Long Beach State University Athletics
LBSU Women's Volleyball Adds Four to Incoming Class
4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 17, 2017
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Long Beach State women's volleyball head coach Brian Gimmillaro has announced the addition of four recruits to the incoming 2017 class. The Beach welcomes in Division I transfers Kristyna Adamcikova (San Francisco) and Emma Kirst (Utah), along with local high school products Gina Lipscomb (Esperanza HS) and Fayth Rascon-Ryn (Redondo Union HS). These four student-athletes join the three recruits who signed National Letters of Intent last week, completing Long Beach State's 2017 signing class.
"I'm very pleased with the recruiting class for 2017," said Gimmillaro of the seven incoming players. "It is one of the strongest classes we've had in many years. I'm excited about working with our two outstanding transfers and some very talented freshmen. The combination of experience and talent will make for an exciting season."
Kristyna Adamcikova (6'0", Outside Hitter, University of San Francisco)
Adamcikova was a West Coast Conference All-Freshman team selection after leading the Dons with 3.42 kills per set last season, a number that ranked eighth in the conference. She was also third in the conference with 0.31 aces per match. The native of Opava, Czech Republic had four 20-plus kill performances, led by a season-high 27 against Brown on Sep. 10. She also has extensive international playing experience for the Czech Republic, playing both indoors and on the beach.
"Kristyna was most of the offense at her previous school last year," Gimmillaro said. "She is an accomplished all-around player; she's an outside hitter and also a very, very good beach player."
Emma Kirst (6'4", Outside Hitter, University of Utah)
Kirst comes to Long Beach State as a redshirt junior from Utah, where she was a consistent contributor for the Utes on the outside. She played in 30 of Utah's 32 matches last season, posting a season-best eight kills at Oregon on Nov. 9. She also had seven kills and hit .375 in a match at Washington State on Oct. 16. Kirst is from Las Vegas, Nev. and attended Bishop Gorman High School. She was a PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace Top 150 selection and she was named to the Nevada All-State Academic Team.
"Emma is a very good player," said Gimmillaro. "She can start on the left or the right for us. She has great experience, good success and is a very accomplished player. She is a very good hitter, a very good blocker and a good athlete."
Gina Lipscomb (6'0", Outside Hitter, Esperanza High School)
Lipscomb was an All-CIF performer at nearby Esperanza High School, leading her team to a 29-8 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the Division 2 playoffs as a senior. She played club for Club H Volleyball in Huntington Beach and is also an accomplished player on the sand, playing club for Elite Beach Volleyball.
"Gina is a great competitor," Gimmillaro said. "She is incredibly determined to be successful in college. She is physically strong and will play outside for our team, and also is a very good beach player."
Fayth Rascon-Ryn (5'10", Defensive Specialist, Redondo Union High School)
Rascon-Ryn comes to Long Beach State from nearby powerhouse Redondo Union High School, where she won a CIF State championship as a junior. She is a primary defensive specialist but also played outside hitter in high school. She is also a product of the Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club.
"Fayth is a defensive specialist from a long line of good defensive players to come out of Club Mizuno Long Beach," said Gimmillaro. "She is a local player who will add her skill to our back row play."
These four incoming student-athletes join Mina Andjelkovic, Radi Marinova and Monika Simkova to complete Long Beach State's 2017 signing class.
