Van Gunst has two brothers, Kelson and Gersen, as well as a twin sister, Annika. Van Gunst was the 2012 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year as well as a finalist of the PrepVolleyball.com National Senior Player of the Year. Both of the twins played indoor volleyball at Georgia Tech. Van Gunst was a two-time Honorable Mention AVCA All-America selection and led the ACC in kills as a junior and was second as a junior. Van Gunst was the 2016 ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She left the program as one of nine players in Georgia Tech history, along with her twin Annika, to record at least 1,000 kills (1,453) and 1,000 digs (1,262). They both then played one season of beach volleyball at Georgia State. 

Both of the Van Gunst twins, as well as both of their brothers and their dad, have mechanical engineering degrees.   The twins added a Masters in Business Administration from Georgia State.