Kopmeyer sisters continue family volleyball tradition

Home Sports Kopmeyer sisters continue family volleyball tradition

Four generations of women in senior Caitlin Kopmeyer’s family will have attended Hillsdale College by next fall. Three of them will have played Charger volleyball, all specializing in the front row. Caitlin’s mother, Patty, played right-side hitter when she was a student at Hillsdale, and Caitlin’s younger sister Jessie will play left-side hitter, Caitlin’s position, when she comes to Hillsdale in the fall.

Of her years playing volleyball at Hillsdale, Patty Kopmeyer said, “They were some of the best of my life.”

The Kopmeyer family shares a passion — not to mention, a talent — for sports that spans generations. Patty Kopmeyer’s father played professional football for the Buffalo Bills, and now, her oldest daughter, Haley, plays soccer for the Seattle Reign as part of a U.S. professional women’s soccer league established just two years ago. Patty continues coaching girls’ volleyball. The youngest of her children, Joey, plays goalie for his high school soccer team — the same position that Haley plays.

For Caitlin and Jessie, the seed was planted early. They grew up helping at their mom’s games, watching the older girls play, and dreaming of the day when they would have their time on the court. They also joined their family in cheering Haley on in soccer.

“When Haley would play in her high school games, Caitlin and I would always go to practices, and I just loved watching them play,” Jessie said.

But Patty and her husband, Joe, never pressured their children into playing sports.

“We wanted them to experience everything. It was nothing like, ‘You’re going to be an athlete,’”  Patty said. “We used to take them to art classes and ballet. I have three girls, and I didn’t know what they were going to like. They really took to volleyball.”

And it seems that for the younger Kopmeyer girls, volleyball took to them.

Caitlin started as a freshman on the college’s volleyball team. Her sophomore year, the Chargers were GLIAC champions, and they made it to the Final Four. Caitlin made the GLIAC All-Tournament team in 2011-2012, First team All-GLIAC in 2011-2013, and the GLIAC All-Academic team in the 2012-2013 season. Caitlin was voted team captain, both as a junior and for the 2013-2014 season.

From the honors she has received, it appears that Jessie has displayed the same kind of leadership and athletic prowess that Caitlin has.

Jessie was team captain of her high school team during the same time Caitlin was captain for the Chargers. The Marian High School team was state champion for class A during Jessie’s freshman year, Honorable Mention All-State in 2011, Third Team All-State in 2012, and First Team All-State in 2013. Jessie was Third Runner-up for Miss Volleyball, a state-wide award, in 2013.

Hillsdale College volleyball coach Chris Gravel has known Caitlin and Jessie since they first attended Hillsdale volleyball camps in middle school. Gravel knew from the time Caitlin was in eighth and ninth grade that she had something special. Despite being on the shorter side for the average collegiate volleyball player (she’s 5’8”), Caitlin demonstrated great versatility as both a front- and back-row player.

“Caitlin could do everything. She’s a great serve-receive passer, she has great reads on defense, and she can transition to attack both front and back row,” Gravel said.

Gravel looks forward to watching how the slightly taller Jessie develops as a Charger.

“I think that Jessie shows that her potential might be better in the front row than Caitlin’s,” Gravel said. “To see her play in the back row — I mean Jessie’s really good in the back row. Caitlin was great in the back row. We’re waiting to see how that develops.”

Now that Caitlin has finished her last season, she has been invited to be a student coach. Gravel’s choice was strategic.

“Caitlin’s won two conference titles. She’s gone to the Final Four, the Sweet Sixteen. She has a lot of experience with how to win,” Gravel said. “I want that to rub off on the younger players.”

As for Caitlin, she’s excited to be a part of Jessie’s experience playing at the college level.

“I’m really looking forward to being here during that time,” Caitlin said.