LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head volleyball coach
Rob Neilson announced on Thursday the signing of
Jordi Holdaway (Monteview, Idaho/Boise State) and
Emilee Turner (Kaysville, Utah/Seton Hall) to the 2022 roster. The addition of Holdaway and Turner brings the 2022 signing class total to five.
Holdaway, a 5-foot-7 defensive specialist, spent two seasons at Boise State, where she appeared in 44 matches and 153 sets. She registered back-to-back 100 dig seasons with 179 as a freshman in 2019 and 100 as a sophomore in 2020-21.
"Jordi joined our team in January," Neilson said. "Her intensity, intention and character has allowed her to fit right in with our group. She works so hard, and we've loved to see her improvement as she grinds each day to learn our system and further develop her skillset. She is competitive and will do great things on the court for us this fall and beyond."
Holdaway posted 56 career assists and 38 career service aces. She finished the 2020-21 season second on the team in service aces (17), third in assists (28) and fifth in digs (100). Holdaway had a season-high 14 digs in a win at San José State (Feb. 5, 2021).
The defensive specialist finished her freshman campaign third on the squad in assists (28) fourth in service aces (21) and fifth in digs (179). She had two service aces, as well as a team- and career-high 17 digs in win over Utah Valley (Aug. 31, 2019).
Holdaway is also a two-time academic all-Mountain West recipient.
Holdaway graduated from West Jefferson High School (Terreton, Idaho) in 2019. She was a four-year letterwinner who helped guide the team to two-straight Idaho A2 State Tournament berths. Holdaway was named Nuclear Conference MVP as a senior, was two-time Idaho A2 all-state as a junior and senior, and twice named honorable mention. Holdaway was also a three-time all-conference honoree, Post Register honorable-mention all-area as a junior, two-time team captain, team offensive player of the year as a junior and team MVP as a senior. Holdaway played club ball for Bonneville Volleyball Club of Idaho Falls, Idaho, where she helped the team take second place in the U17 American Division at the 2018 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships.
She was a three-sport athlete at WJHS and as a senior, she was named the conference and all-area player of the year in basketball, as well as first-team all-state and the 2A Defensive Player of the Year. Holdaway also won medals at the state track meet every year during her career, including gold in the 300-meter hurdles, 200 meters, three back-to-back state titles in the 4x100-meter relay and two straight in the 4x200-meter relay.
Turner, a 6-foot-5 right side, spent the last four seasons at Seton Hall, where she appeared in 81 matches and 261 sets. She recorded 100-plus kills in three separate seasons and over 30 total blocks every year of her Pirate career. Turner finished her Seton Hall career with 460 total kills, 150 total blocks, 82 digs, nine assists and four service aces.
"We are so excited to have Emilee join our team for her final season as a collegiate athlete," Neilson said. "We saw her at our tournament this past fall and know she's a tough match-up for any team. As a 6-5 lefty with a big arm, she will add to our ability to score both in and out of system and her block is formidable. We have loved getting to know her personality and know that she will enhance our culture as a teammate and a leader."
As a senior in 2021, Turner appeared in 57 sets over 16 matches and posted 128 kills, 35 blocks and 18 digs. She recorded double-digit kills in six seven matches, including a season-high 13 kills against DePaul (Nov. 6). As a junior in 2020, Turner played in 44 sets over 11 matches. She ranked third on the team with 98 kills, averaging 2.23 kills per set. She also ranked 10th in the Big East with a .285 attack percentage. She was second on the team with 38 blocks and a 0.86 blocks per set average.
Turner played in 84 sets over 28 matches as a sophomore in 2019. She ranked fifth on the team in kills (130) and kills per set (1.55), and was second on the squad in total blocks (40) and blocks per set (0.48). She had a career-high-tying 15 blocks at George Mason (Sept. 21). In her freshman campaign, Turner played in 76 sets over 26 matches. She ranked sixth on the team in total kills (169) and fifth in kills per set (1.37). Turner finished fourth on the team with 37 total blocks.
Turner graduated from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah, where she played volleyball as a right side for all four years and was named team captain as a senior. Turner was a two-year all-region selection and was named third team all-state and academic all-state as a senior. She helped lead the Darts to a 20-8 record and the state tournament as a junior. Turner had over 160 kills, 50 digs and 50 blocks in each of the last two years of her high school career.
Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
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