CLEVELAND, Ohio – Following a successful 2017 campaign, Cleveland State volleyball head coach Chuck Voss has announced his recruiting class for the upcoming 2018 season, with six student-athletes planning to attend Cleveland State University beginning next fall.
MacKenzie Conner (Centerville, Ohio), Christina Grecol (Strongsville, Ohio), Aja Knott (Cincinnati, Ohio), London Portis (Akron, Ohio), and Lindsey Tout (North Royalton, Ohio) will enter the 2018 season as true freshmen with fours years of eligibility remaining, while Katie Jorn (Derby, Kansas) will join the Vikings as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
MacKenzie Conner | Defensive Specialist | Centerville, Ohio
High School: Named the 2017 Greater Western Ohio Conference and District Player of the Year as a senior…Earned First Team All-GWOC honors as a junior and senior…Two-time GWOC Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman and junior…Named to the All-GWOC Second Team as a freshman…Helped Centerville High School capture two GWOC Championships during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns…Also played club volleyball for Elevation.
Academics: Plans on majoring in criminology…Named to the Honor Roll as a junior and senior.
Voss on Conner: "MacKenzie is a strong back row player who has grown up playing beach volleyball. She has great vision and court skills, and is also a leader on the court and will challenge for playing time immediately."
Christina Grecol | Setter | Strongsville, Ohio
High School: Named the Greater Cleveland Player of the Year as a senior…Three-time First Team All-District and First Team All-Greater Cleveland Conference honoree…Earned Third Team All-Ohio honors…Named the 2017 Strongsville High School MVP…Finished her high school career with over 2,000 total assists…also played club volleyball for Cleveland Volleyball Company.
Academics: Plans on majoring in health science/speech and hearing…Four-year Scholar-Athlete.
Voss on Grecol: "Christina is one of the most talented setters we have ever signed in our program. She is a great leader on the court and plays with a passion that will no doubt fit right in with our team. Despite coming off ACL surgery, Christina has been able to adjust to collegiate life and settle in with the team as a 2018 Spring Semester enrollee."
Katie Jorn | Setter | Derby, Kansas
High School: Four-year starter at Derby High School…Owns Derby High School career records for assists (2,682) and service aces (136)…Three-time All-Arkansas Valley honoree – Honorable Mention as a sophomore, Second Team as a junior, and First Team as a senior…Named All-Wichita Metro and All-State Honorable Mention as a senior…Also finished with 1,216 digs on her career…Helped Derby to a league championship as a freshman and a trio of sub-state runner-up finishes as a freshman, sophomore and junior…Also played club volleyball for Wichita Volleyball Academy…Two-time Jr. Nationals – American qualifier.
Junior College: Finished her two years at Hutchinson Community College with 1,733 total assists – a mark that ranks fifth in program history…Helped the Blue Dragons to a 27-14 finish as a sophomore, placing second in the Jayhawk West and winning the Region VI Tournament title…Named First Team All-Jayhawk West and All-Region VI as a sophomore.
Academics: Plans on majoring in health science/pre-veterinarian…Named to the National Honor Society…Earned Kansas Volleyball Association All-Academic First Team honors.
Voss on Jorn: "Katie comes to Cleveland State with two years of collegiate experience, which will help her make an impact on our team from the beginning. With her experience and leadership skills, she will be a great asset for us from the first day she steps on campus."
Aja Knott | Middle Hitter | Cincinnati, Ohio
High School: Earned All-Greater Miami Conference First Team honors…Picked up Eastern Cincinnati Conference Best Defensive Player accolades after ranking second in the league for blocking…Named the Enquirer High School Athlete of the Week…Also played club volleyball for NKYVC.
Academics: Plans on majoring in allied sports profession…Named to the Princeton High School Honor Roll.
Voss on Knott: "Aja is just coming into her own on the volleyball court, she played high competitive club volleyball for the first time this past year, and her growth curve has been tremendous. She has the drive to be a great player, and I'm anxious to see her compete in our gym on a daily basis."
London Portis | Outside Hitter | Akron, Ohio
High School: Named All-North Coast League First Team and All-District Second Team…Earned Archbishop Hoban High School MVP honors…Also played club volleyball for Nova Juniors.
Academics: Plans on majoring in early childhood education.
Voss on Portis: "London is a strong athlete who is a terminator, and she will definitely turn some heads in the gym. She has the potential to help our team this fall in a variety of positions and we are very excited to see what she can bring this fall."
Lindsey Tout | Defensive Specialist | North Royalton, Ohio
High School: Four-year letterwinner at North Royalton High School…Three-time First Team All-Suburban League honoree…Earned All-District honors three times – Honorable Mention as a sophomore and First Team as a junior and senior…Named All-Ohio Honorable Mention as a junior, while also picking up AVCA Phenom accolades…Named to the AVCA Senior Watchlist…Also played club volleyball for Cleveland Volleyball Company…Three-time OVR Champions…Three-time national qualifier.
Academics: Plans on majoring in biology/pre-medicine…Named to the National Honor Society…Will graduate high school Summa Cum Laude…Phi Beta Kappa honoree…Involved with Student Council, Suburban League Leadership Team and Chick-fil-a Leader Academy.
Voss on Tout: "Lindsey is a great back row player who also has the ability to be a great leader on the court. She comes from a strong club program and has played libero at a high level for a long time. She will definitely challenge for playing time right away this fall."