ATLANTA, Ga. – The Atlanta Vibe added five players through the 2024 Pro Volleyball Draft, headlined by two first-round picks – Merritt Beason and Khori Louis. The draft was held virtually, having teams tune in to divvy up 40 of the top collegiate athletes.
Round 1, Pick 1 (No. 1 Overall)
Merritt Beason| 6’4″ Opposite Hitter, Nebraska
Beason comes to Atlanta from the University of Nebraska, where she garnered an All-Big Ten First Team honor in 2023, an AVCA All-America First Team honorable mention, and an AVCA All-Region Team title in her time spent with the Huskers. Including her previous time at the Florida Gators, Beason has played in 418 sets, averaging .818* blocks and 3.129* kills per set in her collegiate career.
Tallying 366 career blocks, Beason put up 75+ blocks every collegiate season. Prior to Nebraska, Beason competed at the University of Florida, receiving All-SEC First Team in 2022 and All-SEC Freshman Team in 2021.
The 2023 AVCA Region Player of the Year posted up 455 kills, ninth most in school history for a season, and 106 blocks. Finishing her senior season a NCAA runner-up, Beason averaged 3.76 kills per set. In her final Husker season, she averaged 3.703* points per set and a hitting percentage of .246*.
*as of November 25, 2024
Round 1, Pick 6 (No. 6 overall)
Khori Louis| 6’3″ Middle Blocker, Florida State
The Florida native competed at Florida State Seminoles for all five years of eligibility, playing in 105 out of 108 sets her freshman year. In 2021, Louis was named ACC All-Freshman team, leading the team in total blocks that season (106). Her career accolades continued, having AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and All-ACC first team nods in 2023.
In her final career, she averaged a .398* hitting percentage, ranking 22nd in the NCAA. Louis posted up 10+ kills in twelve matches, reaching a career-high in kills against Miami, tallying 20 total kills on 30 attempts. She led her team in total blocks (1.17 per set) and hitting percentage (.398) in her final season with the Seminoles.
This past spring, Louis was selected along with 17 other college athletes to join the USA Volleyball Spring Training Camp.
*as of November 25, 2024
Round 3, Pick 5 (No. 21 overall)
Taylor Head| 5’10” Outside Hitter, Florida State
Head joined Florida State for her last year of eligibility, totaling 275* kills for the Seminoles. Prior to Florida state, Head competed for the Arkansas Razorback, earning two All-SEC First Team nods in 2022 and 2023. Averaging 3.387* kills per set on her career, she led her previous Arkansas team to an Elite Eight appearance in 2023.
The two-time AVCA All-South Region titlist has a total of 1813* on her career, producing a hitting percentage of .231* over her five collegiate seasons.
Playing in a total of 102 sets as a Seminole, in the 2024 season she averaged 3.09* points per set and 2.59* digs per set. The six-rotation outside hitter totaled ten double-doubles* in her final season and reached a career-high 23* digs twice.
*as of November 25, 2024
Round 4, Pick 3 (No. 27 overall)
Mia Tuaniga | 5’9″ Setter, USC
Tuaniga joins the Vibe hailing from the University of Southern California, averaging 9.91* assists her set on her career. She earned two PAC-12 All-Conference team honors in 2022 and 2023 and entered her final season as a Trojan on the 2024 Big Ten Pre-Season All-Conference Team.
The California native has tallied 1003 assists, ranked 43rd in the country for total assists in the 2024 season. Tuaniga collected 854* digs and 199 blocks in her career, playing in 435 sets. Having two AVCA All-Pacific South Region team titles, she posted up 4,312 assists in four years, ranked second in total career assists for a USC setter.
Making history, Tuaniga holds 7th place in the Trojan record books for total service aces, posting up 155* aces in her career. Tuaniga also has the 8th highest assists per set average in USC history, totaling 9.91*. Her average of .32 aces per set placed her 4th in Trojan history.
*as of November 25, 2024
Round 5, Pick 6 (No. 38 overall)
Bianca Bertolino | 6’4″ Outside Hitter, Georgia Tech
Bertolino led the Georgia Tech yellow jackets for four years, earning AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention in 2022 and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2023. Breaking the 1000 mark, Bertolino has posted up 1153* kills on her career, averaging 3.39* points per set.
With an All-ACC Freshman team title, Bertolino averaged a .257 hitting percentage in 2021, having a match-high of 21 kills. In 2023, she earned an All-ACC First Team nod, starting every match in her 2023 season. She led the ACC and sixth in Division I with 62 aces in the season.
The Argentina native stays on the court for all six rotations, having 1,262* digs on her career and totaling 167* aces in her career. Averaging .397* aces per set, Bertolino holds the fifth-highest average as a Yellow Jacket. Bertolino had a reception rate of 97.5% in her 2023 season, the highest reception percentage of any non-libero in Division I.
*as of November 25, 2024
Atlanta Vibe November 25, 2024 Transactions
Atlanta selected Merritt Beason out of the University of Nebraska with the No. 1 (First Round) pick in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft.
Atlanta selected Khori Louis out of Florida State University with the No. 6 (First Round) selection in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft.
Atlanta selected Taylor Head out of Florida State University with the No. 21 (Third Round) overall selection in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft.
Atlanta selected Mia Tuaniga out of the University of Southern California with the No. 27 (Fourth Round) overall selection in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft.
Atlanta selected Bianca Bertolino out of Georgia Institute of Technology with the No. 38 overall pick (Fifth Round) in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft.
A player drafted needed to be at least 18 years or older on the day of the draft and defined as a college player. Athletes who meet these criteria are eligible to be drafted. Players are not required to declare for the draft and anyone drafted may elect to return to college (if she has remaining eligibility) should she choose not to sign with her Pro Volleyball Federation team.
