Sydney Mathison, Caitlin Lonergan, Allyssa Rizzo and Kacee James have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the MSU volleyball program next fall.
Montana State Volleyball Program Welcomes Four Freshmen
12/1/2015 5:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Four high school standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Montana State volleyball program next fall, announced Bobcat head coach JJ Riley, Tuesday afternoon.
Four high school standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Montana State volleyball program next fall, announced Bobcat head coach JJ Riley, Tuesday afternoon.
Signing with the Bobcats are Bozeman product Caitlin Lonergan, a 6-2 outside hitter; Kacee James, a 6-1 opposite hitter from Castor, Alberta; Sydney Mathison, a 5-11 setter from Phoenix; and Allyssa Rizzo, a 5-6 libero/defensive specialist from Crestwood, Illinois.
Lonergan just completed a magical run at the Montana Class AA tournament as she guided Bozeman High School to its first ever state championship. For her efforts, she was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as the Eastern Conference AA Player of the Year.
"Caitlin has grown up a Bobcat, and to add an athlete to our roster that is a part of this community and that loves this University is huge," Riley said. "It is going to be special for her and her family to be able to experience her collegiate career so close to home."
Lonergan is a three-time all-state selection, a three-time all-conference pick and a three-time all-state academic honoree. This past season, she averaged 5.00 kills per set, while also adding 358 digs, 50 blocks and 31 aces. Lonergan finished her career with Hawks with 1,223 kills, 966 digs, 174 blocks and 123 aces. In all, BHS posted an 84-23 mark during her tenure in the Red and Black, including a 26-3 mark this fall.
"Caitlin is a true six rotation outside hitter that can terminate, pass, play defense, and block at a high level," Riley said. "We feel that she has tremendous room for growth as she hasn't been playing volleyball year round. She is a great teammate, has great length, and a controlled competitiveness that is going to be contagious.
"She has shown great commitment already by coming to several of our matches this year to hang out with the team and to be around the program," Riley added. "We love her passion for the Bobcats and for MSU. That passion is going to be a huge driving force in building this program."
Lonergan also lettered in basketball and track and field at BHS. She is the daughter of Kristen and Bob Lonergan.
Kacee James is a relative unknown in volleyball circles, having just picked up the sport in the past few years, playing in the East Central Conference in Alberta. James played for head coach Nancy Tamblyn with the Raiders. Her main sport has been hockey, but Riley sees a big upside for James in volleyball.
"Kacee stood out to us for several reasons," Riley said. "She has a powerful arm that can score points from the right side and she has the potential to be a very good blocker. On top of that, Kacee is used to working hard as she spends her time after school working on a ranch and also coaching a youth hockey team.
"Her parents have done a tremendous job of instilling the values of hard work, integrity, respect, and toughness into Kacee," Riley added. "We look for her to add tremendous value to our culture and program. She grew up playing hockey and just recently started to focus more on volleyball. We think she has great upside and will keep developing once she is solely focused on volleyball."
She is the daughter of Derek and Shawna James.
Sydney Mathison is coming off back-to-back state titles at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. The Thunder compete in the largest division in Arizona high school sports. Desert Vista posted a 41-3 mark during Mathison's tenure with the club. DVHS finished the season ranked No. 1 in Arizona and No. 1 in the nation by Max Preps.
"Sydney is a tremendous athlete, competitor, and someone that has huge upside," Riley said. "She has only been setting for the past couple of years and has already made great strides as she is driven to be her best at everything she does. Not only is she a great setter, but she is a well-rounded player in the sense that she plays great defense, can block, and hit as well.
"This past year she gained valuable experience as the starting setter of one of the top ranked high school teams in the country," Riley said. "Having that experience of running a team at such a high level will help tremendously in building this program. Sydney got a taste of what it takes to win and how to compete at a very high level."
