Some familiar but mostly new faces will hit the court for the Northwest College volleyball team this season, as the Trappers bring in a number of high school recruits in addition to transfers from within and outside Northwest.

One returning player is Laynee Burrell, who was with the program a year ago as a redshirt from Cody.

Athletes from within the Northwest athletic programs who will be familiar faces for the volleyball team include a local recruit, as Powell High School graduate Saige Kidd transitions over from basketball to volleyball this fall.

Another basketball player joining the program is Maddie Mills from Upton, who will compete on both teams this time around.

“They were with us in the spring,” coach Nicole Buck said. “I’m excited about both of them. I’m really excited about Saige, just to have a local girl, especially one with the skills and abilities that she has.”

A new transfer in for the Trappers is Jaylie Critchfield, who is originally a setter from Evanston but transferred to the Trappers from Eastern Wyoming College in the spring.

Another transfer is right side/opposite hitter Lindsey Tafili, who is originally from Kearns High School in Utah and transfers from Western Wyoming Community College following that program being shut down.

“She’s technically a Utah kid but her family moved over to Wyoming so we get to count her as Wyoming,” Buck said.

Wyoming recruits were a big part of the incoming freshman class for the Trappers.

“I’m really excited because not only did we get good kids from around the state, but we got, in my opinion, some of the best,” Buck said.

One of the top Wyoming recruits for Northwest is Piper Martin from Thunder Basin in Gillette, who was a four-time All-State setter for the Bolts and recorded more than 3,600 assists for her career. Thunder Basin finished in the top four all four years that Martin was in high school.

“She’s one of the best that the state of Wyoming has to offer,” Buck said.

Another four-time All-State player from Wyoming is Jaylin Mills from Sundance, who recorded nearly 500 kills her senior season in a runner-up finish at the state tournament  and a third place finish the year prior.

“She was the 2A Player of the Year, and she’s just an incredible force for their program,” Buck said.

Another hitter from the 2A level will be Chaney Reish from Tongue River, who recorded just over 400 kills her senior season as the Eagles finished in the top three each of the past four years.

Lexie Snyder joins the Trappers as the lone 3A recruit, as she makes her way to Northwest from Lyman as she recorded 322 kills this past
season.

“They both were just really good contributors to their programs,” Buck said.

Legacy recruit Torey Parker from Rexburg, Idaho, who is a middle, will follow in the footsteps of her sister Sidney, who played for the Trappers from 2021-22.

Parker recorded 274 kills on a .426 hitting percentage this past season in Idaho while recording 100 blocks at the 6A level for a team that won three state championships her first three years in high school and finished second this past season for Madison High School.

“Her sister played here a few years ago, Sidney played for Scott [Keister] and she did really well here,” Buck said. “She’s one of those like Sidney that with the right people around her, she could play anywhere. We’re gonna mess around with it, but we’ll start her in the middle for sure.”

Lundyn Murray joins the Trappers from Hamilton, Montana, as a libero/defensive specialist, recording 287 digs this past season at the Class A level in Montana.

The final recruit comes from Bonneville High School in Utah, as Ellee Summers joins the Trappers as an outside hitter and defensive specialist.

She recorded 523 digs for her career and 226 kills.

In her second season at the helm, Buck said this year’s recruiting was much easier compared to last year and felt the process was much better finding players.

“We did get lucky with some of the kids that dropped into our lap last year. Really grateful for all of them, but there is something to be said about having the time and freedom to go out and find the kids that truly want to play for you,” Buck said. “All the kids coming in got to meet me, meet the team and we got to choose each other based on how we got to know each other. Starting off with a stronger relationship is a huge bonus.”

Overall, Buck is excited for all of the incoming and returning players, and feels they can make an impact for the Trappers this season with practices beginning shortly once August rolls around.

“I think any of the kids coming in have a lot of great potential to do really good things for our program and beyond,” Buck said.