UNM Volleyball adds 3 transfers
May 18—The University of New Mexico volleyball team added size and experience Monday, announcing the additions of three Division I transfers.
Middle blocker Mmachi Nwoke from North Carolina State, setter Melissa Walden from Texas A&M and outside hitter Kassie McGill from Nevada will join coach Jon Newman-Gonchar's roster for the upcoming fall season. Nwoke is a redshirt senior, Walden appeared in one match as a freshman last season, and McGill will be a super senior.
The 6-foot-1 Mmachi Nwoke saw limited action at North Carolina State after taking a redshirt season in 2019.
She played extensively for two seasons at Kansas prior to transferring to NC State, however, making 18 starts as a junior in 2018. She posted nine blocks in a match against Texas Tech.
Walden, a 6-foot setter, was a four-year standout at Illinois' Waaubonsie High School and a three-time AAU All-American. She fills a position of need for the Lobos, who had only one primary setter (freshman Kara Erfurth) during the recently concluded spring season.
"Melissa brings precisely what we were looking for in adding another setter to our roster," Newman-Gonchar said in a UNM release. "... She has an incredible volleyball IQ and an unwavering spirit to bring out the best in the people around her."
Newman-Gonchar knows what he's getting in the 6-1 McGill, who earned All-Mountain West honors after racking up more than 100 kills and 50 blocks during the spring season.
"Having played against Kassie in 2019 and 2021, I knew the type of player she is and how lethal she can be," Newman-Gonchar said. "We are thrilled to have her on our side of the net."
