PORTLAND, Ore.---The Pilots volleyball program has signed five newcomers who will join the roster ahead of the 2022 fall season—including two transfers set to compete on the beach squad this spring—announced head coach Megan Burton.
Lia Hawken, Outside Hitter, 6-0, Fr., Woodland, Wash., Dayton
Hawken returns close to home after spending the 2021 indoor season with the Dayton Flyers, who won the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and made it to the second round of this year's NCAA tournament. Appearing in 41 sets for Dayton, the Woodland native nabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week honors and registered career highs of eight kills and nine blocks against George Mason back on September 25th. During her time at Skyview HS, the outside hitter earned three varsity letters under head coach Shelby Swanson and twice garnered First Team All-Conference accolades for the Greater St. Helens League.
'Lia joins us as a transfer freshman from Dayton, where she gained championship level experience on a team that made the NCAA tournament last season," said Burton. "Lia is a home-grown talent from just up the road in Washington and her brothers played baseball for the Pilots a few years ago. We knew immediately that Lia was the right person for our program from the first phone call and we are ecstatic to welcome her back home to the PNW. She will bring great experience to our gym and add depth to our pin position. Welcome home Lia."
Talyn Jackson, Setter/Right Side, 5-11, Jr., Gardnerville, Nev., Virginia Tech
Jackson arrives to Portland this spring from Virginia Tech, appearing in 237 sets during her time with the Hokies, and collecting 113 kills, 1579 assists, and 405 blocks during her indoor career there. In 2019, the Nevada native registered 10 double-doubles on the season, starting in all but one of the team's 31 matches, and earned recognition on the All-ACC Academic Team. That same year, Jackson was the only player in the ACC to record a triple-double, producing 46 assists, 16 digs, and 10 kills against North Carolina on November 29th. She notched a career high 54 assists against UC Irvine on September 13th, 2019, and graduated from Virginia Tech with Cum Laude honors majoring in public relations in December 2021.
"Talyn joins us as a transfer graduate student from Virginia Tech and we welcome her experience and maturity to our squad," said Burton. "Talyn is a competitor through and through and has years of experience competing against the best in the ACC. She is a leader both on and off the court and understands the importance of building a championship team culture. Talyn is an athlete and a solid setter and we look forward to having her come in an immediately competing in that position. We are excited to welcome Talyn to the Bluff!"
Maui Robins, Outside Hitter, 5-10, Fr., Kalihi, Hawai'i, Kamehameha Schools Kapalama
Robins comes to the Bluff after a stellar four-year stint at Kamehameha Kapalama, where she led the Warriors to their second consecutive state title during the 2021 season—having won in 2019 before the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, and after finishing as runners-up in 2018. A three-time Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, the outside hitter registered a double-double of 14 kills and 15 digs in this year's HHSAA championship match against Punahou back on December 11th. The Kalihi native was named Gatorade Player of the Year for 2020-21, and competed at Maunalani Volleyball Club from 2012-2020 before spending the 2021 season at HI-Intensity.
"Maui is a great person and an awesome volleyball player," said Burton. "She comes from a family of volleyball excellence and grew up in a gym surrounded by high level volleyball. Maui will continue our pipeline of great Hawaii volleyball players with excellent volleyball IQ, an incredible work ethic, and a championship mindset. Maui will provide stability with ball control and also add depth to our pin position. We can't wait to have Maui join our UPVB family!"
Elin Larsson, Outside Hitter, 6-2, Fr., Falköping, Sweden
Larsson joins the Pilots from Falköping, Sweden, currently playing her club ball at RIG Falköping, and has spent time on both the indoor and beach youth national teams. She represented Sweden during qualifying rounds of the indoor U17 European Championships in 2018, and made her next national appearance for the U19 qualifications in 2020. The outside hitter was a silver medalist at this year's 2021 U19 North European Volleyball Zonal Association Championships, where she was also named an all-star team player. On the sand, Larsson most recently claimed back-to-back silver medals at the Swedish Championships at the U18 and U19 levels, having also nabbed a U17 bronze medal back in 2019.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Elin to the UPVB family," said Burton. "Elin was our first official commit in the 2022 class and has opened the door for an international pipeline to UPVB. Elin brings in a high level of international playing experience on both the indoor and beach scene. She will add height, physicality and depth to our pin position. Most importantly Elin is the right type of person for our UPVB family and will fit in great to our culture. Pilot family—please help me in welcoming Elin to the UP community."
Lucia Busso, Opposite, 6-0, Fr., Pino Torinese, Torino, Italy
Italian native Lucia Busso comes to Portland from MTS Ser Santena volleyball club, having also played at both In Volley Piemonte (2017-19) and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76 (2019-21), where she has collected a provincial championship, second-place at the regional championships, 11th-place at the national finals, and reached the semi-finals of the B2 national championship.
"We knew from our first Zoom call with Lucia that she would bring the right work ethic to help us compete at the championship level," said Burton. "She is a competitor that knows how to win. Lucia is a physical right side with an arm that can score and a huge blocking presence at the net. Lucia shares the same core values as our program and is ready to help build our championship level program. Welcome to the UPVB family Lucia!"
