Dena Jarrells, a guard from Dunlow, W.Va., has signed a grant-in-aid to transfer from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to Youngstown State. She will have two years of eligibility remaining as a Penguin after spending three seasons playing for the Mocs.
Jarrells led Chattanooga in 3-pointers, a$$ists and steals in 2021-22, and she was the team's leading scorer against Southern Conference opponents. arrells averaged 10.4 points overall and a team-best 11.4 points in SoCon play in her third season at Chattanooga. She also averaged 2.7 a$$ists and 1.5 steals, and she made a team-leading 57 3-pointers. She ranked among the top 10 in the SoCon in scoring, a$$ists, steals, 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-pointers per game.
As a true sophomore in 2020-21, Jarrells averaged 6.9 points and 2.3 a$$ists while shooting 39.4% from 3-point range, the third-best mark in the SoCon. She was named to the SoCon Coaches All-Freshman Team in 2019-20 when she averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 a$$ists.
Shay Kirby, a guard from Vienna, W. Va., has signed a grant-in-aid to transfer from Austin Peay State University to Youngstown State, YSU head coach John Barnes announced on Monday.
Kirby played in 79 games over three seasons at Austin Peay and scored 548 points while making 126 3-pointers for the Governors. She will have two years of eligibility remaining as a Penguin.
"Shay brings a new dimension to our team that is much needed," Barnes said. "She has great size and athleticism for a perimeter player. Her ability to play pressure defense as well as shoot a high percentage from 3-point range will be invaluable to us next season."
"Shay was a starter and big-time contributor on a 20-win Austin Peay team last season. That experience and success will put her in a great position to help our program take the next step in 2022-23."
Kirby, a 5-foot-10 guard who graduated from Parkersburg H.S., averaged 26 minutes per game in 2021-22 for a Governors squad that went 20-13 and played in the Women's Basketball Invitational. Kirby averaged 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 41.7 percent from the field. She made 47 3-pointers while making 39.6 percent of her attempts from long distance, and she added 20 a$$ists, 22 steals and eight blocks in 30 games, 21 of which she started. Kirby ranked sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-pointers per game, and she was seventh in 3-point field-goal percentage.
As a true sophomore in 2020-21, Kirby averaged 7.5 points and 22.9 minutes per game in 18 contests. She ranked ninth in the OVC in 3-pointers made per game with 1.8 while shooting 35.8 percent from behind the arc. Kirby averaged 6.4 points and was named the OVC Freshman of the Week twice in 2019-20. She made 45 3-pointers that season, which ranked second among all freshmen in the conference and as the third-highest mark ever by an Austin Peay freshman.
