Alaska high school stars Indy Kmet, Sophie Tapley and Vaiula Leaoa signed with the Seawolves.
After leading the UAA volleyball team to a share of the GNAC title, coach Stacie Meisner has built on that pedigree by landing three high school champions as part of the 2026 recruiting class.
Cook Inlet Conference champion Indy Kmet of South Anchorage, Class 3A state champion Sophie Tapley of Kenai Central and Class 2A state champion Vaiula Leaoa of Unalaska have all signed with the Seawolves, the school announced Friday.
“We are fortunate to live in a state with great coaching at the developmental and high school levels, which has been proven by the contributions of high-level Alaskans who have come through our program,” Meisner said in a statement. “We are thrilled that Indy, Ula and Sophie have decided to continue the tradition and welcome them to the Seawolf family.”
Kmet, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, averaged 4.5 kills per set with a career-high .398 attack percentage for South, one of the premier Class 4A programs in the state.
Kmet was the MVP at this season’s prestigious Dimond/Service tournament and finished her three-year varsity career with 1,119 kills and 779 digs while surpassing the century mark in aces and total blocks.
“Indy is a strong athlete who we had the opportunity to work with at camp over the summer,” Meisner said. “She is incredibly coachable and a great all-around player with a lot of potential for continued improvement. She has impressive instincts on defense and puts up a big block in the front row. We are excited to see what she will bring to the table next fall to only increase the physicality of our roster.”
Kmet spikes one off the Dimond block. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
A 5-8 outside hitter, Tapley led the Kenai Kardinals to their third 3A state championship in four seasons this year, earning Outstanding Hitter and all-tournament honors.
She averaged 4.6 kills on a .314 attack percentage and finished her three-year varsity career with 1,415 kills, 892 digs, 196 total blocks and 100 aces.
“Sophie is a springy, left-handed attacker who sees the court well and plays an aggressive game. Her size is deceiving as she jumps incredibly well and has a very fast arm on her attack,” Meisner said. “We look forward to seeing how she will develop and continue to grow.”
Tapley will join former Kenai teammate Emma Beck on the Seawolves. Beck, the 2023 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year, just wrapped up her freshman season.
Tapley didn’t start playing volleyball until seventh grade. Now she’s on her way to UAA. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
The third signee is Leaoa, a 6-foot outside hitter, who finished a legendary career at Unalaska last month, leading the Raiders to a second consecutive 2A state title and a 39-match win streak to end her career.
The Outstanding Hitter award-winner at this year’s state tournament, she ripped 19 kills in the title-match sweep of Susitna Valley.
“Ula is a really special player out of Dutch Harbor,” Meisner said. “It’s not often we see a player of her caliber coming from rural Alaska, and we are thrilled that she wanted to join our program.
She is already very athletic and physical, with a big jump and a heavy arm swing. She also came to camp in July, so we got to work directly with her, and I believe her ceiling is going to be incredibly high.”
The Seawolves are coming off a 23-6 season in which they qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished the season ranked No. 24 nationally among Division II teams.
Taller than her high school teammates, Leaoa is easy to spot. Photo courtesy of Epifania Tasele Hikurani
