SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Volleyball head coach Beth Launiere welcomes the addition of three new Utes ahead of the 2025 season. Joining the program in 2025 will be transfers Leah Wilton-Laboy (Oklahoma) and Neea-Maria Joki (Clemson), along with incoming freshman Lana Mijacic, a national champion from Serbia. The trio will join the incoming class of Kate Field, Dyborrah Johnson, McKenna Payne and Devyn Wiest, who signed with Utah in the fall.
“We’re excited to add Leah and Neea-Maria, as well as Lana to our already strong signing class,” said head coach Beth Launiere. “It’s a huge advantage to have five of our seven newcomers for the 2025 roster joining us this January. These additions are a group of great athletes and talented players. While we lost a lot of seniors from our historic 2024 season, we believe the talent level of the 2025 team will be high, and getting this group into our system now will pay big dividends next fall. We’re excited to get started!”
Leah Wilton-Laboy | 5-8 | Setter | San Rafael, Calif. | Oklahoma (Marin Catholic HS)
After spending her first two seasons at nearby Utah State, Wilton-Laboy comes back to the Beehive State having spent the 2024 season at the University of Oklahoma. During her one season in Norman, Wilton-Laboy appeared in 13 matches, recording 157 assists to go with 45 digs. She tallied five service aces, finishing with two double-doubles on the year.
During her two seasons at Utah State, she appeared in 64 matches and made 61 starts for the Aggies. She led the Aggies in assists in back-to-back seasons, recording 685 as a freshman in 2022 and 628 as a sophomore in 2023. In each of her two seasons at Utah State, she averaged more than five assists per set, logging 20+ assists in 39 matches. During her freshman campaign, she was twice named Mountain West Freshman of the Week (Aug. 29 & Oct. 31).
She is the daughter of CJ and Melissa LaBoy, and has two younger brothers.
Neea-Maria Joki | 6-0 | Outside Hitter | Tampere, Finland | Clemson
Joki she was a member of the Finnish Junior National team, where she was selected for the Finnish National Team camp in both 2022 and 2023. Joki appeared in all 31 matches for Clemson in 2024, making 20 starts, where she led the team with 27 aces and tallied at least one ace in 14 contests. Joki amassed 223 total kills on the season,…
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