By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information 

COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—Tennessee Tech head volleyball coach Dave Zelenock is pleased to announce the signing of Noni Thompkins to the 2017-18 squad. 

"Noni is a 6-4 middle with incredibly long arms, so she will have an intimidating presence on the court right away," Zelenock remarked. "She is also extremely athletic and can jump much higher than most people, which will make a big impact on our blocking. Her offense is going to come with time. Noni has a lot of work to do on her arm swing, but when she is on she can be undiggable and unblockable. She is the type of middle that the OVC doesn't get to see a lot, so it is always great to get a player like that on the team." 

Thompkins will join the Golden Eagle family from Wesleyan School in Peachtree Corners, Ga. There, she played under the helm of head coach Ted Russell primarily as a middle and right side. 

"I chose Tech because I felt at home when I came on my visit," Thompkins said. "I loved the staff and the players after being with them for only one day, so I knew it was the right fit for me." 

She helped lead her team to a region and state championship her freshman season, before being sidelined her sophomore year due to a knee injury. Thompkins came back strong as a junior and totaled 209 kills and 92 blocks on the season. 

For her senior year, she once again led her team to a region championship. She ended her three-year career tallying 481 kills over 272 sets, while hitting .272. Thompkins also totaled 182 career blocks and 120 service aces. 

Over her three years, she received numerous athletic accolades including being named to the 2016 Under Armor Watch List, Gwinnett Team of the Year, and the State Team of the Year. Thompkins was also selected to participate in the State All-Star game her senior year. 

Noni Danielle Marion Thompkins is the daughter of Howard and Marsha Thompkins. She was born Sept. 30, 1998, and intends to major in nursing while at Tech. 

Club Team: Tsunami 18-1 Elite. 

You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports and Tennessee Tech Women's Volleyball Facebook pages or on Twitter at @TTUGoldenEagles and @TNTechVball.

Story photo by Heidi Lloyd

Head shot by Brian Morgan