Lopes Volleyball Announces Recruiting Class – Part 2 of 3

Lopes freshman Hannah Coin attacks from the outside during a practice in the LCC Wellness Center.

Lamar product, international transfer bring experience

While the Lamar Community College Runnin’ Lopes volleyball team has only seven returning players, it will boast a total of eight sophomores during the 2016 season.

A group of mature and unified freshmen will add to the team’s strong leadership.

Lamar High School graduate Hannah Coin, a 5-foot, 10-inch freshman outside hitter, adds on-court talent and an understanding of life in Lamar.

“Hannah is simply a good volleyball player, and a good kid, regardless of where she’s from,” Lopes head coach Dante Geoffrey said. “That she lives in town and is a great ambassador of Lamar and LCC to some of our far-flung players is an added bonus.”

Hannah grew up a fan of Lopes Volleyball and attended games as a child. Now she is an integral member of the LCC program.

Larissa Francisco is the newest Lope with the most amount of miles between herself and home. A native of Sao Paolo, Brazil, Francisco joins the Lopes by way of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where she played and studied as a freshman.

“When Larissa reached out to ask about a playing opportunity (assistant) Coach (Alexa) Gerber and I had two discussions,” Geoffrey said. “First was, ‘Can we get her?’ Second was, ‘We’d be stupid not to try.’”

Larissa played sparingly for the Badgers in the early parts of 2015 due to injury, but the 5-foot, 10-inch outside/right-side hitter finished the season strong with three double-digit kill matches, including a team-high 10 kills against eventual national champion College of Southern Idaho.

“Larissa gives us another terminal option from the pin,” Geoffrey said. “She’s seen the best the NJCAA has to offer and we believe she adds tremendous value to our team. Not to mention she’s a delight to talk to.”

Kyndra Konig is another exciting weapon for the Lopes offense. Konig is a 5-foot, 7-inch outside hitter from Briggsdale and Weldon Valley High School. She most recently played for X-Statics Volleyball Club in Fort Morgan.

“Kyndra is a player who we are very happy, and almost relieved, to have on our team,” Geoffrey said. “She had options elsewhere, at bigger schools in bigger cities, but after lots of good discussion we know we’re a great fit for each other and we know she’s coming to LCC for all the right reasons.”

Katelyn Stegman didn’t come from another country, but the Hayden, Idaho, product will be one of seven non-Coloradans to don the Lopes uniform in the fall. It was farther than the 5-foot, 3-inch setter from Out of System Volleyball (Spokane, Washington) had planned on moving, but some Colorado roots, a strong nursing program and a chance to continue her volleyball career drew Katelyn to LCC.

“Katelyn is a natural setter and possesses the proper mindset for the position,” Geoffrey said. “She revels in the opportunity to run the offense and let her teammates shine. She knows what being a setter means, and while a great deal of importance is rightfully placed on the technical side of things, the mental aspect of setting is a huge piece to the puzzle.”

Devine Hoskie is an all-purpose player who has helped each of her teams in countless ways. The 5-foot, 7-inch native of Tuba City, Arizona, played for the Shonto Starlings VBC and is a graduate of Greyhills Academy. Whether playing on the outside, middle, right side or in the back row, Hoskie was always one of her team’s leaders, and was the one teammates looked upon in crucial situations.

“Hoskie comes from a volleyball family,” Geoffrey said. “Her uncle coached her club and she understands what it takes to buy in to a successful program. She’s going to fit in well with what we’re trying to do here.”

The Lopes will finish announcing their recruiting class next week.  To learn more about Lopes Volleyball including the full roster, schedule and more, visit golopes.com/sports/wvball.