SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco State Volleyball Head Coach
Matt Hoffman has announced the addition of seven student-athletes to the program for the 2021 season.
"We are excited to add this class. Recruiting virtually during the pandemic definitely provided some obstacles and we had to explore new ways to evaluate and get to know student-athletes and their families," said Hoffman. "Through it all, we couldn't be happier with the additions we are bringing into the program both as volleyball players and as people."
The seven new student-athletes will join the four student-athletes who missed their true freshman season due to the pandemic in 2020, as well as a veteran core that includes All-CCAA selections
Drew Morris,
Jessica Haynie, and
Payton Jensen. The Gators are coming off a 16-11 season and are eyeing a third consecutive trip to the CCAA Championships.
Cynthia Beall was a four-year varsity player at Alameda High School. The libero/defensive specialist was named West Alameda County Conference All-League Second Team as a junior and was an Honorable Mention as a sophomore. The two-time captain led Alameda to an undefeated WACC/Shoreline League Championship in 2017-18 and helped Alameda to the NCS Division II semifinals and CIF regional semifinals in 2019-2020. Beall was a four-year NCS President's List Member (4.0 GPA) and will major in Cinema at SF State.
Chloe Henning racked up the honors at St. Francis, where she was named to the All-Metro League First Team and All-Delta League. The 5-foot-11 middle blocker was the 2019 league leader in blocks and hitting percentage. Henning graduated with honors and will study Political Science at SF State.
Izzy Issak joins the Gators as a sophomore, having competed her freshman year at Foothill College, where served as a captain. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter earned First Team All-Conference Honors, led the team in kills, and finished top ten in the state for total points. Issak prepped at Los Gatos HS, where she was a three-year varsity starter. Issak plans to study History at SF State.
A 5-foot-6 libero/defensive specialist, Nicole Kimura lettered at Mililani High School and played club for Spike and Serve Volleyball Club. The Hawai'i native is transferring from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she did not compete. Kimura plans to study Psychology at SF State.
A 6-foot-1 senior right side/middle blocker transferring from Biola, Bekah Roth will play her fifth season with the Gators. The San Jose, California native was an All-PacWest Second Team selection in 2019. She appeared in 108 career matches for Biola and has 693 career kills (1.8 kills/set) and 933.5 career points (2.43 points/set). Roth prepped at Valley Christian High School and will study Civil Engineering at SF State.
Another 6-foot-1 middle blocker,
Stevie Shaughnessey was the starting varsity middle her junior and senior seasons at Tesoro High School. Shaughnessey helped Tesoro to league championships in consecutive seasons and was twice named the team's Most Improved Player. The Mission Viejo, California native graduated as class valedictorian and will study Communications at SF State.
A 6-foot outside hitter,
Alhana Velasquez prepped at Granada Hills Charter High School. The Northridge, California native was named First Team All-West Valley League in 2018 and 2019. She plans to study Interior Design at SF State.
