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Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gopher Spotlight: Katie Myers
10/20/2021 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Myers is a redshirt senior from Westerville, Ohio
Katie Myers is a redshirt senior middle blocker from Westerville, Ohio. She's spent the last two years in Minnesota after playing in Maryland for the first four years of her collegiate career. She was a 2019 AVCA First Team All-North Region selection and a VolleyballMag.com honorable mention. After playing in eight matches for the Gophers last year, she's played in 15 this season, averaging 1.00 kills and 1.09 blocks per set.
GS: Why did you get into volleyball and at what age did you start playing?
KM: I was actually a gymnast before playing volleyball. In sixth grade I started playing volleyball in the St. Paul School gymnasium. It was for a club team called 'New Wave' and I had never touched a volleyball before. But I started running around and playing and enjoyed it immediately. The competition part really drove me to pursue volleyball.
GS: What made you stop gymnastics and gear more towards volleyball?
KM: I hit a big growth spurt in middle school and figured that I was probably too tall to keep doing gymnastics - the doctor thought I'd be 5'9" (she's 6'2"). I also had a couple injuries from gymnastics and a lot of my friends were quitting, so it was time to put my energy into something else. Gymnastics was a great foundation sport for me still as it helped me with coordination and strength.
GS: When did you start to see that you had a promising future in volleyball?
KM: After my 14's club season was when I started getting letters from colleges. I was kind of shocked to be honest because I had only been playing for a couple years and now all of a sudden I had interest from colleges! One day my club coach sat me down and let me know that I could really go places if I focused on training and improving my volleyball skills. After that it really set in that this was something I wanted to do.
GS: In the recruiting process, what schools were you most interested in?
KM: It really came down to Colorado, Maryland and South Carolina. I was a little bit later in the recruiting process as I didn't commit when a lot of girls did in their sophomore years. I didn't want to just be another name, I wanted to help build up a program and play a big role. That's really what attracted me to Maryland and that was their big pitch to me.
GS: What was your experience like at Maryland?
KM: My first couple years at Maryland were really, really hard. Four months before I left for school there I tore my ACL, which meant I had to miss most of my first season. I tried to come back too early in my first season and I re-injured myself. I tore the same ACL in the same leg. I rehabbed strong and came back for my sophomore year. Unfortunately, I tore the same ACL again just 10 matches into my second season. Honestly, I wanted to quit right then and there after so many injuries.
GS: What made you keep going?
KM: We had a coaching change after my second year and former assistant Adam Hughes was promoted to head coach. He supported me the entire time I was there through my injuries and truly believed in me. I decided that I wanted to give it another shot. He's just a really good person and the mentor I needed at the time. I ended up coming back and playing the next two seasons there without any big injury issues.
GS: What were the biggest reasons you ended up deciding to transfer?
KM: It was very much academics related. I was looking for a university that had a master's program I was interested in as I want to work in sports after graduation. So I was looking at schools with sports management programs that also had a high-level volleyball program.
GS: What was it like going into the transfer portal and going through the recruiting process again?
KM: I went into the transfer portal in March of 2020, a couple days before the world shut down. It was really overwhelming at first because my phone was blowing up the first couple weeks. It was really humbling because at first I didn't think I was good enough to play at the school's reaching out to me. I really proved myself the last couple years at Maryland and that ultimately paved the way for the next opportunity.
GS: Obviously you ended up choosing Minnesota. What made you want to join the Gophers?
KM: I made a necessities list of qualities my next school needed to have and Minnesota checked all the boxes. No. 1 was academics, the second was a positive program culture, then I would say playing for a winning program. The Twin Cities and all the professional opportunities it offered really helped sell me as well. There's a huge professional and college sports market here and that really excited me.
GS: What were your first couple months like on campus during the pandemic?
KM: It was definitely tough because we were so isolated. It was hard to build relationships with my teammates and meet other student-athletes. It helped that I had [senior libero] CC [McGraw] as my roommate because she helped show me the ropes. I was going through a lot off the court and had to deal with those things last season. I really credit to the support staff and resources here at Minnesota because without them I don't know where I'd be.
GS: What's it been like this year being a regular in the starting lineup on a team contending for a Big Ten title?
KM: It's amazing. It shows that everything pays off, all the hard work, all the injuries, all that I've had to deal with in the past few years on and off the court. Being out there - I feel very connected with this group. Night in and night out, I want to go to battle with these girls. That's the kind of support that we have here with this team.
GS: You were technically a fifth-year last year. What made you want to come back for one more go-around?
KM: There was a point last spring where I thought about medically retiring. I had always planned on coming back though and I knew I wanted one more shot to play and have a great final experience playing college volleyball.
GS: What goals do you have for the team this season?
KM: We definitely want to contend for a Big Ten Championship and a national championship. Really a main motivator for me is that the Final Four is in Columbus, Ohio. Being able to play in that in my hometown would be icing on the cake. I've never been to an NCAA Tournament either. I didn't go last year with the team and we never went at Maryland.
GS: What goals do you have for yourself?
KM: I plan on cherishing every last moment I have here. I plan on doing everything that I can to work hard and help my team.
GS: Finally, why did you choose No. 23?
KM: My birthday is June 23. But also, I love [NBA superstar and current Los Angeles Laker] LeBron James.
