POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State Volleyball announced a trio of program additions, welcoming Ryan Adams as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, while also adding transfer outside hitters Gracie Morrow and Gracie Vohs to the Bengal roster ahead of the 2026 season.
The announcements mark a pivotal offseason for the Bengals as the program continues to build toward sustained success in the Big Sky Conference. Idaho State also confirmed roster and staff transitions, with seniors Meline Shulikov, Marci Bell, and Brinley Smith graduating, while Chloe Heimlicher and Dani Cranford departed via the transfer portal. On the coaching side, assistant coaches Elizabeth Field and Megan Snow departed from the program, Idaho State Volleyball & Athletics thanks both Coach Field & Coach Snow for their unwavering contributions and wishes them success moving forward.
Adams arrives in Pocatello after three seasons as head coach at the College of William & Mary, where he became the 10th head volleyball coach in program history in January 2023. During his tenure, Adams led the Tribe to their most conference victories since 2009, posting eight CAA wins in each of his first two seasons. The 2024 campaign closed with four consecutive victories, highlighted by a road sweep at Elon, the program's first back-to-back road conference wins in more than a decade, and a sweep of reigning regular-season champion Delaware for the first time since 2015.
Under Adams' leadership, William & Mary saw notable individual development. Setter Amy Schwem finished her career with 2,124 assists, the second-most in program history in the current scoring era, while ranking top 10 all-time in assists, digs, and service aces. Middle blocker Olivia Esposito set the program's all-time career record for hitting percentage at .329 and earned Second Team All-CAA honors following a standout 2023 season. In his debut year, Adams guided the Tribe to 13 wins, tying the program's highest win total in 15 years, and earned his first career head coaching victory on opening day against Tennessee Tech at the Mountaineer Classic.
Prior to William & Mary, Adams spent four seasons as head coach at Lafayette College from 2019 to 2022, leading the Leopards to one of the most successful stretches in program history. The 2021 season produced Lafayette's highest-ever Patriot League finish, second place, and its most conference wins, along with a Patriot League Player of the Year honor. Adams was named Patriot League Coach of the Year that season and guided multiple nationally ranked statistical units during his tenure. His background also includes assistant coaching stops at Bucknell University, Northwestern Nazarene, and a previous stint at William & Mary, along with extensive experience at the high school and club levels.
Idaho State head coach Sean Carter emphasized both Adams' experience and fit within the program.
"Ryan Adams brings years of head coaching experience to Pocatello," Carter said. "Our student-athletes are so lucky to have someone that has had every job as a Division I coach to be able to lead and train them. His personality is exactly what our kids need to bring balance to our staff. Between Ryan and Chelsea there isn't a task that I won't be comfortable delegating to either. It gives me so much confidence that as we build and continue to grow our program, Ryan can be the perfect fit that helps us bring a championship back to Idaho State."
Alongside the coaching addition, Idaho State strengthened its roster with the signings of Morrow and Vohs, two experienced outside hitters who bring Division I match experience and physicality to the Bengal lineup.
Morrow comes to Idaho State after spending her freshman and sophomore seasons at Wichita State. She saw action during her freshman campaign in 2024, appearing in 17 matches and 40 sets, totaling 63 kills while averaging 1.58 kills per set, along with 24 digs and six blocks. Her season was highlighted by a 13-kill performance on .345 hitting at North Texas and a nine-kill, six-dig effort in a road win over Tulane, while also gaining NCAA Tournament experience. Morrow did not see match action during her sophomore season.
Carter noted the familiarity and versatility Morrow brings to the program. "Gracie is a rare athlete to join us," Carter said. "This actually won't be the first time Chelsea and I are able to coach Gracie. I got to coach her in club when she was a 15-year-old back in Wichita, Kansas. She is a dynamic athlete with a great balance of explosiveness and power, and she brings the skill set of a six-rotation player. Most importantly, she instantly connected with our team, and we believe her personality fits perfectly with our culture."
Vohs transfers to Idaho State after spending two seasons at Saint Mary's College, where she played significant minutes in the West Coast Conference. As a sophomore in 2025, she appeared in 27 matches, recording 164 kills while averaging 1.74 kills per set, along with 61 digs and 40 blocks. During her freshman season, she saw action in 14 matches and posted a career-high nine kills in the Gaels' home finale. A versatile attacker, Vohs is capable of scoring on both the left and right sides.
"Gracie is a PNW girl that grew up in Sisters, Oregon, so we hoped Pocatello would be a great fit for her," Carter said. "She brings a lot of on-court experience, physicality, and maturity to our program. Our players really loved her on her visit, and we can't wait to see her leave her mark on our program."
With the addition of Adams to the coaching staff and the signings of Morrow and Vohs, Idaho State Volleyball takes another step forward as the Bengals continue to build depth, experience, and championship-level infrastructure for the future.
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