Seward Blocking Machine Signs at Friends

After an All-Conference season for the Seward County Lady Saints in which she led the Jayhawk Conference in blocks by a wide margin, Seward sophomore Morgan Riley has signed her National Letter of Intent to play at Friends University next season.

Riley starred for the Lady Saints for the past two seasons, racking up 289 total blocks in her Seward career, placing her 6th in school history. This season Riley was dominant in the middle, finishing the season with more block assists than any other player in the conference had total blocks. Her 162 total blocks as a sophomore far and away led the Jayhawk Conference, with the next closest player finishing with just 101. Riley’s block total was also good for 6th nationally this season. Also productive on the offensive side of the net, Riley finished third on the team with 256 total kills and 1.78 kills per set this season. Her .234 hitting percentage was tops on the team and 4th in the Jayhawk West.

Riley will reunite with former teammate Aubree Young on a Friends University squad which will enter the 2014 season with high hopes after a 26 win campaign in 2013. The Falcons finished 14-4 in the KCAC and reached the conference tournament semi-finals where they lost a five set thriller to Kansas Wesleyan in the round of four. Friends loses six seniors off of this year’s squad and will have as many as 17 players back next season. The Falcons and Head Coach Martin Ayin have relied heavily on the Jayhawk Conference for their success in recent years, as their roster was dotted with six former KJCCC players in 2013.

Riley said of signing with the Falcons "I just knew it was the right place as soon as I got there. The campus was beautiful, the girls on the team were so welcoming, and I had a good feeling while I was there that this was the place that I wanted to be for the next two seasons."

Riley will leave Seward County and join the Falcons in January after the holiday break to get a jump on the 2014 season with her new teammates.

Roy Allen