Dec. 2, 2003
Lindsey Gray (Olathe East, Kansas), a 6-0 outside hitter and Nikki Kaminiskis (Flagstaff, Ariz.), a 6-3 middle blocker signed national letters of intent to attend Georgia Tech, head volleyball coach Bond Shymansky announced Tuesday.
They join a squad which will return five starters in the 2004 season and is currently No. 11 in the nation.
“This is another great recruiting class for our program,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “We add both size and strength to our front row with Lindsey and Nikki. Besides being dynamic athletes, they both have such great on-court personalities that we know they will fit into our program and boost our program in a number of ways. We are extremely excited about the ability level of both signees in this class.”
Gray, the 2003 Sunflower League Player of the Year set the Olathe East high school record for kills in a season with 423 in 2002. She was named 1st team all-Sun County and all-Johnson county in 2003 and 2002 and also earned all-state honors in 2002. A member of the Team KC club team, Gray participated at the U.S. National A2 training camp during 2002.
“Lindsey is a fantastic athlete who can do it all” said Shymansky. “There are a number of similarities between her and Lynnette Moster in her ability and potential. She hits the ball high and hard and will be a key weapon for our future.”
Kaminskas, the 2003 Grand Canyon Region volleyball most valuable player, is an accomplished player who was featured as the No. 38 college prospect in Prepvolleyball.com’s Top 100 College Prospect list. Kaminskas earned first-team all-state honors in 2003 and was awarded as the Best Blocker at the High Performance volleyball tournament held in the state of Arizona this year. A talented and versatile athlete who was named as the Homecoming Queen of Flagstaff High School, Kaminskas plays for the Arizona Foothills volleyball club and is expected to immediately fill the void due to the graduation of Alexandra Preiss.
“Nikki is one of the best blockers right now in the Class of 2004 and her blocking combined with her aggressive offensive attitude is going to add a nice dimension to our front row,” said Shymansky.
“I’m very pleased with this recruiting class,” said Shymansky. “We’ve signed athletes who are athletically gifted and have a passion for the game which is a fantastic combination. They will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to them being a part of our volleyball family.”
