Alexa Markley Commits To Penn State Women’s Volleyball

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball got its 2022 recruiting class off to a strong start with the verbal commitment of Peachtree City, Georgia, native Alexa Markley.

The 6-foot-2 outside hitter is a junior at McIntosh High School and plays club for A5 Mizuno Volleyball, which is based out of Alpharetta, Georgia.

The Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSAA) decided to keep its original start date for girls’ volleyball in the state. McIntosh began its season on August 13 and is currently 9-0 as of the publication of this article.

Markley and the Chiefs beat Woodward Academy, the alma mater of Penn State freshman defensive specialist Sam McCool, in the second match of the season. McCool is the only player on Penn State’s current roster from Georgia, hailing from Atlanta.

Markley is considered the nation’s No. 87 overall prospect for the 2022 recruiting class, per PrepVolleyball.com. Only Cheridyn Leverette and Emma Farrell are ranked higher than Markley when it comes to Georgia recruiting this cycle. All three play their club volleyball for A5. Markley was recently named to the 2020 AVCA Phenom List.

Russ Rose’s Nittany Lions are allowed to continue practicing under current NCAA guidelines following the Big Ten’s decision August 11 to postpone fall sports. The NCAA said it plans to conduct fall sports championships in the spring.

Although the NCAA has extended its recruiting dead period until at least September 30, Markley shared a photo of her visiting Penn State’s campus recently. Penn State’s coaching staff is not allowed to show Markley and her family around like a normal unofficial or official visit, but the family is certainly allowed to explore campus on their own in order to get a feel for the environment.

September 1 marked the first day college coaches could reach out directly to 2022 recruits rather than be required to contact their coaches instead or wait for prospects to initiate contact themselves. Penn State’s coaching staff, for example, can now send texts, make phone calls, and get in touch via social media direct messages with 2022 recruits.

Markley’s verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions means she now has the chance to help build Penn State’s 2022 class via peer recruiting. As the first member of the class, she can set the tone for what’s to come over the next several months in terms of convincing fellow top-tier prospects to eventually join her in University Park.

Here’s a video interview by former Olympian Lindsey Berg with Alexa Markley: