Head Coach – Rick Rykse
Rick Rykse begins his fourth season as the head coach at Muskegon Community College and fifth season overall as part of the Jayhawk Volleyball Program since first coming to MCC in 2010.
The 2013 season was one of the most successful in school history as the Jayhawks won the MCAA West Division Championship with a record of 13-1 while also finishing runner-up in the MCCAA State Tournament and Regional Tournament. Their 37-7 overall record kept the Jayhawks ranked in the top five in the nation for the majority of the season with a season high ranking of #3. In recognition of their success, Coach Rykse was selected as MCCAA West Coach of the Year while Sophomore MH Beka German was selected as an NJCAA All-American. A total of six Jayhawks received All-Conference recognition in 2013. Over the past four seasons the Jayhawks have a home record of 27-1 and have had a total of nine players selected as first team All-Conference.
Prior to coming to Muskegon Community College Rick was the Head Coach at Davenport University from 2006-2009 where he started the volleyball program in 2006. During his time at Davenport Rick had nine players receive All-Conference awards and in 2009 he also started a JV program.
From 2001-2005, Rick was the head coach at Ravenna High School. During his time at Ravenna the Bulldogs captured four district titles, three regional titles, three Final 4 appearances, including two State runner-up finishes in Class C. Coach Rykse also received the award as Muskegon Chronicle All-Area Coach of the Year on two occasions. Over the four seasons at Ravenna Rick had eight players receive MHSAA All-State honors.
Rick owns and operates Inside Out Volleyball in Muskegon where he serves as President and General Manager. He is also the club director of the Inside Out Juniors program and serves as the Master Coach overseeing the training of all of the club teams. Rick is also the Tour Director of the Midwest Professional Volleyball Association. The MPVA is a West Michigan-based beach volleyball tour that attracts pro and amateur players from throughout the Midwest.
Rick has been married to Amy Rykse for the past 27 years and they have three boys; Adam, who begins his second season as a graduate assistant coach at Valparaiso University this fall, Zach, a junior at Michigan State University and Alex who will be a sophomore at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Their family resides in Muskegon.
Assistant Coach – Lindsey Balcom
Lindsey will begin her second season as the First Assistant on the Jayhawk staff after serving as a positional coach in 2012.
Lindsey returned to MCC after having been a player on the 2002 and 2003 Jayhawk teams. The 2002 team was the most successful team in Jayhawks history with a 39-5 record and a 5th place finish at Nationals. Lindsey then went on to play at Aquinas College for two seasons.
In 2006 Lindsey graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in Sports Management and Business Administration. Lindsey began her coaching career by serving as the Freshman Coach and then Junior Varsity Coach at Ravenna High School from 2002 through 2005. She has also been Coach Rykse’s assistant coach for a total of 8 seasons including 4 seasons at Davenport University from 2006-2009. Lindsey has also coached for Inside Out Juniors Volleyball Club for many seasons and serves as the Office Manager for the club.
Lindsey and her husband Shane reside in Conklin with their 2 children Kaylee age 8 and Sawyer age 3. Both Lindsey and Shane are avid beach volleyball players. Shane also is the Varsity Volleyball Coach at Coopersville High School.
Assistant Coach – Beka German
Beka will return to MCC as an Assistant Coach on the Jayhawk Volleyball staff after completing 2 very successful seasons as a player.
While at MCC Beka became only the second Jayhawk volleyball player in school history to receive All-American honors. Additionally in her sophomore season she was voted as 1st Team All-Conference, All-State and All-Region. As a freshman Beka was Freshman of the year in the MCCAA western conference. Over the two years that Beka played at MCC the team had an overall record of 61-26 and won a conference championship in 2013.
Beka is currently pursuing her degree in elementary education at Grand Valley State University while also serving as the Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach at Spring Lake High School. She also has coached club volleyball for Inside Out Juniors Volleyball Club for the past two years and serves as the Event Coordinator for juniors volleyball tournaments. Beka is a 2011 graduate of Fruitport High School.