By Blake Chadwick
After winning the Class 1A-II state championship a year ago to become back-to-back state champions, the Wildcats return all but one member of last year’s 42-1 team.
One of those key returners is senior Katie Holle.
Holle will look to help lead the Wildcats to another state champion to complete the three-peat.
“Katie is the type of athlete that will do the little things and work hard to correct anything she needs to in her game,” said the head coach and mother of Katie, Melissa Holle. “She puts her teammates first. She has a huge role as the setter on our varsity team. We run a 5-1 with her, and that is a lot on one setter. She is constantly talking with her hitters and teammates and asking them how she can fix her sets to ensure they succeed. She is very unselfish on the court and does not want the spotlight on her but on her whole team.”
For Holle, playing for her mom hasn’t always been easy, but winning state championships together will be something the two will never forget.
“I think playing for my mom is a very sentimental feeling,” she said. “Through every win and loss, she is always there pushing me to improve,” Holle said. “She is harder on me than anyone else, but only because she sees my potential.”
The next step for Holle as a player is her continued leadership role as a setter and coach’s daughter, a duo that is almost always on the same page nowadays.
“As a team leader, my goal is to communicate with my teammates on the court constantly,” she said. “Communication is a very important factor on the court overall, because if you are always talking, you are confident in yourself. I can help my team win another state championship by bringing my skill to the floor, communicating with my teammates, and working daily to improve.”
