Freshman Olivia Klimis, senior Lottie Scully and redshirt junior Ella Wendel will join the Cougars for the 2025 season, Head Coach David Rehr announced May 27.

"We are so excited to announce the final three additions to our 2025 roster,” Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach Taylor McColskey said. “Each of them will add a tremendous amount of value to a team we feel will be very competitive in the fall."

Olivia Klimis, a freshman setter from Oviedo, Florida, lands in Houston after playing high school volleyball for Oviedo High School under Coach Jen Darty and club volleyball for Top Select 18 Elite under Coach Ross Usie. Klimis posted 1,368 assists for Oviedo High, averaging 4.5 per set, while also adding 515 kills, 682 digs and 123 total blocks. She was named Oviedo’s 2024-25 Female Athlete of the Year as well as earning AVCA Second-Team All-America honors in her senior season.

A two-time Indoor Volleyball All-Conference selection, she helped Oviedo reach the Regional Finals of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 FHSAA State Championships. Among her numerous other accolades, Klimis was named to the Fall 2024 PrepVolleyball.com All-Season Super Squad Second Team, was a Fall 2024 Florida Athletic Coaches Association Senior All-Star and was an Under Armour Next Most Valuable Player in the summer of 2024.

In addition to her indoor volleyball high school career, Klimis played beach volleyball for OHS. She was selected as the 2025 Seminole County Beach Player of the Year on top of earning First Team All-Conference honors in 2024 and 2025. She is following in the footsteps of her mother, Allison, who played collegiate volleyball for Alabama from 1997-2001.

Lottie Scully, a senior setter from Binghampton, NY, arrives in Houston following three standout seasons at Binghamton. A three-time All-America East selection, Scully joins the Cougars boasting 2,461 career assists, averaging 8.76 per set, along with 638 digs, 141 blocks and 67 service aces. Scully is coming off an incredible junior season, being selected the America East Setter of the Year and an All-America East First-Team honoree. She led the league in assists with 994, starting in 23 of the team’s 30 matches, while being one of six Bearcats to play in all 30 matches and one of four to play in all 113 of Binghamton’s sets.

In addition to her junior year accolades, Scully was an All-America East Second-Team selection in both 2022 and 2023, becoming Binghamton’s first all-conference setter since 2017. She also helped lead the Bearcats to NIVC appearances in both 2022 and 2024. Prior to her collegiate career, Scully attended Orange High School in Hurdle Mills, N.C., while playing club volleyball for Carolina Edge Volleyball.

Ella Wendel, a middle blocker and redshirt junior from Tulsa, rejoins Houston following a semester at Tulsa. The Pflugerville native became a fixture in Houston’s rotation last season, posting 47 blocks across 64 sets. She ranked second on the team with 0.73 blocks per set while also adding 43 kills and six aces to

her tally. She led Houston in blocks in seven matches during her breakout campaign while making 15 starts during the season.

Wendel had been with Houston since arriving on campus as a freshman in 2022. She made her collegiate debut against McNeese on Aug. 27, 2023, and earned her first collegiate start against SMU on Sept. 14, 2024.