ANCHORAGE (Feb. 6) – With the start of spring practice just around the corner, Alaska Anchorage volleyball coach Stacie Meisner has added a pair of impact additions to her team's 2024 roster, announcing Tuesday that Div. I transfer Katie Birtcil-Tipton and local product Avery Northcutt have signed scholarship agreements.

A 6-foot outside hitter, Birtcil-Tipton will use her final year of eligibility at UAA after four seasons at New Mexico State, where she was a First Team All-Western Athletic Conference performer in 2021 and a Second Team honoree in 2022. As a Covid sophomore in 2021, she helped the Aggies to their third straight WAC title with 3.66 kills per set on .277 hitting and 4.08 points per set, logging double-figure kills 20 times and registering six double-doubles.

Originally from Tucson, Ariz., Birtcil-Tipton finished her NMSU career with 855 kills (2.93 kps), 383 digs (1.31 dps), 127 total blocks (0.44 bps) and 959 points (3.28 pps) in 89 matches. She is returning to the court after getting married and taking off the 2023 season.

"Katie will boost our offense as a six-rotation pin hitter and provide some additional firepower to our front row," said Meisner, who enters her second season as head coach this fall. "She understands what it takes to perform at a high level, and we are thrilled that she has chosen to use her final year of eligibility with us. We welcome her and her husband to the Anchorage community as she begins to pursue a second bachelor's degree in nursing this fall."

Meanwhile, Northcutt comes home after two seasons at Western Texas College, where she ranked No. 5 nationally and led NJCAA Region 5 with 1.39 blocks per set as a true freshman. A 6-2 middle blocker, the former East Anchorage High School standout registered at least three blocks in 14 of her 19 appearances in 2022, including a career-high nine stuffs in a 3-1 win over Amarillo.

"We are excited that Avery has returned to Anchorage and UAA after her junior-college career," Meisner said. "She'll be a valuable asset as we begin training this spring and she is determined to work hard and contribute to Seawolf volleyball. She has a high ceiling and will only continue to develop as a volleyball player over the next two years."

Birtcil-Tipton and Northcutt become the third and fourth members of UAA's 2024 recruiting class, joining incoming freshmen Dorsey Booth (L/DS, 5-4, Rancho Cordova, Calif.) and Bailee Tucker (RS, 5-11, Layton, Utah).