CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina volleyball head coach Jozsef Forman has announced the addition of eight newcomers with five transfers in Cagla Bengi (Ted Bursa College (Seton Hall)/Bursa, Turkey), Alicja Jaryszek (Central Wyoming/Buczek, Poland), Leah Olsen (Mountain Ridge HS (Central Wyoming)/Herriman, Utah), Kayden Cupid (West Brunswick HS (Georgia Southern)/Supply, N.C.),  and Dilara Unal (Okyanus College (Oregon State)/Ankara, Turkey), as well as four true freshmen Anna Smith (Oceanside Collegiate Academy/Mount Pleasant, S.C.), Taylor McDaniel (Blythewood HS/Mount Pleasant, S.C.), and Emma Van Elslande (Lycee Classique d'Echternach/Luxembourg City, Luxembourg) to the Chanticleer program for the upcoming 2023 season.
 
"We are excited about our talented players and our experienced staff this year," said Forman. "We will be ready to fight for the Sun Belt Championship again!"
 
Cagla Bengi
Bursa, Turkey
Ted Bursa College/Seton Hall
 
Bengi, a 5-10 setter from Bursa, Turkey, spent two years as an opposite hitter before becoming a full-time setter at Ted Bursa College in Turkey. A team captain for the Turkey U16 team in 2017, she helped her team to a sixth-place finish in the U17 Turkey Club Championships in 2018, along with being a member of the U17 Turkey National Team Election Camp. Bengi came to the United States and played at Seton Hall for two seasons from 2020-21, seeing action in 36 matches and 130 sets, where she averaged 4.38 assists per set with a total of 570 assists. Her third year at Seton Hall she redshirted and did not compete.
 
Forman on Bengi: "Cagla is one of the most talented setters I have ever recruited. Her skills, decision-making ability, and agility come from the highest international level."
 
Alicja Jaryszek
Buczek Poland
Central Wyoming
 
Jaryszek, a 6-2 outside hitter from Buczek, Poland, played in 34 matches at Central Wyoming in 2022, finishing with 123 sets while putting down 345 kills. She averaged 2.80 kills per set while committing just 146 errors out of 984 total attacks as a freshman. Prior to her one year at Central Wyoming, Jaryszek played in Poland for the LKS Commercecon Lodz (2021-22), the LKS Volleyball Women's School Gortat Lodz U20 (2020-22) and U18 (2019-21) teams, as well as the UKS Lider Konstantynow Lodzki U18 (2019-20) team.
 
Forman on Jaryszek: "Alicja comes from a volleyball hot-bed family and the nation of Poland. She is a six-rotation outside hitter with great passing skills and a very heavy arm on her attacks."
 
Leah Olsen
Herriman, Utah
Mountain Ridge HS/Central Wyoming
 
Olsen, a 6-2 middle blocker from Herriman, Utah, played in 19 matches for a total of 33 sets last year as a freshman at Central Wyoming. She put down 23 kills and 12 total blocks in her lone season with the Rustlers. In three years on the varsity team at Mountain Ridge High School, Olsen totaled 169 kills over 197 sets played. She also tallied 145 total blocks, including 23 solo blocks, and recorded 74 service aces.
 
Forman on Olsen: "Leah is a high IQ middle blocker with a lot of offensive shots. She can become one of the best middle blockers in the Sun Belt."
 
DiLara Unal
Ankara, Turkey
Okyanus College/Oregon State
 
Unal, a 6-4 middle blocker from Ankara, Turkey, played two seasons at Oregon State, where she saw action in 145 sets over 53 matches. She totaled 95 kills and 119 blocks for the Beavers. Before arriving at OSU, Unal led her Okyanus College team to a fourth-place finish in Ankara and fifth place in all of Turkey.
 
Forman on Unal: "DiLara with her skill set, passion, and PAC XII experience will allow her to be a leader for our team. She also has the ability to become an All-American at Coastal."
 
Kayden Cupid
Supply, N.C.
West Brunswick HS/Georgia Southern
Walton Elite
 
Cupid, a 6-0 middle blocker, lettered three years for Coach Mya Morse at West Brunswick High School in North Carolina, where she averaged nine kills a match as a senior. She also played club volleyball for Walton Elite and Grand Strand Juniors for Ryan Sarrett, Josh Paul, and Alex Sing. She attended Georgia Southern and redshirted before transferring to Coastal.
 
Forman on Cupid: "Kaydan's jumping ability and work ethic will make her a very talented middle blocker who has a bright future at Coastal."
 
Anna Smith
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Oceanside Collegiate Academy
Carolina Rogue and Rio Volleyball Club
 
Smith, a 5-8 libero, is the first student-athlete from Oceanside Collegiate Academy volleyball player to sign with an NCAA Division I school. Throughout her high school career, she received multiple national accolades, including USA Volleyball Association (USAV) Youth National Team pool selection (GYA3); American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American and Phenom Watchlists; three-time AAU Academic All-American; Prepvolleyball.com All-American Special Mention, Academic All-American, High School & Club Watchlists for the Class of 2023; and Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) Watchlist for the Class of 2023.
 
Forman on Smith: "Anna has been trained by high-level coaches. She has a strong foundation to be a great defensive specialist with our experienced coaching staff's guidance."
 
Taylor McDaniel
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Blythewood HS
 
McDaniel, a 6-0 middle blocker from Mount Pleasant, S.C., saw action in 56 sets combined in her sophomore and junior years. She averaged 1.7 kills per set along with a total of 27 blocks including 24 as a junior. From 2019-23, McDaniel helped lead her team to four straight regional championships, while being named all-region in 2022 and 2023.
 
Forman on McDaniel: "Taylor is a smart middle blocker who has a good vision of attacking around the block. Her unique talent and enthusiasm makes her a great addition to our program."
 
Emma Van Elslande
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Lycee Classique d'Echternach
 
Van Elslande, a 6-1 outside hitter, was named to the Luxembourg senior national team every year since 2019. In back-to-back years in 2020-21 and 2021-22, she played in the finals of the Luxemburgish Championship and semifinals of the Luxemburgish Cup while named the captain of the youth national team, which won a tournament in the Small Country Association. Van Elslande competed in the French Cup between the best 12 teams of France under the age of 21. In January 2023, she was voted the best young player with the Luxembourg national team at the Novotel Cup.
 
Forman on Van Elslande: "Emma's father and mother both played high-level volleyball. She is a great passer with very smart attack shots. She has all the talent to become an All-American and top player for Luxemburg and Coastal."
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.