Katie Horton started her collegiate career exactly how a freshman would want.
She received this week’s Mid-American Conference East Division offensive player of the week honors, in addition to Most Valuable Player recognition at the Western Kentucky University Invitational this weekend.
Off to their best start since 2005, the No. 24 Bobcats (8-1) could be the best team Ryan Theis has coached during his time at Ohio, but Horton hasn’t played on a team of this caliber before.
“It’s tougher, my high school wasn’t the best at volleyball,” Horton said. “This place has great competition all the time. It’s different for me, but Ryan is definitely working well with me.”
Horton comes from Westland, Mich., where she played volleyball with her sister, Keri, growing up and at Wayne Memorial High School.
Keri is currently a sophomore at Marietta College, which is just less than an hour away from Athens. The two sisters, who are both outside hitters, had a close relationship during their high school careers.
“I loved (playing with Keri in high school), she’s only a year older than me,” Horton said. “We would always stay close and we could always give each other advice.”
Growing up about 30 minutes from Ann Arbor, Mich., and just more than an hour from East Lansing, Horton could have chosen to attend Michigan or Michigan State to stay closer to home, instead of going out of state for her collegiate career.
“I talked to (Michigan and Michigan State) a little bit, but they were big colleges,” Horton said. “I like smaller towns and more communities that are a close-together fit.”
The freshman said her club coach was the one who recommended Ohio, along with other volleyball programs. She said as soon as she visited Athens, she loved the campus and knew she wanted to play for the Bobcats.
“Katie was a great recruit for us, we have a really good relationship with her club,” Theis said. “She wanted to be driving distance for her parents to be able to watch her, so based on where her parents are the MAC is a great fit for that.”
Horton definitely found her place with the team already, as she seems to fit right in with the rest of the girls during practice. She played in each of the Bobcats’ 31 sets this season, notching 79 kills, 10 blocks and 90 points during the nine matches.
“When Katie is up there hitting the ball it’s really hard to stop her because her reach is so high,” sophomore libero Meredith Ashy said. “She has different swings and different hits, and I think that’s really helped our team make it this far, she’s been a really good hitter for us.”
It is not very easy to fit in right away in a new situation that a freshman is not used to, but sophomore setter Abby Gilleland and Ashy proved last year that success is obtainable, as the duo was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team.
“I think Katie is gaining confidence and skill every week. There’s something she focuses on and improves on every week, so I think that really helps her,” Gilleland said. “In terms of confidence, I think that comes with playing well, and I think she’s starting to get it.”
Theis says he loves the play and work ethic Katie brings to the floor and he’s excited to see what she can do as she matures.
“She’s going to be a complete player here in the near future, and we’re looking forward to her having a great career here.” Theis said.
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