PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State Head Coach Jen Greeny announced Thursday the addition of three exceptional players who will join the volleyball program for the 2018 season.
 
The Cougars volleyball class of 2018 includes Kalyah Williams, a 6-0 middle blocker/outside hitter from Long Beach, Calif., Hannah Pukis, a 5-11 setter from Tacoma, Wash., and Aria McComber, a 5-6 defensive specialist/ libero from Kapolei, Hawai'i,.
 
"We are excited to have these three individuals join our volleyball family," WSU Head Coach Jen Greeny said. "They are an athletic group and all three will help us out in their respective positions. We believe there is a chance for all three of them to push for immediate playing time. Each of them has done some special things on the court - whether it be indoor or outdoor. We can't wait to work with them every day in the gym and are thankful they are Cougs."
 
Kalyah Williams is a 6-0 middle blocker/outside hitter from Long Beach, Calif. She is a senior at Long Beach Poly High School where the 2017 volleyball team has accumulated a 32-6 record and advanced from the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs to the state tournament. The Jackrabbits won the Moore League title in 2017 with a 12-1 record after a runner-up finish in 2016 and league championship in 2015 when she played with current Cougars freshman setter Penny Tusa. Williams is a three-time Moore League Dream Team selection, was named to the Redondo Power Classic and Ann Kang All-Tournament teams, and was the Southern California Prep Volleyball Player of the Week. The 2017 Poly volleyball team was ranked No. 2 in California and No.10 in the nation. Williams also played on the Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club, winning USA Volleyball's Girls Junior National Championship 17's National Division title, where Williams was named MVP of the 17's National Division All-Tournament Team. She was a member of the Mizuno Rockstar Club team also won a Bronze medal at the 2017 Music City Tournament in the Open 18 Division. Williams was named a PrepVolleyball.com 2018 Senior Ace and she was named to the PrepVolleyball.com's 2017 Club Season All-America Honorable Mention team which honors the best 33 players in the 17's Division. Williams has a 3.6 grade point average and plans to study sports medicine at WSU.
 
Hannah Pukis is a 5-11 setter from Tacoma, Wash., She is a senior at Bellarmine Prep where the Lions volleyball team were Washington 4A state champions in 2014, sixth in 2015 and third in 2016. Pukis was a three-time all-league first team selection and was the 4A South Puget Sound League 2016 MVP. She was named to the All-State team in 2015 and 2016, and was named to the All-Area second team in 2015 and first team in 2016. Pukis played for the Kent Juniors Volleyball Club on the U13 through U18 teams. She was named to the Emerald City Classic U16 All-Tournament team and that U 16 squad were the runners-up at the USAV National Championships in the Patriot Division. As a beach player, Pukis was on the 2014 Doubles and Quad U14 Seaside Beach Champion teams, while the 2015 Doubles U18 and 2016 Doubles U16 teams were runners-up at the Seaside Beach Tournaments. Pukis plans to study international business and economics at WSU.
 
Aria McComber is a 5-6 defensive specialist/libero from Kapolei, Hawai'i. She is a senior at the Punahou School where she is the captain of the varsity volleyball team. McComber's prep honors include an honorable mention selection to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) All-Stars as a junior and All-State Fab 15 honorable mention in 2016. The Hala Tree volleyball team took third place at the 2017 Ann Kang Invitational Tournament. McComber is a member of the Imi Ike Volleyball Club that captured fifth place at the 2016 AAU Championships and fifth place in the National Division at the 2017 Girls Junior National Championships. She was a member of the 2015 and 2016 USAV High Performance Aloha Region teams. The 2016 squad won the High Performance Championship after the 2015 squad finished as runners-up. McComber was awarded the Myron and Laura Thompson Endowed Scholarship which recognizes students who make significant contributions in athletics, school, good citizenship and work with the coaches' expectation and philosophy and gets along with teammates. She also won the 2015 Luke Center for Chinese Language Award and the 2016 Bronze medal in the University of Hawai'i Engineering Olympics. Her grandfather, Tom Haine, was the captain of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team and one of the leading players of his generation. Her first name is Keliiakekaipukaamakahunaiikapoliokealoha but she goes by Aria. McComber has a 3.68 GPA and plans to study nursing at WSU.