball Federation is offering these players, but our league has attracted some very accomplished coaches who the best players in the world want to play for. It's been an exciting start, but this is just the beginning."

Edmond was previously announced at the first player to sign a Pro Volleyball Federation contract, coming to terms with the Atlanta team as an outside hitter after a spectacular career at the University of Kentucky where she was the 2016 SEC Rookie of the Year and an All-SEC First Team selection during all four of her Wildcat seasons. Edmond is the Wildcats' all-time leader in kills and owns three of the top 10 spots on UK's single-season kills list. Prior to signing with Atlanta, Edmond competed with Athletes Unlimited and Valencianas de Junco in Puerto Rico.

Joining Edmond in Atlanta are Hentz and Dilfer Stringer. Hentz is one of America's greatest liberos and will contend for a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. The three-time national champion dominated at Stanford where she started during all four years of her career. Hentz was named the Pac-12 Libero of the Year three times and was a three-time AVCA All-America First Team selection, while also earning honors as the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2019 and the co-NCAA Most Outstanding Player in 2018.

Dilfer Stringer returns to the United States fresh off of a championship performance with the Puerto Rican Women's Superior Volleyball League's Las Pinkin de Corozal. The setter was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series, which saw Corozal win its second consecutive league championship. Prior to her time in Puerto Rico, Dilfer Stringer captained Louisville to the 2021 NCAA Women's Volleyball National Semifinals and was named the 2021 AVCA East Region Player of the Year. The two-time ACC Setter of the Year and two-time AVCA All-American was named to the U.S. Collegiate National Team in 2021 and in 2022 was a silver medalist at the Pan American Cup Final Six. Internationally, she has won both silver and bronze medals during Pan American Cup competition and has also played professionally in Italy.

Hilley was signed by Omaha after an outstanding college career where she was a four-time All-American setter for the University of Wisconsin from 2017-21. Hilley was co-captain of the Badgers' 2021 national championship team, the first title in program history, and is UW's all-time assists leader. She played professionally in Puerto Rico last summer before joining Athletes Unlimited for its recent spring tour.

Chaussee became one of the first signees of the Grand Rapids Rise and head coach Cathy George. The Atlantic Coast Conference's 2022 Player of the Year, Chaussee recently completed her rookie pro campaign in Italy with CBF Balducci HR Macerata. The six-foot native of Sun Prairie, Wis., played five seasons (2018-22) at the University of Louisville, culminating in a berth in the 2022 NCAA championship match. As a senior, Chaussee garnered spots on the AVCA All-American First Team and the Final Four All-Tournament Team, and she was named the AVCA All-East Region Player of the Year.

Gomez-Hernandez joined the Rise as an active member of the Columbian National Team. Gomez-Hernandez won a silver medal with the Colombia women's national team at the 2021 Women's South American Volleyball Championship and helped lead Colombia to the FIVB Women's World Championships for the first time ever in 2022. In 2019, her Colombia team placed second at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, where Gomez-Hernandez was named the best libero at the Pan Am Games and the best defender at the Pan American Cup. Gomez-Hernandez played one season at Texas A&M, starting all 31 matches for the Aggies in 2019. For her success on the court, Gomez-Hernandez was placed on the 2019 AVCA South All-Region Team. She holds the record for digs (23) in a three-set match, while her 470 digs in 2019 rank fifth in program history in a single season. Prior to her time at Texas A&M, Gomez-Hernandez played two seasons at Miami Dade College, leading the Lady Sharks to back-to-back NJCAA national championships in 2016 and 2017.

Dimitrova joins Grand Rapids with 14 years of professional experience throughout Europe and Asia. A native of Shumen, Bulgaria, she most recently competed for VBC Trasporti Pesanti Casalmaggiore in Italy during the 2022-23 season. The 31-year-old has captured five medals, including two gold, for the Bulgarian National Team, earning her first national hardware in 2010 in the European Golden League. She has since suited up for 12 different clubs in five countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Romania, Turkey). At the club level, the 6-foot-1 opposite has collected 18 medals, which includes four gold medals with three separate organizations. She most recently earned gold with VC Maritza in the Bulgarian League during the 2019-20 campaign.

Pro Volleyball Federation teams are allowed to sign up to 30 players to their offseason roster. Each team may bring its 30-person roster to training camp in January, where teams will ultimately cut down to 14 players for the 2024 regular season. Pro Volleyball Federation will also host an annual college draft, the first coming in November.

