University of Minnesota volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon has announced two additions to the 2019 roster. Kylie Miller (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) will join the Gophers later this month, while Airi Miyabe (Osaka, Japan) is set to begin her Minnesota career in the fall of 2019.
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  Kylie Miller
Miller, a 5-foot, 11-inch setter, joins the Gopher program after spending three seasons at UCLA. While with the Bruins, Miller played in 179 sets and accumulated 1,278 assists, 34 aces and 211 digs. As a freshman, Miller averaged 5.69 assists per set and 1.87 digs per set in 2016. Last year, she produced 693 assists in 72 sets played. Prior to her time with the Bruins, Miller played for Rancho Cucamonga High School and Forza1 Club team. She was an Under Armour First Team All-American and ranked 11th by PrepVolleyball.com. With Forza1, Miller won four medals at JO's, including three-straight from 2010-2012. She was also a candidate for California Gatorade Player of the Year.
"I chose Minnesota because it is an incredible opportunity to be developed by the accomplished coaching staff, contribute to a phenomenal team, play in front of amazing fans and compete at the highest level for a national championship," Miller said.
"We are extremely happy to welcome Kylie to our program," McCutcheon said. "She brings significant experience and adds depth to our setting position. She's a very talented and athletic setter who can play the whole game. We are excited to have her join us this spring to train and compete."
Miyabe, a 6-foot outside hitter, joins the Gopher program after spending two seasons at College of Southern Idaho. In her two years with the Eagles, Miyabe led the team to a 2018 NJCAA championship and a runner-up finish in 2017. In her sophomore season, she averaged 4.28 kills per set, hit .302 and averaged 2.86 digs per set. For her efforts, she was named the 2018 NJCAA Division I Player of the Year and the AVCA Two-Year College Player of the Year, the first ever in school history. Â Prior to her time at CSI, she was a part of the Japanese National Team from 2015-16, where she competed at the 2015 World Grand Prix. In 2014, she was a part of the Youth National Team, where she was named the Asia MVP. She was also named to Team CORE, a group selected to play with Japan in preparation for the 2020 Olympic team.Â
Hugh McCutcheon and
Airi Miyabe
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"While playing with the Japan national team in 2015 to 2016, I realized there were so many great players in other countries," Miyabe said. "It was my biggest turning point when I decided to play volleyball in the United States. It was a dream of mine to play volleyball in America at a D1 school. I am so excited to be a part of this amazing program, and to be a Gopher, as well as to play for Hugh McCutcheon. I can't wait to start my new chapter."Â
"We are very excited to have Airi join our program," McCutcheon said. "She brings a wealth of international experience and has proven her ability to succeed both on the court and in the classroom at Southern Idaho. In addition to her obvious volleyball talents, she's an intelligent, hard working, charactered young woman."Â