Mathison finished her career with 1,252 assists, averaging 10.7 assists per set. In addition, she posted 286 digs. For her efforts, Mathison was a Tempe All-City Team Honorable Mention honoree and garnered Desert Vista Most improved Player accolades.
"We look for her to come in and compete right away, as well as to help elevate the gym's intensity and focus," Riley said. "She has been raised around a high-level athletic mindset being that her dad played in the NFL and that mindset will serve her and our program well in the future."
An outstanding student and a National Honor Society member, she is the daughter of Bruce and Bonnie Mathison.
Allyssa Rizzo is a senior at Marist High School where she has helped guide the Redhawks to a 41-16 mark during her time on the volleyball court. She is a two-time all-conference selection and served as team captain for two seasons, as well.
"Allyssa brings a ton of passion, fire, and enthusiasm to the program," Riley said. "She is a fierce competitor that is going to help push this program in the right direction.
"Allyssa is the type of person that looks forward to being challenged; that wants new experiences, and wants to be pushed to be her best," Riley said. "She is excited to come across the country to a whole different environment from what she is used to and help us build this program. We are counting on her to really help us from a passing and defensive perspective as well as to ignite some serious passion in our gym."
Rizzo played club ball for the 1st Alliance, one of the most respected programs out of the Chicago area.
"Allyssa comes from winning programs both at the high school and club level, her coaches have a gone a great job of preparing her for this next chapter in her life and we look forward to having her in this program."
She is the daughter of Mike and Kim Rizzo.
"We are very excited to welcome four great athletes and their families to the Bobcat program," Riley said. "Not only have they excelled on the volleyball court, but they are also fantastic students and amazing young ladies."
In other news, Riley said senior Eli Svisco has been granted another year of eligibility after an ankle injury sidelined her for the entire Big Sky Conference season.
2016 Montana State Volleyball Signing Class
Kacee James RS 6-1 Fr Castor, Alberta, Canada/Gus Wetler HS
Caitlin Lonergan OH 6-2 Fr Bozeman, MT/Bozeman HS
Sydney Mathison S 5-11 Fr Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista HS
Allyssa Rizzo L/DS 5-6 Fr Crestwood, IL/Marist HS
Signing with the Bobcats are Bozeman product Caitlin Lonergan, a 6-2 outside hitter; Kacee James, a 6-1 opposite hitter from Castor, Alberta; Sydney Mathison, a 5-11 setter from Phoenix; and Allyssa Rizzo, a 5-6 libero/defensive specialist from Crestwood, Illinois.
Lonergan just completed a magical run at the Montana Class AA tournament as she guided Bozeman High School to its first ever state championship. For her efforts, she was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as the Eastern Conference AA Player of the Year.
"Caitlin has grown up a Bobcat, and to add an athlete to our roster that is a part of this community and that loves this University is huge," Riley said. "It is going to be special for her and her family to be able to experience her collegiate career so close to home."
Lonergan is a three-time all-state selection, a three-time all-conference pick and a three-time all-state academic honoree. This past season, she averaged 5.00 kills per set, while also adding 358 digs, 50 blocks and 31 aces. Lonergan finished her career with Hawks with 1,223 kills, 966 digs, 174 blocks and 123 aces. In all, BHS posted an 84-23 mark during her tenure in the Red and Black, including a 26-3 mark this fall.
"Caitlin is a true six rotation outside hitter that can terminate, pass, play defense, and block at a high level," Riley said. "We feel that she has tremendous room for growth as she hasn't been playing volleyball year round. She is a great teammate, has great length, and a controlled competitiveness that is going to be contagious.
"She has shown great commitment already by coming to several of our matches this year to hang out with the team and to be around the program," Riley added. "We love her passion for the Bobcats and for MSU. That passion is going to be a huge driving force in building this program."
Lonergan also lettered in basketball and track and field at BHS. She is the daughter of Kristen and Bob Lonergan.
