Courtney Kurkowiak '22 Recruiting Profile

Volleyball has made a big impact on my life and made me a better person. I always strive to do my best in anything I do, so when I had to fit volleyball, school, and work into my schedule, it taught me the value of hard work and the rewarding feeling of succeeding in each craft.

In my high school career, I've had success in both academics (with a 96 average) and athletics (led NYS in assists and third in aces) in school.  I've helped my high school team to division titles the last two years.  In 2018 we were the runner-up in the NYS Catholic School Championship and in 2019,  we won. Last year, my school has continued to work in the gym even under the restrictions. I've played on the highest level team for my club and have helped the team to go to Nationals the last 3 years.  In 2019, my club team also won the JVA Rock and Rumble and 2 other tournaments.  I have also been selected to participate in the USAV High Performance Training in 2016 & 2017, both years that I tried out. 

For my school team of St. Mary's of Lancaster, I have consistently been a stat leader on MaxPreps for New York State. In 2019 I led the state in assists and was third for most aces. Similarly, this year I am second in the state for assists and third in the state for aces.

I believe mindset is incredibly important. In my position as a setter, I try to remain calm in stressful situations to refocus the team on the fundamentals. Positivity is also very important to me. I believe on and off the court, good day or bad, a positive attitude can take a team to a higher level.