CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird volleyball program has added three future student-athletes this past week, with an eye on improving in the near future.

Emma Mangum

Middle blocker Emma Mangum will be joining the Thunderbirds from Draper, Utah, where she attends Corner Canyon High School.

"She touches 10' 4'', which will be the highest jumper I've ever had at any school coaching DI women's volleyball," SUU head coach Craig Choate said. "I think her potential is limitless and we're very excited to see what she's able to do."

Mangum was First Team All-Region as a junior and a senior, and a team captain her senior year. She was also the All-Region MVP during her senior year.

During her senior season, Mangum accumulated 305 kills which was the second highest in Utah 5A volleyball last season. This was a big jump in production from her junior season where she had 165. She finished the year with a hitting percentage of .301.

She also had 59 service aces, 88 blocks and 75 digs during her 2017 campaign for Corner Canyon. Her 88 blocks was also second highest in the state, while her service aces number put her third in 5A

Katie Montgomery

Coming down I-15 to join the Thunderbirds from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Katie Montgomery has signed with the Thunderbird volleyball program.

Standing 6-2, Montgomery was a middle blocker for Idaho Falls High School.

"She's a great leaper," Choate said. "She's relatively new to this level of the game, moving from Georgia. We're really excited that she's coming and I think she'll have a big impact for us."

Montgomery will also be competing for the Thunderbird track and field team, and will be working with the jumpers when that season comes around.

Montgomery was a second team selection to the Post Register's 2016 All-Area Volleyball Team, following a season where she had 190 kills, 86 blocks, 35 digs and 13 aces.  

She started all four years on the varsity team, playing for Lakeview Academy in Georgia in 2014 and for Idaho Falls High School for the other three seasons. She was also All-State Academic in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

She has also lettered in basketball and track & field.  

Miahna Waters

The Thunderbirds have added a libero to the team in the form of Miahna Waters. Waters joins the Thunderbirds from Spokane, Washington where she competed for Mt. Spokane High School.

"Miahna has a great, what I call, engine," Choate said. "She just goes and works. She's kind of like the Tasmanian Devil in the way she flies around the course. We're really excited that she's going to be in our back court."

Waters was a captain for two years and competed on the varsity team for four. She was First Team All-League for three years and was once named Washington State Player of the Week. She was also a varsity competitor in basketball and track.

During her junior season at Mt. Spokane, Waters had 439 kills with an average of 4.7 kills per set. She finished the year with a .273 hitting percentage. She also had a major defensive impact as a junior, finishing the season with 376 digs.   

She also totaled up 63 aces and 24 blocks.

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