Kacee James is a relative unknown in volleyball circles, having just picked up the sport in the past few years, playing in the East Central Conference in Alberta. James played for head coach Nancy Tamblyn with the Raiders. Her main sport has been hockey, but Riley sees a big upside for James in volleyball.
"Kacee stood out to us for several reasons," Riley said. "She has a powerful arm that can score points from the right side and she has the potential to be a very good blocker. On top of that, Kacee is used to working hard as she spends her time after school working on a ranch and also coaching a youth hockey team.
"Her parents have done a tremendous job of instilling the values of hard work, integrity, respect, and toughness into Kacee," Riley added. "We look for her to add tremendous value to our culture and program. She grew up playing hockey and just recently started to focus more on volleyball. We think she has great upside and will keep developing once she is solely focused on volleyball."
She is the daughter of Derek and Shawna James.
Sydney Mathison is coming off back-to-back state titles at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. The Thunder compete in the largest division in Arizona high school sports. Desert Vista posted a 41-3 mark during Mathison's tenure with the club. DVHS finished the season ranked No. 1 in Arizona and No. 1 in the nation by Max Preps.
"Sydney is a tremendous athlete, competitor, and someone that has huge upside," Riley said. "She has only been setting for the past couple of years and has already made great strides as she is driven to be her best at everything she does. Not only is she a great setter, but she is a well-rounded player in the sense that she plays great defense, can block, and hit as well.
"This past year she gained valuable experience as the starting setter of one of the top ranked high school teams in the country," Riley said. "Having that experience of running a team at such a high level will help tremendously in building this program. Sydney got a taste of what it takes to win and how to compete at a very high level."
Mathison finished her career with 1,252 assists, averaging 10.7 assists per set. In addition, she posted 286 digs. For her efforts, Mathison was a Tempe All-City Team Honorable Mention honoree and garnered Desert Vista Most improved Player accolades.
"We look for her to come in and compete right away, as well as to help elevate the gym's intensity and focus," Riley said. "She has been raised around a high-level athletic mindset being that her dad played in the NFL and that mindset will serve her and our program well in the future."
An outstanding student and a National Honor Society member, she is the daughter of Bruce and Bonnie Mathison.
Allyssa Rizzo is a senior at Marist High School where she has helped guide the Redhawks to a 41-16 mark during her time on the volleyball court. She is a two-time all-conference selection and served as team captain for two seasons, as well.
"Allyssa brings a ton of passion, fire, and enthusiasm to the program," Riley said. "She is a fierce competitor that is going to help push this program in the right direction.
"Allyssa is the type of person that looks forward to being challenged; that wants new experiences, and wants to be pushed to be her best," Riley said. "She is excited to come across the country to a whole different environment from what she is used to and help us build this program. We are counting on her to really help us from a passing and defensive perspective as well as to ignite some serious passion in our gym."
Rizzo played club ball for the 1st Alliance, one of the most respected programs out of the Chicago area.
"Allyssa comes from winning programs both at the high school and club level, her coaches have a gone a great job of preparing her for this next chapter in her life and we look forward to having her in this program."
She is the daughter of Mike and Kim Rizzo.
"We are very excited to welcome four great athletes and their families to the Bobcat program," Riley said. "Not only have they excelled on the volleyball court, but they are also fantastic students and amazing young ladies."
In other news, Riley said senior Eli Svisco has been granted another year of eligibility after an ankle injury sidelined her for the entire Big Sky Conference season.
2016 Montana State Volleyball Signing Class
Kacee James RS 6-1 Fr Castor, Alberta, Canada/Gus Wetler HS
Caitlin Lonergan OH 6-2 Fr Bozeman, MT/Bozeman HS
Sydney Mathison S 5-11 Fr Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista HS
Allyssa Rizzo L/DS 5-6 Fr Crestwood, IL/Marist HS
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballWednesday, January 18
Monday, November 15
Saturday, September 04
Friday, September 03
