Russ Rose Then (2002): One of the biggest problems we had last year was that we had no lead-up time to deal with the loss of Robyn. Robyn might be one of our most complete players. There are not a lot of 6-3 players that can move as fluidly as she does in the front row and more importantly, in the back row. She has great ball-handling skills, and everything about Robyn this year is going to be based on how she handles some of the challenges associated with her illness. We aree blessed that she wants to play and that she wants to be in the gym working hard and being a part of the team. I think the year away from volleyball reiterated to her how important it was to her and I think she will be someone we can count on to do some specific tasks to help the time. It is important to recognize that Robyn led the Big Ten in blocking as a sophomore and the rally score game places a large premium on blocking. Welcome back!
Russ Rose Now (2025): Robyn’s father was Matt Goukas, a former NBA player and former head coach of the Orlando Magic. So she came from a very athletic family. She went to the same high school as Katie — Mother McAuley — and she played on Sports Performance, a very strong club team. She had good training and good skills, and was a talented attacker and blocker.
Before Penn State: Helped Mother McAuley to the 1997 Class AA State Championship; Named to Volleyball Magazine’s “Fab 50”; Was an AAU All-American; Won the 1998 Nike Challenge Champions; Honored as the Southtown Player of the Week in her junior and senior seasons; A three-time all-conference and two-time all-county selectioin; Ended career with 326 blocks — second on the all-time charts; Named all-area by Sun Times; Garnered Most Valuable Player honors at the Rich East Tournament; Named a high school All-American by Student Sports Magazine in 1998; Named Rookie-of-the-Year at Trinity Prep; All-State as a sophomore; played club ball for Sports Performance, where she was captain during the 1998-99 season; Went 36-2 in her final two years; Team finished third at 1998 nationals in Dallas; Guokas was also a member of the G.C.A.C. All-Academic Team.