Skylights land another standout spiker

Montana State University-Northern head volleyball coach Bill Huebsch recently announced the sixth member of his 2016 recruiting class.

Jillian Nickens, a 5-11 outside hitter from Hemet High School in Hemet, California, recently signed an NAIA national letter of intent to play for the Skylights starting next fall.

As a four-year starter on the Hemet High School varsity team volleyball team, Nickens helped the Bulldogs make four consecutive California Interscholastic Federation state tournament appearances.

During her career, she has been recognized for her play and received honorable mention as a freshman, second team all-league her sophomore and junior years, and was named first team all-league her senior year.

A dedicated student, Nickens received the California Scholar Athlete Award as a senior, earning a 3.7 GPA. In her free time, she volunteers with the USA Beach Volleyball Association and helps out with other community service activities with her school’s Associative Student Body program.

Nickens said she chose MSU-Northern to continue her academic and athletic careers “because I wanted a new experience outside of California and the team made me feel so at home during my campus visit. I am blessed with this opportunity and can't wait to see what the future has in store.”

"Jill is an exceptional athlete and a huge signing for our program," Huebsch said. "She has the skill set and experience you want in an outside hitter, and she will make an immediate impact on our team and the Frontier Conference. She joins a talented and deep recruiting class and will be hard to keep off the court as a true freshman.”

Nickens is the daughter of Heather Nickens and plans to pursue a degree in biology prior to optometry school.