Notre Dame senior Katherine Walch recently received recognition midway through the Pulaski-NDA volleyball game. Two matches later she set a school record for digs, breaking a record held by Maureen Schick.

“The 1500 Digs Award at the Pulaski game was a milestone for my stats,” said Walch.

Throughout her volleyball career at NDA she has “dug” well over 1500 balls. 

“A dig can be considered as passing the ball which has been attacked by the opposition. Digs are only given when players receive an attacked ball and it is kept in play,” Walch explained. 

She began playing in the sixth grade at St.Bernards because her friends played, and their mom was the coach and convinced her to play.

“I plan on using volleyball in the future by playing the sport at Michigan Tech,” said Walch. 

After talking to multiple different schools, Walch committed to Michigan Tech the day after touring. 

Walch currently plays as the libero on the NDA team and on her club team. For her whole high school career, she has played with the Fox Cities Elite team. They have qualified for the USAV nationals team all three years. 

“The NDA team is a little slower than my club teams, but it’s still a great team to be a part of,” said Walch.

Libero can be defined as a defensive player who can take the position of any back court player but cannot block or return the ball when it is higher than the net. 

Her club team involves many practices and traveling to away games. 

“My role model is my mom because she pushes me to be a better player and an even better teammate/captain,” said the senior. 

When playing, her motivation is to play for her teammates and parents. 

Walch’s advice to anyone who is thinking about playing volleyball is to just try it, for you will never know where it will take you. If you play, have fun with everything and bring a ton of energy onto the court. Finally, work hard and the skill will come to you.