Michigan State University Athletics
Five to Join Spartan Volleyball in 2018
11/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball coach Cathy George has announced that five student-athletes will join the Spartan volleyball program in the fall of 2018. The signing class includes three players from the state of Michigan: Lauryn Gibbs (Mt. Morris, Mich.), Maura Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Rebecka Poljan (Bath, Mich.) in addition to Virginia native Elena Shklyar (McLean, Va.) and 2015 Louisiana Player of the Year Naya Gros (New Orleans, La.).
"We're very excited about this class," said George. "We are bringing in a group of student-athletes that we really think will fit in with the culture of our program. This class has athleticism, power, and physicality, we have volleyball IQ and court savvy, and we have a group that is strong in the classroom and values a Big Ten education. There is some national-level exposure, four are High School All-Americans, and all have been very high achievers and leaders in their high school or club programs. We're over the moon that these five young women chose to play their collegiate volleyball for Michigan State and look forward to getting them on campus."
- Lauryn Gibbs
Freshman | Defensive Specialist | 5-4 | Mt. Morris, Mich./EA Johnson | Club: Michigan EliteClub: Played for Neil Rucinski of Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy ... Named 2017 AAU All-American, JVA Ultra Ankle All-National Team, 2015 PrepVolleyball All-American, 2015 JVA Dream Team and two-time JVA Watchlist ... Led her team to a third place finish in the 17-Open division at 2017 AAU Nationals and a ninth place finish in the 16-Open division at 2016 AAU Nationals ... Finished ninth in 2015 at USAV Nationals in the open division.
High School: Second Team Under-Armor High School All-America ... Four-time letterwinner at E.A. Johnson Memorial High School ... Nominated for Michigan Miss Volleyball her senior year ... Three-time All-Region and two-time First Team All-League ... Named third team All-State as a sophomore.
Personal: Daughter of Steve and Amy Gibbs ... Lettered in track and tennis in addition to volleyball, earning All-League honors in both sports ... Member of the National Honor Society ... Top ten in class ... Planned pre-med major.
Head Coach Cathy George: A Michigan Miss Volleyball candidate, Lauren is talented force to be reckoned with. She has made a positive impact on every single team she's played for with her work ethic and leadership. Lauryn has a nose for the ball as a defender, a natural platform as a passer, and her high quality second- ball contact puts her hitters in great situations. She always does whatever is asked from her team and is a fiery competitor. She raises the level of any team that she is on, competing for championships year after year in the club scene.
- Naya Gros
(GROSS)
Freshman | Middle Blocker | 6-3 | New Orleans, La./Louise S. McGehee | Club: Louisiana EliteClub: Ranked No. 35 on the Prep Volleyball list of Senior Aces ... Played for Jessica Burke at Louisiana Elite ... Placed first in the USA 2017 Youth A1 Red, Baton Rouge Blast Off, Rajun Cajun Tournament and JVA Kentucky and finished second place in Beast of Atlanta and at Junior Nationals in Dallas ... Also selected for the All-Tournament team in the 18 American division.
High School: Second Team Under Armor High School All-America ... 2015 Louisiana Player of the Year ... Led Louise S. McGehee High School to four straight undefeated district championships ... Also helped McGehee to a Division 5A State Championship and was named MVP for the tournament in 2015 ... Named to the 2017 All-Star team ... Led her team to nine in-season tournament titles ... Selected to the USA Girls Select A1 National Training Team Program, and a two-time USA Girls Select A1 National Training Block selection ... Selected for Nola.com Player of the Week two years running ...
Personal: Daughter of Andrew Gros and Nicole Scott ... Student Body Vice President ... Four-time Community Service Award winner ... Peer Support Leader and Executive Committee Representative ... Planned major is pre-med.
Head Coach Cathy George: "Naya, the Louisiana State Championship MVP her sophomore year, is a tremendous athlete and valued leader on the court. Naya plays with a contagious enthusiasm - she is a fierce competitor and incredibly hard worker. She possesses lightning-fast arm speed and natural footspeed that make her a force to be reckoned with. Naya has been a part of the USA A1 program where she has only raised her level of play, and she has the skill set to step in and contribute to our program right away. "
- Maura Johnson
Freshman | Outside Hitter | 6-4 | Ann Arbor, Mich. / Community | Club: Michigan EliteClub: Named the No. 85 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball ... Played for Neil Rucinski of Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy ... Named to the 2017 All-Tournament Team at the National Junior Classic in Schaumberg, Ill. ... Led her team to a third-place finish in the 17-Open division at AAU Nationals and at JVA Worlds in 2017 ... 2016 AAU Nationals Rising Star ...
