ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Bethel University volleyball team today announces the majority of their 2011 recruiting class. It includes several names from the state of Minnesota, but also stretches beyond the Minnesota borders into neighboring Wisconsin and Iowa, and all the way to the great northwest and the Grand Canyon State.

• Leading the way is Cierra Nickel, a 5'-6” setter who competed for Red Rock Central High School. Nickel was selected to the six-person All-Area First Team of the Worthington Daily Globe, and was a first team All-Conference selection (Red Rock) in 2008, 2009, and 2010. She surpassed 1,000 assists for her career during her senior season. Nickel was also a first team All-Conference basketball athlete, after averaging 10 points and four assists from the guard position as a senior.

• Michelle Bailey is a 6'-0” middle blocker from Kasson-Mantorville High School.. A 2009 and 2010 first team All-Conference selection (Hiawatha Valley), and a member of the SMV Volleyball Club out of Rochester, Bailey brings a wealth of experience. Having attended AAU or USAV nationals every season since she was 15 years old with SMV, Bailey is used to high-level volleyball.

• Sam Olson is a 5'-9” middle blocker or outside hitter from St. Louis Park High School and the Crossfire Volleyball Club. Another multi-sport athlete, Olson was a first team All-Conference (North Suburban) selection in 2010, and she also competed for the St. Louis Park track and field team. Olson garnered All-Conference honors in the high jump in 2010.

• Also joing the Royals in 2011 is Hannah Indlecoffer a 5'-4” defensive specialist from White Bear Lake High School and the White Bear Lake Volleyball Club. Indlecoffer was a three-year varsity player.

• Lauren Olson, who hails from Lynden, Washington, was a starter on the powerhouse Lynden Lions. She is another 6'-0” middle blocker with great athletic potential. Lynden has brought home a consolation or championship trophy from the state tournament in Washington four of the last five years. A two-sport athlete who competed on the varsity tennis team as well, Lauren has a quickness not always associated with your average six-footer.

• From Sheldon, Iowa, comes Kelly Van Wyk, a 5'-10” middle blocker or outside hitter. Van Wyk was named to the Siouxland All-Conference first team in 2010 and the IGCA Volleyball Academic All State team. In 2009, she was a part of a Sheldon team that made an appearance in the Iowa State Tournament for Class 2A, garnering runner-up honors. Van Wyk played club volleyball for Sheldon Juniors.

• Kirstin Paulson is a 5'-7” outside hitter from Florence, Wisconsin, and Florence High School. An All-Conference (Northern Lakes) first team selection in 2009 and 2010, a Green Bay Press Gazette All-Area second team selection in 2010, and a three-sport athlete with basketball and track, Paulson was part of Florence's 4x400 relay team that finished third at the Wisconsin State Track and Field Championships in 2009, in a school record time.

• Haley Christensen is a 5'-11” middle blocker from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Tucson, Arizona. Christensen was an Arizona Daily Star All-Southern Arizona Volleyball Team Honorable Mention Selection in 2010. Another multi-sport athlete in high school, she also garnered Honorable Mention All-City honors from the Daily Star in basketball.

• Kristin Wyss is a utility player and defensive specialist from Clear Lake, Wisconsin, for Clear Lake High School. An Honorable Mention All-Conference (Lakeland) selection in 2010, Wyss played club volleyball for the Mahtomedi Area Volleyball Association (MAVA). Wyss was also a four-year varsity track athlete, as a sprinter and a jumper, qualifying for the Wisconsin State Track Meet in 2009.

“I am really excited about this group of young women,” says Royals Head Coach Gretchen Hunt. “We might be fortunate enough to announce a additional names in the coming days, but this is certainly a great start. I love working with multi-sport athletes who have been highly competitive basketball players or sprinters and jumpers. That type of training and those skills transfer so well to volleyball, and when they start working in the collegiate atmosphere, their volleyball skills just improve so quickly.”

On the diverse geography of her recruits, Coach Hunt says, “Everyone knows Minnesota high school volleyball is as good as it gets, so we always want our base to be solidly Minnesotan. But with Bethel University's continued rise in national prominence among Christian colleges and universities, we are increasingly drawing interest from many pockets of the country. These athletes from out-of-state are perfect fits for Bethel and our program. They are strong students and serious about their faith, and I look forward to having them all together on campus next fall.”