Katherine White has been called the heartbeat of the Alabama volleyball team, and it’s not difficult to see why.
The junior has started in every match this season and played in all 51 sets. She is tied for the most blocks on the team, with 13 solo blocks and 40 total. So far, she’s notched 85 kills.
“She’s electrifying,” senior Kelsey Melito said. “There’s no other word. She’s just perfect in that sense and just is such a nice person to be around, and that really helps the team move forward because not only is she passionate about volleyball, but she’s passionate about this team in itself. And when you have someone like that, it’s so easy to lead, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us the rest of the season.”
Her .299 hitting percentage so far is .030 higher than last season, and she is well on her way to surpassing her block total from last year. She earned 83 blocks through 32 matches as a sophomore, as opposed to 40 total through 14 matches this year.
“[She’s] a kid that’s gotten better every year that she’s been here,” head coach Ed Allen said. “She’s in her third year, and we expect juniors to be able to support some of the load not only physically but emotionally and how you handle yourself on and off the court. … So Katherine’s improving as a player for two reasons: one is she’s working harder and maturing as a player, and two is we’re getting better as a team.”
White said she’s continuing to work on blocking and doing what she can to help the team.
“I’ve grown into my body mostly, not really learned anything, just figured out what I was good at and what works for me,” White said. “That was the main learning experience that I’ve had.”
She isn’t the only one working on blocking. The team’s focus going into conference play has been on blocking, Melito said.
“We’ve struggled with that in preseason, and so the last two weeks we’ve spent hours working on blocking because that’s crucial going into SEC play,” Melito said. “We’re going to see much stronger hitters and more powerful hitters, and getting touches on those blocks and getting blocks is going to be huge. So that’s definitely a focus that we’ve done, and our middles are a huge contribution to that.”
With the first SEC match looming, the team is looking to be well-prepared for conference play, Allen said.
“We’ve got four more days until we have to be ready, but I think we’re progressing that way,” he said. “Over the course of the last two weeks, the competition has escalated, the experiences for them and what they’ve had to do to compete and win have been more challenging for them, and so yeah, I suppose that this [Kentucky match] is as good a time as any to get a test on that.”
