ARCANUM – Kaitlyn Sharp, the daughter of Ashley and Clint Sharp signed to take her volleyball skills to the next level playing for the Ohio Christian University Lady Trailblazers volleyball program while continuing her education.
“This is something I have been looking forward to since I was young and I’m just really thankful for all my friends, family, and coaches that pushed me to be where I am today,” Sharp said. “I am really excited.”
“There are not a lot of players who have a knowledge of the game and can play as well as she does,” said Arcanum coach, Jacie Holman. “Not only is she a great player, she is a great leader, just shows how much she loves the game.”
“Katie is a great representative of Arcanum High School, the student-athlete who has excelled in the classroom and on the court,” said Arcanum Superintendent John Stephens. “Ohio Christian University is getting a great student and a great athlete. She is going to represent Arcanum with that Trojan Pride.”
Sharp plans to go to Law School while majoring in business with a minor in Criminal Justice.
“I have been wanting to go somewhere small and also I get to glorify God while I am playing volleyball which is exactly what I wanted to do,” said Sharp. “I just love the coaches there, they were very spiritual with me and they are the reason why I am going there. The coaches and teammates were amazing.”
The Arcanum senior Libero was recently named the 2023 WOAC Volleyball Player of the Year.
“Katie has had a fantastic two years with me,” said Coach Holman, 2023 WOAC Coach of the Year. “I am super excited for her. She will be a great asset at Ohio Christian. She brings a lot of great qualities to the table with her ability to read the hitters, her serving, and just her overall knowledge of the game.”
“Getting WOAC player of the year is kind of hard for a Libero so for her to get that is a huge accomplishment,” Holman added. “It says a lot about her and what great qualities she has.”
Sharp took time to thank the many who helped her reach her goal of playing college volleyball.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for my family, friends, coaches, and especially God for bringing me here,” she stated.
“I want to thank my coaches, Coach Holman, and both McEldowneys,” continued Sharp. “They were really helpful, especially this year, my senior season. They made my senior season really special. I want to thank all my club coaches I have had in my previous years playing volleyball, Munciana has been extremely helpful, especially the recruiting process.”
“Katie is one of those girls that you can say hey, I have to go run outside for a few minutes, can you handle practice and she’s holding every girl accountable, she really helps her teammates better themselves especially some of our JV players,” said Holman. “She was always right there working beside them, telling them jump here or drop your shoulders or telling them what they needed to do to improve.”
Coach Holman hopes to see the Lady Trailblazers use Sharp as a DS (defensive specialist) playing for Ohio Christian University.
“She can read a lot of serves, she can read hitters well,” Coach Holman stated. “She has a nice serve so I would hope they would implement her on the court pretty soon.”