The current list of Pro Volleyball Federation Player signings through June 4 includes the following players.

TEAM NAME POS HGT COLLEGE/PRO TEAMS PRO EXP

ATL Alison Bastianelli MB 6'3" Univ of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign / Bexiers Angels (FRA), Changas de Naranjito, los Atenienses de Manati, Athletes Unlimited 4

ATL Grace Cleveland OPP 6'3" Purdue R

ATL Kendra Dahlke OH 6'0" Univ. of Arizona / PLDT (Phillippines), Sigel Marsala AZ (ITA), AO Thiras (GRE), Ponce Leonas (PR), Pays d'Aix Venelles (FRA) 4

ATL Tori Dilfer Stringer S 5'11" TCU, Louisville / Athletes Unlimited, Bartoccini Fortinfissi Perugia, Pinkin de Corozal 2

ATL Leah Edmond OH 6'2" Univ. of Kentucky / Athletes Unlimited, Junocs (PR) 3

ATL Kylie Pickrel S 6'0" Arizona State, NC State / Terville Florange Olympique Club (TFOC), Athletes Unlimited 2

ATL Allison Whitten L 5'7" Morehead, Creighton R

ATL Marlie Monserez S 6'0" University of Florida, UCLA Beach R

ATL Alli Stumler-Linnehan OH 6'1" Univ. of Kentucky / USA National Team, Nantes Neptunes (France), Athletes Unlimited 1

ATL Shelly Stafford MB 6'2" Baylor / Mayaguez PR, Legionovia Poland, Juncos PR, Caguas PR, Naranjito PR 4

ATL Morgan Hentz L 5'9" Stanford / Dresden Germany DSC, Athletes Unlimited 3

ATL Paulina Shemova OH 6'4" Syracuse / Russian Jr. National Team R

GRR Claire Chaussee OH 6'0" Louisville / CBF Balducci HR Macerata 1

GRR Emiliya Dimitrova OPP 6'1" VBC Trasporti Pesanti Casalmaggiore, PTT Spor, VC Maritza, CSM Targoviste, Bursa BBSK, NEC Red Rockets, Savino Del Bene Scandicci, Prosecco Doclmoco Conegliano, Yesilyurt, Spes Conegliano, Tomis Constanta, ASUL Lyon, Slavia Sofia 14

GRR Alyssa Garvelink-Jensen MB 6'4" Michigan State R

GRR Camila Gomez-Hernandez L 5'2" Texas A&M / Colombian National Team, Sesc-RJ/Flamengo (BRA), EC Pinheiros (BRA) 2

GRR Marin Grote MB 6'4" Univ of Washington / Sigorta Shop (TUR) 1

GRR Holly Toliver OH 6'2" Michigan State / Regatas Lima (PERU), Deportivo Jaamsa (PERU), Acqua & Sapone Roma (ITA), Athletes Unlimited 4

OMA Sydney Hilley S 6'0" Wisconsin / Athlete's Unlimited, Manati, Vakif-Bank 1

OMA Gina Mancuso-Prososki OH 6'1" Nebraska / Ponca (Puerto Rico), Rabita Baku (Azerbaijan), Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland), Bielsko-Biata (Poland),Dresden (Germany), Jakarta (Indonesia), Santurce San Juan (Puerto Rico) 7

COL Jenna Rosenthal MB 6'6" Marquette / LP Viesti (FIN), Allianz MTV Stuttgart (GER), Athletes Unlimited 5

COL Raymariely Santos S 5'10" Bartoccini Fortinfinsi Perugia Al (ITA);Pinkin de Corozal (PR); Athletes Unlimited; AO Thiras Santorini (GRE); Pays d'Aix Venelles Volleyball (FRA); ASPTT Mulhouse (FRA); Indias de Mayaquez (PR); Altay Volleyball Club (KAZ); UCAM Volei Murcial (SPA); Leonas de Ponce (PR) 9

SD August Raskie S 6'0" Oregon / Bartoccini Fortinfissi Perugia (ITA), Beziers (ITA), Delta Despar Trentino (ITA), Pays d'Aix Venelles (ITA) 4

Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from June 5, 2023

• San Diego Announces Three-Time Olympian Haneef-Park as Head Coach - San Diego Mojo
• Stars Flock to Pro Volleyball Federation as Player Signing Period Opens - PVF
• Rise Add Three to Inaugural Roster - Grand Rapids Rise

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