Favorite Food: Potatoes
Favorite Restaurant: BJ's Brewhouse
Favorite Sport to Watch: Basketball
Favorite Pro Team: Cleveland Browns
Favorite Vacation Spot: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Favorite TV Show: Grace and Frankie; Real Housewives of Atlanta
Biggest Inspiration: Myself because I've found a way to persevere through injuries in a lot of obstacles in my life.
GS: Why did you get into volleyball and at what age did you start playing?
KM: I was actually a gymnast before playing volleyball. In sixth grade I started playing volleyball in the St. Paul School gymnasium. It was for a club team called 'New Wave' and I had never touched a volleyball before. But I started running around and playing and enjoyed it immediately. The competition part really drove me to pursue volleyball.
GS: What made you stop gymnastics and gear more towards volleyball?
KM: I hit a big growth spurt in middle school and figured that I was probably too tall to keep doing gymnastics - the doctor thought I'd be 5'9" (she's 6'2"). I also had a couple injuries from gymnastics and a lot of my friends were quitting, so it was time to put my energy into something else. Gymnastics was a great foundation sport for me still as it helped me with coordination and strength.
GS: When did you start to see that you had a promising future in volleyball?
KM: After my 14's club season was when I started getting letters from colleges. I was kind of shocked to be honest because I had only been playing for a couple years and now all of a sudden I had interest from colleges! One day my club coach sat me down and let me know that I could really go places if I focused on training and improving my volleyball skills. After that it really set in that this was something I wanted to do.
GS: In the recruiting process, what schools were you most interested in?
KM: It really came down to Colorado, Maryland and South Carolina. I was a little bit later in the recruiting process as I didn't commit when a lot of girls did in their sophomore years. I didn't want to just be another name, I wanted to help build up a program and play a big role. That's really what attracted me to Maryland and that was their big pitch to me.
GS: What was your experience like at Maryland?
KM: My first couple years at Maryland were really, really hard. Four months before I left for school there I tore my ACL, which meant I had to miss most of my first season. I tried to come back too early in my first season and I re-injured myself. I tore the same ACL in the same leg. I rehabbed strong and came back for my sophomore year. Unfortunately, I tore the same ACL again just 10 matches into my second season. Honestly, I wanted to quit right then and there after so many injuries.
GS: What made you keep going?
KM: We had a coaching change after my second year and former assistant Adam Hughes was promoted to head coach. He supported me the entire time I was there through my injuries and truly believed in me. I decided that I wanted to give it another shot. He's just a really good person and the mentor I needed at the time. I ended up coming back and playing the next two seasons there without any big injury issues.
GS: What were the biggest reasons you ended up deciding to transfer?
KM: It was very much academics related. I was looking for a university that had a master's program I was interested in as I want to work in sports after graduation. So I was looking at schools with sports management programs that also had a high-level volleyball program.
GS: What was it like going into the transfer portal and going through the recruiting process again?
KM: I went into the transfer portal in March of 2020, a couple days before the world shut down. It was really overwhelming at first because my phone was blowing up the first couple weeks. It was really humbling because at first I didn't think I was good enough to play at the school's reaching out to me. I really proved myself the last couple years at Maryland and that ultimately paved the way for the next opportunity.
GS: Obviously you ended up choosing Minnesota. What made you want to join the Gophers?
KM: I made a necessities list of qualities my next school needed to have and Minnesota checked all the boxes. No. 1 was academics, the second was a positive program culture, then I would say playing for a winning program. The Twin Cities and all the professional opportunities it offered really helped sell me as well. There's a huge professional and college sports market here and that really excited me.
GS: What were your first couple months like on campus during the pandemic?
KM: It was definitely tough because we were so isolated. It was hard to build relationships with my teammates and meet other student-athletes. It helped that I had [senior libero] CC [McGraw] as my roommate because she helped show me the ropes. I was going through a lot off the court and had to deal with those things last season. I really credit to the support staff and resources here at Minnesota because without them I don't know where I'd be.
GS: What's it been like this year being a regular in the starting lineup on a team contending for a Big Ten title?
KM: It's amazing. It shows that everything pays off, all the hard work, all the injuries, all that I've had to deal with in the past few years on and off the court. Being out there - I feel very connected with this group. Night in and night out, I want to go to battle with these girls. That's the kind of support that we have here with this team.
GS: You were technically a fifth-year last year. What made you want to come back for one more go-around?
KM: There was a point last spring where I thought about medically retiring. I had always planned on coming back though and I knew I wanted one more shot to play and have a great final experience playing college volleyball.
GS: What goals do you have for the team this season?
KM: We definitely want to contend for a Big Ten Championship and a national championship. Really a main motivator for me is that the Final Four is in Columbus, Ohio. Being able to play in that in my hometown would be icing on the cake. I've never been to an NCAA Tournament either. I didn't go last year with the team and we never went at Maryland.
GS: What goals do you have for yourself?
KM: I plan on cherishing every last moment I have here. I plan on doing everything that I can to work hard and help my team.
GS: Finally, why did you choose No. 23?
KM: My birthday is June 23. But also, I love [NBA superstar and current Los Angeles Laker] LeBron James.
Favorite Food: Potatoes
Favorite Restaurant: BJ's Brewhouse
Favorite Sport to Watch: Basketball
Favorite Pro Team: Cleveland Browns
Favorite Vacation Spot: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Favorite TV Show: Grace and Frankie; Real Housewives of Atlanta
Biggest Inspiration: Myself because I've found a way to persevere through injuries in a lot of obstacles in my life.
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