Head coach Ray Gooden of the Northern Illinois University volleyball program announced five additions to the 2022 roster on Friday. Olivia Hogan (Dyersville, Iowa), Sarah Lezon (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Ayse Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey) will begin their freshman campaigns this fall. Plus, the Huskies added two experienced transfer student-athletes to the squad in Sammi Lockwood (Notre Dame) and Emily Dykes (Radford).
"This group has a balance of both experienced players and youthful energy," said Gooden. "That balance will help our team move forward in achieving our goals of competing for a conference championship and playing in the post season."
Hogan arrives at NIU as a 2022 graduate of Beckman Catholic High School. Born in Dallas but raised in Dyersville, Iowa, Hogan was named team captain her senior year after lettering in volleyball her final three years of high school. In 2021, her team was crowned WaMaC Conference Champions and went all the way to the Iowa State Quarterfinal round. The defensive specialist totaled 129 matches played through her three years with the Trailblazers. Through those games, Hogan racked up an incredible 83 service aces. The two-time first team all-conference member holds Beckman Catholic's all-time career digs record with 1,497 digs. In club play, Hogan competed for the Club Iowa Juniors. Hogan, a tri-sport athlete at Beckman Catholic, was a three-time Honor Roll nominee and National Honor Society member. She's the daughter of Jennifer and Kevin Hogan and plans to study political science at NIU.
"Olivia is a gritty, tenacious defender that will make our group of bumpers that much better," Gooden said. "She has solid skills and comes from successful programs. That will help our culture have high standards."
Lezon, who graduated from Roncalli High School in Indianapolis in 2022, earned three varsity letters in volleyball and two in track and field through her high school career. The middle blocker played in nearly 300 matches for the Royals in which she logged 710 kills, 96 aces, 257 total blocks and owned a hitting percentage of .337. During her senior year as team captain, the Royals were named Regional Champions and took fourth at the Indiana State Finals. She is a two-time first team all-conference selection and was Second Team All-State after her senior year. In club play, Lezon competed for Team Indiana where her club won the Dallas Qualifier Championship and were Central Zone Champions. In the classroom, Lezon was a four-time Honor Roll Nominee and was honored with an Academic All-State nomination during high school. She's the daughter of Amy and Gene Lezon and plans to major in health sciences at NIU.
"Sarah is a physical, hardworking attacker that will help provide depth to our group of middle blockers," Gooden said. "She has a fast arm and works hard to find ways to put herself in space to be successful. Sarah is versatile enough to play different positions, and that will help our team in 2022."
Güvener hails from Ankara, Turkey where she attended Elvankent Sinar. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter is a two-time U16 Balkan Champion and won the 2019 U16 European Championship with the Turkish National Team. She was named to her high school's Honor List for five semesters and enjoys "playing violin, taking pictures and exploring new areas". The athlete she admires most is Neriman Özsoy because, "she was a successful outside hitter in Turkey and that's why I chose my jersey number after her". She's the daughter of Sükran and Sahabettin Cengiz Güvener and she plans to major in business at NIU.
"Nazli comes to us from Turkey, and that's exciting for our program to continue to expand our players' experiences," Gooden said. "She has great skills and plays our game at a solid level. International players offer a style that challenges them to be complete in their game, and that will benefit our program."
Lockwood circles back to Illinois after spending the previous two season with Notre Dame. Lockwood made her collegiate debut on September 25, 2020 at Louisville and appeared in four matches for the Irish as a sophomore. Through those four matches, Lockwood totaled four blocks and one kill in six sets. Prior to playing for the Irish, the middle blocker attended Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, Ill. In 2018, she earned All-Fox Valley Conference honors while serving as team captain. The 2018 Under Armour Second Team All-American was also ranked No. 87 on PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces List.
"Sammi will join our program having experience playing in a power five league with an emphasis on being competitive for long stretches of time," Gooden said. "She has a worked a lot on the technical aspects of her game offensively and defensively. Her match practice and match reps will help our middle group move forward in positive way."
Dykes brings two years of collegiate volleyball experience to the team as she previously played for Radford College in Radford, Va.. During her freshman debut with the Highlanders, Dykes appeared in 10 matches and played in 29 sets. She averaged 1.52 kills per set and accumulated 18 digs and 17 total blocks. The following season, she appeared in 26 matches and 67 sets. She posted 111 kills with an average of 1.66 per set and was third on the team in total blocks with 28. Prior to Radford, Dykes attended Ayden-Grifton High School and played volleyball under the direction of Linda Bryant. According to Maxpreps, she owned the highest hitting percentage in North Carolina and was a part of a team that marched to the first state championships in school history and notched the program's first conference championship in 40 years.
"Emily came to us at the semester break and has made an immediate impact both an off the court," Gooden said. "She is a dynamic and versatile attacker whose ceiling is tremendous."
The Huskies' first competition of the 2022 season will be at the annual Huskie Invitational where they'll face South Dakota State and NJIT on Friday, Aug. 21. They'll conclude the tournament the following day when they square off against UIC.
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