BROOKINGS – South Dakota State women's basketball head coach Aaron Johnston announced Tuesday that Rylie Cascio Jensen will join the Jackrabbits’ program.

Cascio Jensen, who played her freshman year at Nebraska this past season, will play immediately for SDSU and have three years of eligibility with the Jackrabbits.

"We are thrilled to welcome Rylie and her family to our women's basketball program and South Dakota State University," Johnston said. "She's had an accomplished career to this point and we believe she has a very bright future wearing yellow and blue. Jackrabbit fans will enjoy watching her playmaking ability and competitive spirit on the court this fall."

A 5-foot-10 guard, Cascio Jensen appeared in all 29 games for the Huskers as a freshman, averaging 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Her best outing of the year came against Penn State when she registered 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, and sank all seven of her shots at the free-throw line. Cascio Jensen made 11 consecutive free throws to close the season and led the Huskers with a .824 free-throw percentage.

She was the Nebraska Gatorade High School Player of the Year as a senior in 2015-16 after averaging 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game for Fremont High School. She led the Tigers to the state tournament, helping the team finish 20-4.

As a junior, she was named second-team All-Nebraska and earned second-team Class A honors in 2014-15. She helped lead the Tigers to a 16-7 record while finishing just one game short of a second-straight Class A state tournament berth. Cascio Jensen closed the season averaging 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Cascio Jensen transferred from Bellevue East High School to Fremont prior to her sophomore season. She led an instant turnaround in the Tiger program, as Fremont earned a state tournament berth and finished with a 22-4 record in 2013-14 and earned honorable-mention Class A all-state accolades.

Cascio Jensen joins incoming freshmen Tylee Irwin, Myah Selland and Lindsey Theuninck.

Volleyball

BROOKINGS – South Dakota State head volleyball coach Nicole Cirillo announced Tuesday that Payton Richardson has joined the program.

"Payton will add not only depth, but also college experience to our middle hitter position this fall," Cirillo said. "Her quickness, jumping and experience will have a great impact in our gym."

Richardson is a 6-foot junior middle hitter from Ypsilanti, Mich., and played the last two seasons at Kentucky State University. She helped the team to back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and was named to the 2016 all-league second team and was a two-time all-tournament pick.

Richardson led the Thorobreds in hitting percentage and blocking both seasons while helping the team to their third SIAC regular-season and tournament titles and to the 2016 NCAA Division II Tournament.

As a sophomore, she ranked sixth in hitting percentage (.262) in the SIAC, and averaged 2.20 kills and 0.51 blocks per set while collecting 301 kills, 20 solo blocks and 50 block assists. Richardson also had 13 matches with 10-or-more kills.

At Ann Arbor Huron High School, Richardson set the school record for blocks in a season (169) and a career (235). She also helped the team to back-to-back district championships.