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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team signed 12 incoming freshmen to its 2012-13 recruiting class as announced today by interim head coach Marcie Klebanow.

"Our 2012 recruiting class includes a highly talented group of soccer athletes," Klebanow said. "Each player brings a different facet to the game that is going to add a new creative dimension to our team. All of our incoming players possess a driven work ethic, speed in the attack and are skillful on the ball, which are qualities we look for in our athletes. They will make an immediate impact on the team in the fall and blend in well with our returners, to form a strong squad for the 2012 season."

A quartet of Spartan recruits hail from the soccer rich state of North Carolina, including a pair of Courtney's in Courtney Deblois and Courtney Reilly and a pair of club teammates in Cassidy Winchester and Hailey Venable.

Deblois is a forward and outside midfielder at Terry Sanford High School, scoring 44 goals and recorded 13 assists prior to her senior year of play. She is a three-time all-conference selection, a two-time all-region honoree, while winning the NCHSAA Student-Athlete Award seven times. The Fort Bragg, N.C., native is a forward for the Triangle Futbol Club 94 Navy team. She was chosen for the 2011 North Carolina Olympic Development (ODP) Pool and earned 2011 ODP Sub Regional honors in Gainesville, Ga., in January.

Reilly is center midfielder and forward at Lake Norman High School, playing four seasons on the varsity squad under Jon Mertes and Sid Foushee. She has helped the team to a 62-7-3 record in her first three years of play, scoring 20 goals and tallying 18 assists. The Wildcats reached the North Carolina state quarterfinals Reilly's sophomore and junior years, finishing in ninth and fifth places, respectively. At Lake Norman, she earned all-conference and all-region accolades as a junior, while being a three-time NCHSAA Scholar Athlete. The Mooresville, N.C., native is also an active member of her high school FCA huddle and serves as Vice President of the Eco-Friendly Generation Club.

Reilly plays club soccer for the 93' Predators Charlotte Soccer Academy under Adam Denton and Ashu Saxena for three years. The team won the 2009 North Carolina State Championship, attended the ECNL Regionals in 2009 and 2010, played internationally in Germany and Denmark in 2008 and 2009, while also winning the DANA Cup Championship in 2009 and the Lions Cup Championship in 2008 and 2009.   

Winchester is a forward and center back at Bandy's High School, tallying 71 goals and 10 assists heading into her senior season. She is a three-time all-conference and all-region selection, earning all-state honors her junior season. The Sherrills, N.C., native plays center back for the Lake Norman 93 Eclipse. Her club team ranks fourth in the state of North Carolina.

Venable also plays for the Lake Norman 93 Eclipse, playing center midfield and the forward positions. At Lake Norman, the team finished first in the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA) Premier league and reached the NCYSA State Cup Semi-Finals. The Cherryville, N.C., native also is a four-year center midfielder for the varsity squad at Shelby High School, serving as captain. She has earned all-state, all-region and all-conference honors, while receiving her team's Coaches Award. Venable is also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club.  

The Spartans also signed the Pennsylvania duo of Alexa Hone and Cassandra Yost. Hone is a midfielder and forward at Council Rock North High School, where she has been a four-year starter on the varsity team. As an Indian, she was an all-league third team honoree and earned her team's Most Spirited Player Award. The Newtown, Pa., native also plays on the Yardley Makefield Soccer (YMS) club team in the outside midfield position.

Yost is a forward for Northwestern Lehigh High School, scoring 25 goals and recording 20 assists throughout her first three years of play. The Tigers are three-time league qualifiers and three-time district qualifiers, being district finalists in 2011 to qualify for the state tournament. The New Tripoli, Pa., native scored the league-winning goal for Northwestern Lehigh in 2010. Yost serves as secretary for her high school Key Club, coordinating the organization's blood drives. She is the vice president for the Leo Club, a community service organization, and is an officer for the Friends for Life. She also plays for the Lehigh Valley United Golden Lions under Mike McNeish as a defensive player. Yost is captain of her club team, which won the Bethesda Tournament three-straight years and reached the 2011 Pennsylvania State Cub Semifinals. She also made the ODP U15 team.

Upstate will add two athletes from the Peach State to the 2012 roster as Kenzie Major hails from Rome, Ga., and Tamaya Tompoe calls Buford, Ga., home. Major played for the Darlington Soccer Academy at the center midfield and forward positions. She led her team in goals scored, while named team MVP during her junior and senior years.

Tompoe is a midfielder at Duluth High School, recording seven goals and five assists. She earned her team's Coach's Award and Best Midfielder Award. Tompoe also plays midfield for the Atlanta Fire United, scoring two goals and giving out three assists.

The Spartans' in-state recruit comes from Fort Mill, S.C. Ellen Bright is a goalkeeper at Nation Ford High School, going 9-1 in region play last year to tie for first-place. The goalie recorded eight region shut outs and the squad advanced to the third round of the region tournament. With the Falcons, Bright received the Coach's Award in 2009 and was named the 2011 Overall MVP. She plays with fellow signees Winchester and Venable on the North Carolina based Lake Norman 93 Eclipse club team. Bright's club squad won the 2011 North Carolina Premiere League and reached the State Cup Final Four.

The remaining three Upstate recruits come by way of Florida, Maryland and Virginia. Haley Gethin is a midfielder at Viera High School from Melbourne, Fla. Gethin's older sister Erin is a member of the Upstate women's cross country and women's track & field teams. Playing for Viera High, she earned the Best Offensive Award, while, like her sister, earning her school's Most Outstanding Freshman Runner and MVP honors for the girl's cross country team. The younger Gethin also plays for the Space Coast United club team in the midfield.

Shauna Kain is a forward at Loudoun County High School, scoring 23 goals and posting 15 assists. The Raiders were the 2010 Virginia State Runners-Up. Kain snagged 2011 Second Team All-District Player accolades. The Leesburg, Va., native was an ODP Regional and State Team member in 2010 and 2011. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Keyettes Club and FEA. Kain also plays for the Loudoun93G Red club team in the midfielder and forward positions, where she ranks 13th in the state.

Melanie Hovencamp rounds out the 12-member Spartan recruiting class. She plays midfielder and forward at Poolesville High School in Poolesville, Md. She is the team captain for the Falcons. She earned Honorable Mention in the Maryland Gazette and is a four-time Minds in Motion Scholar Athlete Award recipient. Hovencamp was also a member of the Poolesville High track & field team, receiving the Falcon Award for Track in 2009. She plays forward for the Maryland Nick Rush 94 club team.