Russ Rose Then (2011): “I feel Katie has been a player that has made progress throughout her career. She has always been in a situation where there have been some great players in the position that she also plays. We’re going to need her to be a great net player for us, a solid leader , and a good, steady emotional player both in the locker room and on the floor. I hope she has a great year.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Katie was a player who could have been our third outside hitter, our third middle, our second right side. She could do everything, probably outside of setting. She was well-skilled, and just had this incredible fun energy about her all the time that was really valuable for the team’s development, because it is always good to have some comic relief. Katie was always in the middle of having fun, but don’t get me wrong, she worked hard. She was involved in volleyball for a while after graduating from Penn State and then worked for Flo Volleyball. I was, and am, a big fan of Katie. She didn’t play a lot, but she cared a lot. To me, that says a lot.”
2011 Season (Senior): Played in 19 of 33 matches and 34 of 122 sets … averaged 1.21 blocks/set, good for 2nd on the team … averaged 0.85 kills/set on .158 hitting.
Before Penn State: Four-year volleyball letterwinner at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C. … two-year captain for the Crusaders … helped the squad to four consecutive (2004-07) conference championships and three straight (2005-07) NCHSAA 2A State Championships … ended with a scholastic record of 119-13 and as the school record holder in career kills (1,500), career aces (221) and single-season kills (478) … her No. 4 jersey has been retired … hit for a career percentage of .419 (1,500-325-2802) with an average of 3.69 kills per game, also adding in 262 career blocks and 623 career digs … named the 2007-08 Cardinal Gibbons Co-Female Athlete of the Year … 2007-08 AVCA High School Senior All-American, Volleyball Magazine First Team All-American and PrepVolleyball.com All-American … 2008 Volleyball Magazine ‘Fab 50’ selection … 2006 and 2007 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year … two-time NCHSAA 2A Championship Most Outstanding Player … 2006 Mid-State Conference Player of the Year … two-time Raleigh News & Observer Volleyball Player of the Year … a finalist for PrepVolleyball.com Junior and Senior National Player of the Year honors … 2007 Great Eight Tournament Most Valuable Player … a member of Triangle Volleyball Club out of Raleigh, N.C. … team was the 2006 Big South Qualifier Champions … a member of the 2007 Junior Olympic 18 National Division All-Tournament Team … 2004-08 USAV Carolina Region Champions … Volleyball Magazine Scholar Athlete of the Month (July 2007) … member of the National Honor Society.