CHATTANOOGA --- Head coach Travis Filar and the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball program recently signed three newcomers for the 2018 season during the November early signing period which began on Wednesday.
 
The trio of recruits each come from different states with Tennessee, Illinois and Utah being the representatives.
 
Maia Rackel, Signal Mountain, Tenn., carries local flavor for the 2018 class as the soon-to-be Moc is currently a senior at Signal Mountain High School in Chattanooga. Gylian Finch comes to Chattanooga from Oregon High School in Mount Morries, Ill. Jaquelyn Langhaim, Alpine, Utah and Lone Peak High School, rounds out the recruiting class while being the first Moc in program history from the state of Utah.
 
Learn more about the 2018 recruiting class and see head coach Travis Filar's thoughts on the newcomers below.

 
Jaquelyn Langhaim, a 6'0 setter, commits to Chattanooga as one of the top players in Utah and recently captured the 6A state championship for the second-straight year with Lone Peak High School. Jaque earned the Max Preps Player of the Game award during the state championship match last week while also earning First Team All-Region and All-Utah honors for her play in 2017 in addition to being placed on the Utah State All-Star Team. She was named first team All-Region and second team All-Utah in 2016 while sharing attacking and setting duties during the state championship run before primarily setting during the 2017 title season. Jaque also was named the Player of the Week during the Utah State Championship tournament. Langhaim plays with Club V during the travel season and recently finished seventh in the Open Division at AAU Nationals. She has been named to the Dean's List and Academic Honor Roll multiple years in high school and plans to graduate in December before enrolling to UTC in January.
 
Filar on Langhaim: "To say that I'm excited about welcoming Jaque to our program might be the recruiting understatement of all-time. We knew that we had to bring in back-to-back setters in our 2017 (Maddie Halsey) and 2018 classes, it just doesn't usually happen that you get your number one prospect at the most important position two years in-a-row, but that's exactly what happened. I knew from our first conversation that I not only wanted to coach and mentor Jaque, but she was the type of individual that can lead a program because of how driven, hard-working, competitive, confident and selfless she is. She is a true student of the game and her favorite place to be is in the gym sharpening her tools to become the best competitor she can be. She has been a go-to player as a setter and opposite hitter for her club and high school programs, both of which are top ones in the volleyball-rich state of Utah. She knows what to do and how to win at the highest level as she led her high school to back-to-back state championship titles."
 
 
Gylian Finch, a 5'10 outside hitter, signs with Chattanooga out of Mount Morries, Ill., and is the first Illinois Moc since 2009. Finch is a four-year letter winner at Oregon High School and earned First Team All-Conference honors this season as well as landing spots on the Ultra Ankle JVA Watch List and 2017 All Star Preps Best of Rock River Valley team. She was also awarded an 'Ultimate Hawk' award for participating in three different sports all four years of high school, adding in basketball, softball and track in addition to volleyball. A 2016 AAU Academic All-American, Finch is a member of the National Honors Society and has also been named to the Windy City Power League All-Academic Team.
 
Filar on Finch: "The Midwest has always been an area that we have targeted in recruiting because of the high-level of training they get at the club and high school level, in addition to appreciating hard work and competing for everything. Gylian completely embodies that blue-collar mentality that we want in our gym when it comes to improvement on and off the court. It's because of this mentality, along with a consistent positive energy she plays with and her inspiring selflessness as a teammate that will make everyone around her better. She will impact us as she will compete right away to be a six-rotation outside hitter with her technical skill and ball control as a passer and defender, and the ability to be a high-kill to low-error ratio as an attacker."

 
Maia Rackel, a 5'10 outside hitter, right side and middle blocker, won't have to travel far to arrive on campus as she is currently a senior at nearby Signal Mountain High School. Rackel was named All-Tennessee in 2016 at Signal Mountain HS and finished runner-up in the state championship twice in four years with the other two years being third and fourth place. She led the team in kills, digs and blocks the last two seasons while being named to the Chattanooga Best of Preps list. Rackel plans to graduate high school in December and will enroll to UTC in January, joining team activities for spring 2018.
 
Filar on Rackel: "Being at one of the best universities in the state of Tennessee, our mission in recruiting is to keep the best student-athletes, competitors, leaders and teammates here at Chattanooga and we did just that in signing Maia. I truly believe she is one of, if not the best, athletes in her class in the entire state and she has led her high school and club programs the last three years on and off the court. She's an exceptional attacker and blocker that possesses great versatility. She plays at a height above the net that we don't have in the gym right now and her backcourt skills have improved tremendously, allowing her to be a very steady and confident six-rotation player. Maia is going to impact our program from the time she steps foot on campus and I couldn't be more excited that she will be competing in her hometown."