LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball will add five newcomers to its roster in advance of the 2023 season, including two transfers and three incoming freshmen.
 
The Tritons will welcome first-year scholar-athletes Lauren Brooker (Calabasas, Calif.), Iris Canko (Temecula, Calif.) and Reagan McWhinney (Loveland, Colo.), as well as sophomore transfer Dana Branavets (San Diego, Calif.) and junior transfer Nevada Knowles (Ventura, Calif.).
 
Branavets joins UC San Diego after completing her freshman season at Boise State and Knowles joins the Tritons after two seasons at Ventura College.
 
The newcomers will join a talented group of veterans, including Big West second team honoree Ava McInnes who led the conference in kills per set and points per set in 2022. The Tritons finished their second season of Division I competition in 2022 with a 14-18 record and 7-13 mark in conference play, earning the Tritons a seventh-place finish in The Big West.
 
The 2023 campaign marks the final season for the Tritons in the NCAA-mandated Division I reclassifying period. After the 2023-24 academic year, UC San Diego Athletics will be a full D-I member school and all athletic programs will be eligible for NCAA postseason competition.
 
DANA BRANAVETS
» 5'11" | Libero | So.
» San Diego, Calif.
» Del Norte HS | COAST Volleyball Club | Boise State
» Human Developmental Sciences Major
 
» About Dana: Born in Minsk, Belarus and speaks fluent Russian…Plans to pursue a career in pediatrics…Her grandfather was a boxer for the USSR National Team…Says she loves anything related to health and wellness and in her spare time she enjoys researching and trying new things to improve her overall well-being.
 
» College: Academic All-Mountain West (2022) and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete (2023)…Primarily played outside hitter for the Broncos…Saw action in all 29 contests and recorded 15 starts…First on the team in serve-receive percentage (.961 on 308 receptions), fourth in aces (25) and fifth in digs (156)…High School:Graduated in 2022…Palomar League MVP as a junior…Three-time all-league honoree…Helped the team to two conference titles and one second-place finish…DNHS advanced to the CIF section final three times and semifinal once.
 
» From Coach Luyties:
"With Dana we're getting an experienced player that's competed at a high level throughout her young career. She is a fierce competitor and brings excellent energy to the team."

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 LAUREN BROOKER
» 6'1" | Setter/Opposite | Fr.
» Calabasas, Calif.
» Marymount HS | Sunshine Volleyball Club
 
» About Lauren: Has four brothers…Brother Zachary played basketball at USC and brother Alex played lacrosse at USC…Mother, Kerry played water polo and volleyball at Brock University…Enjoys spending time with family and friends, visiting family in Canada (she is also Canadian), fishing and going to the beach.
 
» High School: All-CIF selection in 2022-23…Received the team's Most Hardworking Award for 2022-23…Helped the Sailors to a Mission League Championship and CIF Championship in 2021…Mission League Co-Champions (2022)…Recorded 898 career assists and 85 aces at Marymount.
 
» From Coach Luyties:
"Lauren has an excellent volleyball touch. Her sets look easy to hit and difficult for the block to read, which is just what you want. She's a hard worker always trying to improve and I'm confident with her preparation, she'll be ready to play whenever she's put in a match."

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IRIS CANKO
» 5'5" | Libero | Fr.
» Temecula, Calif. 
» Great Oak HS | Forza1 Volleyball Club
» Political Science Major
 
» About Iris: Competed for the Albanian National Team at the 2022 CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship…Enjoys ice skating, reading and hanging out with friends and family…Born in Waterbury, Conn. …Aspires to become a lawyer…Has two younger siblings, Alba and Etan.
 
» High School: CIF All-League Second Team…2019 Las Vegas Classic and 2022 Red Rock Rave Championships with Forza1.
 
» From Coach Luyties:
"Iris plays defense with 100% effort all the time. She adds a lot of depth to our back row substitution possibilities."
 

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NEVADA KNOWLES
» 6' | Setter | Jr.
» Ventura, Calif.
» Ventura HS | Rise VBC | Ventura College
» International Business Major

» About Nevada: Art, reading, hiking, watching movies, and thrifting are among her favorite hobbies…Aspires to become a business owner in the hospitality and food service industry and also hopes to become a children's author and illustrator…Her dream job would be to become a fashion designer…Mother, Alyssa played volleyball at Cal State Fullerton and Chico State and her twin sister Erin Donaldson played volleyball at Ventura College and Chico State…Has a younger brother, Jackson.
 
» College: Twice named WSC Player of the Year…Two-time All-American (first team in 2022 and second team in 2021)…Led her team to back-to-back WSC Championships…Average 7.10 assists/set, 1.94 digs and 2.68 kills as a sophomore in 2022…High School: Three-time First Team Channel League honoree (2017, 2018, 2019)…Helped the Cougars to a Channel League Championship in 2017.
 
» From Coach Luyties:
"Nevada has a natural instinct for the game. She has all the volleyball skills and a calm demeanor on the court. Nevada wants her teammates and hitters to be the stars, and that's a great attitude for a setter."

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 REAGAN McWHINNEY
» 6' | Outside Hitter | Fr.
» Loveland, Colo.
» Resurrection Christian School | Norco Volleyball Club
» Real Estate and Development Major
 
» About Reagan: Enjoys fishing, swimming, baking, working out and traveling…Grew up on a farm and has several pet cows…Hopes to pursue her volleyball career as long as possible and then focus on commercial/residential development…Has two older brothers, Brett and Luke.
 
» High School: Two-time all-state selection (first team in 2022, second team in 2021)…Three-time all-conference honoree (first team as a junior and senior, second team as a sophomore)… Named RCS Female Athlete of the Year as a senior (2022)…Helped her team to a Patriot League Championship and perfect 10-0 record in 2020…Three-time Regional Champions (2020, 2021, 2022)…State Semi Finalist 2022 (farthest postseason run in school history).
 
From Coach Luyties:
"Reagan has a quick arm that can make her a difficult hitter to stop. I believe she's going to keep improving quickly the more she trains at a high level. I'm excited to see how good she can be."
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.