Mary Katherine Herold playing at recent varsity volleyball game. Photo provided by Herold.

With nearly a decade of volleyball experience to her name, Mary Katherine Herold, is wrapping up her junior season as a setter on the MCHS varsity volleyball team. Her volleyball career began when she was in 3rd grade, 9 years ago. With a little support, she’s been able to work hard to become the athlete she is today.

Although now she can take herself to games and practice, it wasn’t always that way. For these past 9 years, her parents have shown their unwavering support for her athletic career, driving her to practice 4 or 5 times a week and even her dad being her coach. “I grew up with my parents coaching me or if they’re not coaching me they’re always there. They’ve always been very supportive, ” she said.

Her main motivator over this last near-decade, aside from her sincere love for the sport, has been the desire to move up. To her, there’s always a higher team or greater achievement that she wants to reach and this mindset has led her to be on varsity. However, now that she’s reached that goal, her motivation has become her unconditional love for the sport.

So, what’s Herold’s next step? “I hope to be on varsity again next year. I don’t know if I’m going to play in college, so I just hope that I have a good senior year.” Herold continues to work hard to achieve this goal not just on the court, but also socially and academically.

Herold takes academics very seriously and is enrolled in multiple AP courses, but juggling sports and school is not easy. She said that with the support of her family, friends, and teammates she is able to “push through” and achieve high grades. In school and even in volleyball Herold is incredibly motivated and determined. By talking to her,  you can sense her passion and adoration for everything she does.

Like many athletes, Herold has experienced multiple injuries. She has broken her ankle several times, but instead of letting that discourage her, she came back with a stronger desire to play. This attitude is not only present on the court but is apparent in other parts of her life as well. Volleyball has grown to be a huge part of Herold’s life by shaping her attitude, providing her with relationships, and teaching her life lessons.

The friendships she has made while playing volleyball mean a lot to her and have given her something to depend on. She feels that although so many things have changed over the years, volleyball has been a constant in her life. The next step in her career is ending this season strong and finishing High School with a successful senior year on varsity.