Women's Volleyball | 3/23/2023 5:59:00 PM
EAST GREENSBORO – Thursday, the North Carolina A&T volleyball program added three new signees to its 2023 recruiting class. With the previous announcement of Kaili Doctor (5-foot-10, outside hitter, Mars, Pa., Richland High School, Pittsburg Elite Volleyball Club), the Aggies will bring in four new players for the 2023 season.
A&T head volleyball coach Hal Clifton, entering his 13th season with the program, added Valeria Estrada (5-3, libero, Coamo, Puerto Rico, Caribbean School, South Coast), Mikala Sampson (6-foot, middle blocker/right side, Houston, Texas, Klein HS, Texas Legacy Volleyball Club) and Samaya Wesson (6-2, middle blocker, Arlington, Texas, Trinity HS, Madfrog Volleyball Club), to the Aggie Family.
Estrada brings to Aggieland an assortment of accomplishments. In 2022 alone, she earned Caribbean School athlete of the year, made the Angel Matos All-Star Team, and came away with All-American Academic AAU honors. The year prior, she made the second team for the Puerto Rico National Program Sub 18.
Estrada became a pre-selection Puerto Rico National Sub 18 team member in 2020. The same year, her junior national team qualified for the open division for junior national championships by finishing second in the Sunshine qualifier.
She earned an AAU championship in the silver bracket in 2018, was named high school athlete of the year in 2017 and earned another AAU championship (open division) in 2015. Former A&T libero and All-MEAC performer Andrea Laboy-Rivera and Estrada are from the same hometown. Estrada was inducted into the National Honors Society (NHS) in 2019.
"We are so happy that Valeria decided to join our volleyball program," said Clifton. "She is very talented and competes extremely hard. She has a very nice touch on the ball out of serve receive and on defense. She has a lot of range and just makes plays. She plays with tremendous confidence and has a never-quit attitude."
Sampson will bring brilliance to the court and the classroom. She is a four-time all-academic performer at her high school. In addition, she made first-team all-district four times and the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) All-Star team. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) added Sampson to their All-American Watch List in 2022. Also in 2022, she made the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston preseason team.
In 2021, she earned VYPE Magazine honorable mention recognition and Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association (GHVCA) Class 6A preseason team honors. In addition, AVCA named her an AVCA Phenom in 2020. She is also an NHS inductee.
"We are proud to announce the addition of Mikala to the volleyball team," said Clifton. "From the day we first met, Mikala was all about being an Aggie. Mikala brings a lot of flexibility along the net as a middle and a right side. That helps us open up the offense. She has a nice arm and is comfortable at the net as a blocker.
Mikala has a really fun personality, but she is also a competitor. Being from Texas, where volleyball is big, Mikala knows what it takes to compete at a high level."
The Aggies get another Texan in Wesson, who is an AAU All-American. She was also a track and field and soccer standout in high school. She made the AAU's Most Impactful Player Team in 2021. The same year, she made second-team All-District. She also made the district's All-Academic team.
"We are excited to announce the addition of Samaya to the Aggies volleyball program," said Clifton. "Samaya was impressive from the first time we watched her compete. She is a physical middle with a great feel for the game. She loves to block, and she does it well. She is also an offensive threat and can run a lot of play sets. She has really nice lateral footwork and is quick off the ground. She will be fun to watch."
