Le serves net gains as UCO volleyball fortunes spike

Anne-Marie Hagar

Contributing Writer

There’s a town south of Fort Worth, a town beat by the Texas sun called Mansfield. It is a town a lot like Edmond in its suburban sprawl and unlike Edmond in its eccentric Pickle Parade. That is where Katie Le was born and raised. 

“My parents wanted me to be well rounded,” Le said.

She participated in many activities like dance, swimming, and volleyball. At 7, she was playing volleyball for fun, but around age 10 or 11, she focused on her net game. 

“I quit dancing as a whole, because that’s when volleyball got really serious,” Le said. Her club career started at age 9 and marked the beginning of a high level volleyball career for Le. In club, there was a possibility for nationals, and she was surrounded by people who were more serious when her own club career was just beginning.

But as she recollected the mentors who helped throughout her life, the one that had the most impact on her was not in club at all but was in fact in high school. She said her high school coach had the faith in Katie that she needed, led her to dream big and told her “you can do this.” 

Le now plays on the UCO volleyball team as the defensive specialist/libero. The defensive specialist has its own jersey color and place on the court but something people might not realize is that the defensive specialist is usually small. 

“Normally, when you’re smaller you’re the defense specialist, because normally you’re quicker.” 

The defensive specialist often receives the ball after it is served or spiked, an important position that fits Le.

As a junior, she is realizing those big dreams that her high school coach advised her to dream. 

“It was always a huge goal of mine to play college volleyball,” Le said. “Volleyball led me to UCO.” 

She is majoring in psychology and she wants to look into doing counseling rehabilitation, particularly for children. 

Volleyball has been her dream but her faith comes first. 

“Volleyball is not eternal,” she said. “I play to glorify Christ.”

Le takes inspiration from Morgan Hence, who played on the USA women’s national team and proved to Le that libero or defensive specialist is an important role on the team. 

Katie also enjoys playing pickleball, reading the Bible, and participating in fellowship with her friends in and out of church. 

“Spending a day not doing volleyball,” she said.