Russ Rose Then (2012): “Carp has had a career full of ups and downs. One thing that has remained constant is that she’s a positive, energetic person and knows what this team is going to need. She is willing to fill in wherever she’s needed. Kristin will need to be a strong leader and play at a high level.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “We recruited Carp out of Virginia. She was one of those players where when she was playing in junior tournaments, other players in the tournament — younger and older — would come watch her play, because she could jump so high and hit so hard at 5’ 5”. Carp was small and feisty and is another player whose father was a coach. She had a very good spin serve, and in her freshman year, played for us as a serving and defensive specialist. In her sophomore year, she was the setter for us in our National Championship season and was named to the Championship All-Tournament team. In 2011, Carp was the starting setter against Oregon in our first match of the year. We lost that match, and in the next match, which was against #2 ranked USC, Micha Hancock went in as the starting setter and we won in five sets. So, Micha was the starter for the rest of the season and Carp played as a defensive specialist. But there was never, ever a moment that Carp wasn’t full of life, and energy, and working hard to make other people better, and committed to Penn State. Carp was tough and stepped up to play all the time. After graduation, she went into coaching as an assistant at Oklahoma for a while, and then she was Adam Hughes’s assistant at Maryland. She is married to a former Penn State wrestler and has four kids now.”
2012 Season (Senior): Played in all 36 matches (6 starts) and 95 of 125 sets … averaged 0.57 digs/set … posted 8 service aces for the season … registered her season-high digs total vs. Morehead State (8/24) … totaled 4 digs at Minnesota (9/29) … posted 1 dig against Oregon in NCAA National Championship Semifinals.
Before Penn State: Four-year letterwinner and captain at Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, Va. … was a four-time Capital District Player of the Year … helped guide her team to three-straight district championships … named First Team All-District four times … four-time First Team All-Central Region and All-Metro and three-time All-State honoree … four-time Hanover High School MVP … named 2008 Metro Player of the Year and State Player of the Year … 2008 AVCA Under Armour All-American … 2008 Virginia State Gatorade Player of the Year … selected to Volleyball Magazine[apos]s Fab 50 … named one of Richmond Magazine[apos]s Top 10 Athletes … her high school retired her No. 5 jersey … was the starting setter on the USA Youth National Team her sophomore year and the starting libero her junior year … was a four-year District, Regional and State All-Academic selection … named the Richmond Times Dispatch and Sports Backers Scholar-Athlete of the Year … member of the Beta Club … named a Hanover Scholar … member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society … also lettered in track and field.
