Wellsville senior Presley Stokes signed an agreement on Thursday to continue her academic and volleyball careers at Youngstown State University next fall. Pictured (front, from left) friend and teammate Bella Poppelriter, mother Sherrie Allen, Presley Stokes, grandmother Joyce Collins; (back) Wellsville superintendent Dave Cappuzzello, Wellsville principal Richard Shilling, Wellsville athletic director Kyle Exline and Eastern Ohio Speed and Agility trainer Tay Montgomery. (Submitted photo)

WELLSVILLE — Wellsville senior Presley Stokes did it all for the Tigers during her stellar four-year career and now will try to do more of the same for the Youngstown State University program.

The four-time All-Ohioan signed an agreement to join the Penguins on Thursday.

In 359 career sets, Stokes had a school-record 1,944 kills and 335 aces. She also totalled 554 service points with 191 total blocks, 1,215 digs and 721 assists.

Stokes’ capped her senior season with 498 kills (5.7 per set) with a .403 hit percentage. She had 83 aces and 73 service points, while posting 26 blocks and 255 digs. She added a career high 228 assists.

Stokes also led her team to two Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference championships, three Ohio Valley Athletic Conference championships and three regional final trips. In addition, Stokes was a four-time District 1 player of the year and three-time OVAC player of the year.

Stokes will major in business at YSU and will be the second in her family to play Div. I college volleyball. Her sister, Skye Stokes, a former player at East Liverpool and Oak Glen, is currently in her fifth year of college competition with the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Skye also spent time at West Virginia.

“Presley is someone I have watched a few times, and I love her athleticism and strength,” Youngstown State volleyball coach Riley Jarrett said. “I believe she will continue to grow as a player in our program on and off the court.”

The Penguin signing class also includes outside hitter Layne Graffice (Marlington), setter Kameron Blizniak (Romeoville, Illinois) and defensive specialist Kennedy Dawson (Louisville, Ky.)

“These four all bring what we are looking for off the court for our program moving forward, as well as a variety of skills on the court and I can’t wait to have them as Penguins,” Jarrett said.

Jarrett said he’ll add more athletes to the class in the near future.

Graffice was a first-team All-Ohioan as a senior as she led Marlington to a runner-up finish at the state tournament. The Dukes also went to the state semifinals her junior year, and they won four consecutive conference crowns. Graffice set school records for kills in a career (1,442), season (526) and match (32) and she also broke the record for career aces (189).

Blizniak was a three-time all-conference selection at Romeoville as she led the conference in assists three times in her career. She was named the league’s Most Valuable Player as a senior, and she set school records with 2,150 career assists and 736 assists in a season.

Dawson accumulated 829 digs and 164 aces over the last three seasons of her high school career. She was named to the all-region team in 2024 as a senior, and she was recognized at the all-district level as a sophomore and a junior.