High School: Honorable Mention Under Armor High School All-America ... Played scholastically at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, where she earned three varsity letters ... Two-time All-Region honorable mention ... Honorable Mention All-Conference pick ...
Personal: Daughter of Thomas and Nora O'Brien Johnson ... Uncle, Burton Cebulski, lettered in wrestling at Michigan State from 1966-70 ... National Honor Society member ... Planned pre-med major.
Head Coach Cathy George: "Maura is a tremendous blocker with a huge wingspan and the ability to match up against the most elite outsides hitters in her age group. Her versatility has allowed her to play well in all three spots across the net, and she was a six-rotation player for her high school. Her ceiling is incredibly high and her confidence in her abilities grows daily as her growth and improvement continues. Touching 10"6', Molly is an athlete with the potential to be a shut-down blocker at the next level at whichever position she plays."
- Rebecka Poljan
(POLL-jahn)
Freshman | Middle Blocker | 6-2 | Bath, Mich./Lansing Catholic | Club: Far OutClub: Played for Joe Steenhuysen of FarOut in Grand Rapids, Mich. ...
High School: Three-time letter winner and senior captain at Lansing Catholic High School ... Named MVP and to the Lansing State Journal Dream Team in 2016 ... Named to the Laingsburg All-Tournament Team in 2017 ... Three-time All-League, two-time All-District and three-time All-League Academic ... Led the Lansing Catholic Cougars to three league championships and a district championship in 2015 ... Three-time All-League selection in both basketball and softball ... Four-time All-District pick in softball and twice earned All-Region honors.
Personal: Daughter of Rick and Amy Poljan ... Is the fifth of seven children: brothers Richard, David, Anthony, and Boregard and sisters Hillary and Mary ... Was also named All-League three times in basketball and softball ... National Honor Society member ... Completed over 150 hours of community service ... Member of the Work-a-thon planning committee ... A Eucharist Minister, retreat leader and varsity football sideline statistics volunteer ... Spanish club president.
Head Coach Cathy George: "A local standout and hometown favorite, Becka is a three-sport athlete with a huge volleyball ceiling. Many thought she would follow in her mother's footsteps as a softball legend and/or basketball star - but she but fell in love with volleyball and has excelled ever since. Becka is a tremendous teammate who values hard work, culture, and dedication to her team and the program. Her athleticism coupled with her work ethic will ensure that Becka makes an impact on MSU volleyball for years to come. "
- Elena Shklyar
(SHKLAR)
Freshman | Setter | 6-1 | McLean, Va./Langley | Club: Virginia EliteClub: Played for Joseph Ziegler of the Virginia Elite Volleyball Club ... Team captain for six years running ... Club wide assists and service aces leader in 2016 ... Awarded the club's Athlete of the Year in 2016 as well as Elite's Leadership Award in 2017 ... Named to the JVA All-National Team in 2015 and 2017 ... selected to Prep Volleyball's Top 50 Juniors, Prep Volleyball Sophomore 79 pick ...
High School: Honorable Mention Under Armor High School All-America ...Washington Post's All Met 1st team selection...led the team to 3 straight State Tournaments, finishing 2nd in her sophomore year and semi-finalist as a junior. Four-year letterwinner ... Named captain her senior year and MVP her junior year ... Helped Langley to three straight Liberty Conference championships (2015, 2016, 2017) ... Langley won the Northern Virginia Regional Championship in 2015 and was a finalist in 2016 ... Three-time First Team Liberty All-Conference and two-time Conference MVP. 2 time First Team All-State and 2 time All-Region selection in 2015 and 2016, earning Regional MVP honors as a junior in 2016 ... Named to the Richmond Showcase All-Tournament team twice ... Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year finalist in 2016 ... Four-time scholar athlete ...
Personal: Daughter of Dmitry and Jeanne Shklyar ... Has two older brothers, Alec and Jordan ... Mother and father both graduated from Marquette, where Jeanne captained the volleyball and track teams and Dmitry captained the tennis team ... Quill and Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists member ... Member of the Mentor-Mentee program ... Part of Cornerstones program which makes and delivers meals for the local homeless shelter ... Speaks Russian ... Planned Media and Information major.
Head Coach Cathy George: "Elena is an excellent setter with great location and rhythm. She possesses a high volleyball IQ and has been a student of the game for years. It is rare that a young player spends as much time working to understand the nuances of the position by seeking out information and studying film at the level that Elena does. Her leadership and strong mind set works to make her a floor general on every team that she has played on. Her physicality and pure setting skill caught our eye immediately. We're rooting for her as her Langley team is still competing for a state championship. "
