With a unique serve and forceful spike, Kosiorek's attacks make her one of the premier, high-volume hitters in the Mid-American Conference.
Signing a liability waiver is a common practice for most extreme sports, normally present when mountain skiing, skydiving or going whitewater rafting.
But opponents may also have to sign a waiver to go against sophomore Jaime Kosiorek's serve.
Kosiorek is known as one of Ohio’s hardest, most-feared hitters due to the high speed of her frequent, airborne attacks.
“It’s kind of hard to describe,” assistant coach Maggie Couture said of Kosiorek’s strikes. “She’s got enough shoulder, a lot of juice behind the ball.”
Kosiorek leads the Bobcats in kills and is second on the team in total attacks, while being the centerpiece of head coach Deane Webb's offense. Some sophomores may not feel comfortable being a main cog in offensive attack like the Bobcats', but Kosiorek said she believes in her abilities.
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When Kosiorek arrived in Athens in 2014, Couture said it was pretty evident to the coaching staff that when Kosiorek got some space, her topspin serving abilities would be "pretty special".
Kosiorek said she began utilizing her jump serve as a 12-year-old, simply because she thought it looked “cooler than every other serve.”
Kosiorek recalled seeing photos of herself using it on a national stage when she was younger -- developing as a player and determined to figure out the dynamics of her serve.
Her determination toward her craft paid off.
Her freshman year at Ohio, she ranked 13th in the nation with 0.44 service aces per set (second-best in a single season in program rally scoring history) and good enough to lead the Mid-American Conference.
Although it has taken years to perfect timing and technique, Kosiorek said it’s something that will always take continuous repetitions in practice.
It also took time and patience for Kosiorek to understand her increased role with the Bobcats following the graduation of one of Ohio’s greatest outside hitters.
“It became, after we graduated Kelly Lamberti last year, (Kosiorek) turn to be ‘the kid’,” Couture said.
Early on in the 2015 campaign, it seemed like Kosiorek would receive a majority of the attacking workload and tough passes, but with the recent resurgence of junior Mallory Salis, pressure has been taken off Kosiorek's shoulders.
“Mal is amazing,” Kosiorek said. “She can take some bad balls, I can take some. I think we make a great duo. She gets just as many sets, if not more, than I do. It makes me feel a lot better.”
Individually, Kosiorek said she brings a willingness to take the big swing and hopes her teammates trust her to do so.
Regardless of whether she gets the attacks or not, however, Kosiorek’s “cool-looking” serve is something she loves and has perfected.
An estimated velocity of up to 55-miles-per-hour worth of perfection.
“It’s just the nature of me and that big arm swing,” she said of her serve. “I love going for it. It works.”
nk596613@ohio.edu
@NKairys
