University of North Texas Athletics
What to expect from the 2020 recruiting class
5/20/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
What to expect from the North Texas volleyball 2020 recruiting class
In the fall of 2019, the North Texas volleyball team signed five student-athletes to national letters of intent to complete its 2020 recruiting class.
This recruiting class adds talent and depth to a Mean Green squad that is full of upperclassmen who are excited to take the program to the next step. North Texas returns all six starters and 10 lettermen from a 2019 squad that went 17-11 and finished third in Conference USA play with a 10-4 league record.
Despite returning such a veteran squad, head coach Andrew Palileo is confident that the 2020 recruiting class will have a chance to come in and compete for playing time right from the start.
“The staff is really excited about the athleticism and skill set of this recruiting class. Several of them have played at a high level in club. Others are unique in the way that they fill the positions that our team needs. Before their career is over, I think they’ll have the potential to be one of the best recruiting classes I’ve had here at North Texas.”Head coach Andrew Palileo
*Note: Along with the five signees, the Mean Green inherited Old Dominion freshman transfer Hallie Thorn. Thorn spent her first year of her collegiate career at Old Dominion, who will participate in its first NCAA competitive season in program history this fall.
Let’s take a look back at how each prospect finished their 2019 season and what fans can expect to see from these six over the next four years in Denton.
#4 Emily Ah Leong – DS/L – Fort Worth, TX – Boswell HS
Ah Leong was one of the first in this class to commit to North Texas. As an athletic player with a tremendous touch on the back row, Ah Leong became one of the more well-recognized recruits in the Palileo era and will have a chance to immediately step on the floor as a true freshman.
While competing at nearby Boswell High School – which is only 27 miles from Denton – Ah Leong was considered one of the top 150 seniors in the nation by PrepVolleyball during 2019. In 2018, she received the PrepVolleyball 2018 All-American High HM award.
During her senior season at Boswell, she led the Fort Worth-area with 972 digs and added 83 aces and 114 assists. Although primarily playing on the back row, Ah Leong had 14 games with 25 or more kills. Ah Leong’s 2019 performance earned her a spot on the 2019 TGCA Class 5A All-State team, the 2019 Fort Worth Star-Telegram All-area first team and was named the 2019 District 7-5A Defensive MVP.
She would finish her career at Boswell with 2,147 digs, 1,007 kills and 235 aces.
However, Ah Leong’s success goes further than the high school realm. While playing club for Texas Image Volleyball – the No. 20 ranked volleyball club in the nation in 2017 – Ah Leong helped TIV to a 2018 16U AAU National Runner-Up.
#10 Mikeila “Pua” Beazley – S – Kane’ohe, Hawaii – Maryknoll HS
Palileo traveled to his home state of Hawaii to find what he called a “hidden gem” in Beazley. Along with Ah Leong, Beazley will have the chance to find some playing time in 2020 after spending half of the spring semester as an early enrollee to build trust with her teammates before the fall season gets underway.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe and into North Texas, Beazley showed the ability to talk and communicate with her hitters. Palileo also said she exemplified rare leadership skills as a true freshman.
Beazley, who goes by “Pua”, capped off her senior season at Maryknoll High School on a high note. She was named to the 2019 All-Hawaii Honorable Mention team and earned First Team Interscholastic League of Hawaii (ILH) honors during her senior season.
In addition to acting as a general on the court, Beazley has excelled in the classroom. She was named to the principal and president’s honors list in all four quarters of each year of her high school career.
Truli Levy – OH – Gonzales, Louisiana – East Ascension HS
The first thing that “jumps” out about Levy is her ability to elevate off the floor. Although she stands at 5’10, Levy was one of the more athletic front row players in the state of Louisiana during 2019. Along with an outstanding vertical, she has a knack for where to put the ball on the floor from the outside hitter position.
In 2019, Levy collected 584 kills, 215 digs, 84 blocks and 56 aces. She was named the District MVP, All-Metro Outstanding Player and was an all-state selection. Levy led East Ascension to a share of the Division I, District 4 title and a berth in the Division I quarterfinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Volleyball tournament.
After the season, she played in the LHSCA/LVCA All-Star game to cap off her high school career before being selected as a Star of Stars by The Advocate, which highlights student-athletes around the Baton Rouge community who excel in competition.
Kenzie Smith – OH – Edgewood, TX – Edgewood HS
A tall and athletic force on the front row, Smith’s diverse skill set provides the Mean Green with talented, yet much-needed depth in 2020. Smith and Levy will both learn from Mean Green outside hitters Valerie Valerian, Barbara Teakell and Rhett Robinson.
Smith finished her high school career with an astounding 1,291 kills, 1,230 digs and 312 blocks. She was a two-time District MVP during 2018 and 2019 while leading the Lady Bulldogs to a 24-0 league record during that two-year span.
In 2019, Smith was a force to be reckoned with. She hit an impressive .401 with 398 kills, 304 digs and 35 blocks to lead her team to an area-around appearance in the Texas 3A high school playoffs. She was then named to the 2019 TGCA All-State team for her performance as a senior.
Smith also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-District honors all four years and was named to the Academic All-State team as a senior. Along with those accolades, Smith was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior before acting as the NHS treasurer as a senior.
Halle Jackson – MB – Topeka, Kansas – Hayden HS
As the tallest recruit in the Class of 2020, Jackson will look to create havoc in the middle of the floor for the Mean Green. She’ll be able to learn from three middle blockers who contributed for the Mean Green last season in Sarah Haeussler, Miranda Youmans and Alysha Johnson.
Jackson is no stranger to winning. As a senior, Jackson led Hayden High School to the 2019 Kansas Class 4A State Championship and a 38-6 overall record. She led the team in 2019 with 101 blocks while adding 287 kills and a .344 hitting percentage.
In recognition of her performance in 2019, Jackson was named to the Kansas Volleyball Association (KVA) All-State tournament team and the KVA all-state team. She was also named All-City second team by The Topeka Capital-Journal.
