Senior volleyball player and libero, Amanda Kirtley, will attend the University of California, Berkeley after previously committing the summer after her sophomore year.
“The countless games, practices, and missing events that were really important helped, it has made me the player that I am,” said Kirtley, who recalled that her investment in volleyball is so deep that she missed her eighth grade promotion for a volleyball game.
Kirtley is receiving a half scholarship, meaning it won’t go into effect until her junior year, but will last until she graduates. She said he looks forward to meeting her new teammates at Cal.
“When you go to college, you have to find all new friends, and it’s nice that I already have people there with me,” she said. “The greatest lesson my sport has taught me is to be a team player, because you need your whole team in volleyball, it’s not just one person. It’s taught me how to work well with others.”
Four-year varsity softball pitcher Allie Hotetz signed her letter of intent to attend Hampton University, Virginia after committing during her sophomore year.
“I love their softball program. It is a beautiful campus and I fell in love,” said Hotetz. “It was a lot of work for 13 years, but I have a free education and I get to do what I love.”
Upon arriving at Hampton University in the fall, Hotetz will receive a full athletic scholarship for the entirety of her college career. “The greatest lesson softball has taught me is how to work with my team to accomplish a goal,” she said.
Zoe Casas, four-year varsity softball captain, signed her letter of intent to attend Florida State University, after previously committing during September of her sophomore year.
“I wanted to grow up on my own far away and see if I can do it by myself,” she said. “The environment is a lot different and I wanted to experience it that way.”
Zoe is the first person in her family to earn a college scholarship. More specifically, she is getting a full ride for the entirety of her college career. When asked what she is looking forward to most about being a college athlete, Casas said, “promoting my skills that I’ve been working on since I was seven, and performing them at the collegiate level.”
Casas is an exceptionally team-oriented player. “Softball has taught me to be a team player in everything that I do, and to always be willing to take advice from anybody because in the end, it will always pay off.”
Not only are the players proud of their achievements, but their coaches are as well.
“It’s exciting and humbling,” said Aquinas softball coach, Janna Burton. “These girls have come to us with a lot of skill and we work with them every day, but you don’t know what impact you’ll have on their lives until a day like this happens.”
Burton has been coaching for 20 years, and has coached Casas and Hotetz for their past three years at Aquinas, alongside the head softball coach, Chris Ybarra.
“I’m very blessed and happy to be a part of the ride with them,” Ybarra said. “I have always made sure that what we do is fun, but still put them in a position to be successful, like when we won CIF and the State title two years ago.”