Medora senior makes most of time on court

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For The Tribune

Kaitlyn Wilson said she has enjoyed growing up in a small community like Medora.

Some of her best memories include playing volleyball and being a cheerleader at the school.

“I love my teammates, we’re all really close,” Wilson said. “Most of us have been together since we started playing.”

Wilson began playing volleyball in fifth grade and has played ever since.

She has been a back row player most of her career.

“My sophomore year Missy (Stewart, junior varsity coach) asked me to be the setter because we had a lot of new girls on the team, and she needed the taller girls, like Destiny Barr, to hit,” Wilson said.

Wilson was a setter her sophomore and junior years, and her senior year she played all around the rotation.

She said in order to get a good dig in the back row you have to have your hands in the correct position.

“Sara (Todd, head coach) always tells us you have to have our platform straight, have it good, and we need to ‘read’ the hitters, ‘read’ their shoulders to see they’re going to hit on an angle or if they’re going to hit line,” Wilson said.

On the floor, Wilson always recognized the importance of positioning.

“The coaches are always telling us if they’re hitting off the left side, and you see they’re going angle, then the whole back row needs to shift over so we can line up and cover,” Wilson said. “If they’re hitting in the middle you pretty much do the same, it depends on if they’re left-handed or right-handed.”

Wilson said winning the first set was a confidence booster.

“I think winning the first set gives you momentum, and it’s like ‘you can do this,’ and you know you can take it in three,” she said. “Sometimes you have to go four or five, but winning the first set gives you more momentum and a mindset that you can keep it going.”

The senior liked to surprise teams with her quickness and lateral movement to get to opponents’ attacks and being able to get her serves over.

“They think I’m small so I’m not going to be able to get it or be able to get my serves over, and when I do they don’t know what to do,” Wilson said. “When I served, I didn’t aim my first serve to go to a certain spot. After I serve, if I notice that someone has had trouble passing my serve, I aim for them.”

The senior remembers cheering at the Jackson County Olde Timers basketball tournament when she was in kindergarten.

“At the home games I love the atmosphere and cheering for the crowd and the school song,” Wilson said. “Since I’m smaller I get to be a flyer, so I really like that.

“I know they’re going to catch me, but I would get an adrenaline rush during the starting line ups, which is when we do most of our stunting. Once I get up there I’m fine.”

Wilson said the mental part of sports is important.

“Mental attitude is a very big part in all sports,” she said. “Volleyball is a mental game, and I struggled with my mental part in the past, but you have to shake off your bad passes or if you hit it into the net.

“Everybody is going to make mistakes, nobody is going to play a perfect game. You just have to block it out and say you’re going to get the next one.”

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Name: Kaitlyn Wilson

School: Medora High School

Parents: Bill and Tammy Wilson

Sports: Volleyball, four years; cheerleading, four years

Athletic honors: Volleyball, JV setting award twice, JV mental attitude award

Organizations: Student council, Letter M Club

Plans after high school: Attend IUPUI, study pre-dentistry

Favorite food: Breadsticks

Favorite TV show: “Friends”

Favorite musicians: Maroon 5

Favorite movie: “Titanic”

Favorite college team: Indiana University

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