Spartan Volleyball Welcomes Three For 2020

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State volleyball coach Cathy George has announced that three players will join the Spartan volleyball program for the 2020 season: Setter Celia Cullen (Southfield, Mich./Brighton), and outside hitters Sarah Franklin (Lake Worth, Fla. / Lake Worth Christian) and Lia Moore (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Christian) .

"We're very encouraged and excited about the three players we will add to our roster in 2020, and we're looking forward to the impact that we believe that they can make in our program," said George. "All three are heralded as some of the best in the nation, and they each will contribute with qualities that will enhance our team as we move forward. We are very much looking forward to a bright future not only for these student-athletes, but for our program as well."

In each the past three seasons, Michigan State has boasted top-15 classes. MSU's current juniors and current freshmen were both ranked No. 9 by Prep Volleyball, with the sophomores earning a No. 15 class ranking. With the addition of Cullen, Franklin, and Moore, MSU anticipates another highly-ranked class that includes two Prep Volleyball Top-30 Senior Aces and not only brings talent and depth to the floor in East Lansing, but also helps enhance the talent already on the roster and continue to raise the compete level every day in the gym.

Celia Cullen
Fr., 6-1, S, Southfield, MI / Brighton Club: Legacy

CLUB: Played for Jen and Ricky Cottrill at Legacy … JVA Ultra Ankle All-American (2018, 2019) … AAU Open All-American (2019) … Max Preps All-American (2018, 2019) … USA Girls National Youth National Team member in 2018 … AAU 18 Open National Champion in 2019 and attained the No. 1 Prep Volleyball national club team ranking … Helped Legacy to eight open tournament titles in 2019 …

HIGH SCHOOL: No. 24 Senior Ace (and No. 6 among setters) as ranked by Prep Volleyball … Second Team Under Armor All-America Selection … Michigan Miss Volleyball finalist … Brighton MVP and Livingston County Player of the Year all four of her high school seasons … Second Team All-State as a sophomore in 2017 and First Team in 2018 … Two-time Brighton Team Captain … Prep Volleyball Frosh 50 in 2016 …

PERSONAL: Daughter of Chuck and Nancy Cullen … Four-time athletics and academic letterwinner … Boasts a 4.1 grade-point average and is among the top 25 in her high school class academically … Father, Chuck, was a four-year letterman for the Spartan track & field program as an undergrad and earned All-Big Ten honors as a high jumper, graduating in 1990 … Has a younger brother, Quinn and a sister, Faith …

Cathy George on Celia Cullen: "Celia will be enrolling at MSU in January as an early high school graduate and is a local product out of Brighton – she committed to us quite early, and she was a player that we were drawn to immediately with not just her ability to set, but her ability to play volleyball and to compete. Her mindset is strong, she's intense, and has the ability to run the show and find ways to win. As her high school and club years have gone on, she's continued to grow her abilities as a setter - her location, speed and her ability to set any set has definitely grown exponentially and she one of the top setters in the country. She did not compete last summer with USA as she wanted to come to our camp and improve with our coaches and system, and we think Celia is very special. I think that the sky will be the limit."

107523

Sarah Franklin
Fr., 6-4, OH Lake Worth, Fla. / Lake Worth Christian Club: Palm Beach Juniors

CLUB: Played for Terri Kaiser at Palm Beach Juniors … Helped Palm Beach Juniors to first AAU open bid in club history in 2019, placing third in 17 Premier … MVP and AAU All-Star Team … Best Attacker at Capital Hill Classic … In 2018, was third overall at the Capitol Hill Classic and earned "Best Server" kudos … Fifth overall at Girls National Championships and earned a post on the All-Tournament Team … Also finished first at AAU Nationals in Orlando … Earned the Palm Beach Juniors Playmaker Award in 2017 … Second Place at AAUs in 14 Premier, earning a spot on the All-Star Team.

HIGH SCHOOL: No. 29 Senior Ace as ranked by Prep Volleyball … Honorable Mention Under Armor All-American … Played varsity volleyball as an eighth grader and has earned five varsity letters … Palm Beach Post Player of the Year as a sophomore (2017) and Sun-Sentinel First Team three years running … Helped her school to District Championships three times (2015, 2016, 2018) … Regional champions in 2015, 2016 and 2019, securing a state championship in 2015 and appearing in the state final later this week … Palm Beach County First Team in 2016 … Reached the 2,000 kills mark as a senior …

PERSONAL: Daughter of Todd and Michelle Franklin … Has two older brothers, Eric and Kyle, and a younger sister, Kelly … Mother, Michelle, is a 1986 graduate of Virginia and was a setter for the volleyball team and is currently a coach for Palm Beach Juniors … National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society … Aspires to a future as an mechanical engineer

Cathy George on Sarah Franklin: "Sarah is incredibly versatile and possesses an incredible volleyball IQ and knowledge of the game within each position - she can play left side, middle or right, and do them all equally well. That volleyball IQ comes from having a family that has been very invested in the game all her life- both her parents and her brothers play, so she's lived that as long as she can remember. I believe it will definitely enhance the way she will play volleyball at Michigan State and within the Big Ten. She's a competitor – she wants to win and will find a way to do so for whatever team she's on. We're excited to bring her into our program."

107514

Lia Moore
Fr., 6-0, OH, Chicago, IL / Chicago Christian Club: Chicago Elite

CLUB: Played for Nicole Pasquinelli at Chicago Elite ... AAU All-American All-Star, JVA All-National Team and JVA Watch List in 2018 ... Was on the JVA Watch List and AVCA Phenom List in 2017 ... Named to the 15 Energy All-Tournament Team in 2016 …

HIGH SCHOOL: Chicago Christian team captain as a senior in 2019 … Missed much of her junior season with an injury, impacting both her high school and club campaigns … Ranked No. 11 by IL Prep Dig in the Class of 2020 … IL Prep Volleyball Top 101 Players to Watch List … Chicago Christian single -season kill leader as a sophomore … Earned the team's Knight Award for Leadership in 2018 … Was her team's Most Improved Player as a freshman.

PERSONAL: Daughter of Lee Muhammed and Robin Moore … Has a brother, Lee … Mother, Robin, played basketball at Northwestern and won the 1990 Big Ten Championship as a senior … Three-time member of the High Honor Roll and a member of the National Honor Society … Interested in pursuing a career in dermatology …

Cathy George on Lia Moore: "Lia is a player we also watched from early on – she's very talented with great athleticism and very long arms. Lia missed almost a full year with injury, so we're very proud to see how she handled the adversity and the hard work she's put in to make up for her lost time. We've seen that she's a natural athlete and a natural hitter, and she can be a kill machine - able to score when she needs to score. Lia can play left or right, and has played both positions in her high school career. The injury slowed her progress a bit, but Lia has really committed herself and taken her senior season by storm and is helping her team get to the state championships. We're looking forward to getting her to campus."

CLUB: Played for Nicole Pasquinelli at Chicago Elite ... AAU All-American All-Star, JVA All-National Team and JVA Watch List in 2018 ... Was on the JVA Watch List and AVCA Phenom List in 2017 ... Named to the 15 Energy All-Tournament Team in 2016 …

Related News

Related Videos