Women's Volleyball | 7/2/2019 5:58:00 PM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University volleyball coach Steve Hendricks announced the signing of Brianna Benito, Luana Bulara and Nailah Landon to National Letters of Intent on Tuesday.

"We are thrilled to add these three young women to our family. I think they're quality people, good teammates and will contribute on the court, but also in our locker room culture that we have set," Hendricks said. "At one point or another I think they will all contribute next year at different times. Luana and Brianna bring us great ball-control and defense in the back row. Nailah gives us height and depth in the middle," Hendricks added.

Benito, is a 5-foot-6 freshman from Tampa, Florida who lettered three years at Academy of the Holy Names and was their 2018 team MVP. During her high school career she accumulated 313 kills, 705 digs and 86 aces helping lead her team to a 49-25 record while earning Hillsborough County Honorable Mention in 2017 & 2018. 

"The small school environment really stood out to me during my visit as well as the location in beautiful Miami Shores. I can't wait to play for such a great program that competes in one of the toughest conferences in the country," Benito said.

Bulara, is a 5-foot-4 freshman libero from Curitiba, Brazil who moved to Granite City, Illinois in 2016. Before enrolling at Gateway Christian Academy, Bulara earned numerous awards in the south of Brazil going back to 2014 when she was named the player of the year in the state of Paraná. She was also named Paraná's best setter for three consecutive years from 2013-2015. During her prep career in the states, she played for a club named C2 VBC and was named defensive player of the year in 2017 and 2018.

"Barry is a great university because of both their academics and athletics," Bulara said. "Barry gives me everything that I am looking for as a student-athlete."

Landon, is a 5-foot-11 freshman from Westchester, Illinois who lettered three years at IC Catholic Prep playing volleyball, basketball and track & field. The tri-sport athlete earned Metro Suburban All-Conference Honors from 2016-18. The (MSC) is an organization of 14 high schools in northern Illinois, representing seven communities in that part of the state. 

"I chose BarryU because when I was on my visit, everyone made me feel at home. From the coaches, to the players on the team, you could see that everyone has the same vision and wants to give it their all," Landon said.

Four players will round out the 2019 signing class, with the fourth already having signed in January. The Bucs added talented junior college transfer, Viktoria Velika. Velika is a 6-foot-2 outside-hitter/right side from Hlinne, Slovakia who led Navarro College to a school-best 38-7 record, the No. 3 NJCAA ranking and an Elite Eight finish in its first-ever NJCAA Volleyball Tournament appearance in 2018.