NU volleyball commit Kathryn Randorf earns back-to-back Gatorade POTY awards
GATES MILLS, Ohio (BVM) – Kathryn Randorf will soon be playing college volleyball at Northwestern. A top-20 recruit nationally out of Ohio, Randorf is sure to bring the Wildcats success.
“I am beyond excited to be able to have the opportunity to play at Northwestern,” Randorf said. “Just being able to hopefully make an impact at Northwestern and set up great things for the future … My goal was always to be able to have the opportunity to play and make an impact my freshman year.”
By the fall, Randorf should have that chance as she joins a Northwestern program on the rise. The 2022 class for the Wildcats is their best in program history, and is also ranked seventh in the nation by prepvolleyball.com.
Randorf began her recruiting process all the way back in eighth grade. By the time of her commitment, she held plenty of other high-level Division I offers – many from additional Big Ten schools – but she could not pass up the chance to play at Northwestern.
“I really just loved the idea of being able to play in the Big Ten Conference,” Randorf said. “That led me the most to Northwestern.”
Throughout her time in Evanston, Illinois, Randorf hopes to continue to develop to the point where she can continue to play after college, and perhaps also teach the game to the next generation as a coach. If she does, it will make what has already been an incredibly impressive volleyball career come full circle.
Compared to some of her competition, Randorf was actually a late bloomer, trading in basketball and tennis for the volleyball court in middle school after being introduced to the sport by her gym teacher.
“She kind of got me acclimated with the sport and got me interested in playing for my JO [Junior Olympic] team,” Randforf said. “Volleyball was a very different sport than I was used to. I kind of grew up in the environment of basketball my whole life, so volleyball was something that I was super interested in because it was so different.”
Randorf has played middle blocker throughout most of her career, but has also transitioned to an outside hitter which she will play in college. One of her best attributes is indeed that versatility which was seen early on in her time playing.
In seventh grade, the 6-foot-1 standout began playing Junior Olympic (JO) volleyball with Academy Volleyball Cleveland (AVC). She has had many fond moments with the club over the years, including finishing runner-up at nationals in eighth grade. The opportunity with AVC is something Randorf claims truly changed her career path.
“When I stepped into AVC, my life definitely changed,” Randorf explained. “I absolutely love playing at AVC, it’s taught me so much and it really has changed me into the player I am today. They really took the talent they saw in me and turned me into this player that can do a lot more.”
The training Randorf received at AVC led to a high school career that will be remembered for quite some time. As the only freshman on the varsity team at Gilmour Academy in 2018, Randorf was a starter from the beginning, and a first team all-district and all-league player. She achieved the same feats as a sophomore, also becoming the district and league player of the year while helping a more inexperienced Lancers team to the state semifinals.
Despite a loss in the semifinals, it was that moment that set the tone for the remainder of Randorf’s high school career.
“That state semifinal game was when I really switched my time at Gilmour and changed my perspective of it,” Randorf said. “I had now learned that I was going to be this player that will make an impact on the Gilmour Academy volleyball program. I grew up on the court.”
As a team captain entering her junior season, Randorf and the Lancers had state championship expectations. Extra motivation was brought about during the offseason as well, as one of Gilmour Academy’s players was in a boating accident that Randorf was also involved in, causing her to miss the entire season and leading the Lancers to play each moment for her.
Becoming a second team All-Ohio performer, Randorf tallied 304 kills, 176 digs and 96 blocks as a junior to go along with a .714 kill percentage and a .627 hitting percentage. The Lancers went 23-1 and earned an OHSAA Division II state title.
After the season, Randorf received a truly prestigious honor, as her performance earned her the Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Player of the Year award.
“I knew I was in the running,” Randorf said. “One day I was walking into my class and I opened my email and it said, ‘Congratulations, you won Gatorade Player of the Year.’ I was absolutely in awe. Being able to win as a junior was something that I was surprised by, but it was just such a good feeling knowing that I put all my hard work into that season. I was just so honored and beyond blessed to be able to be in that position as a junior.”
Many would think it would be hard to top what Randorf accomplished in her junior season, but she somehow managed to do so as a senior. Going in with a younger team, the 17-year-old knew it would take some work to get back to state, but the Lancers would indeed make a return.
“Making it all the way to state again was definitely the goal,” Randorf noted. “We just worked our butts off.”
Behind a season that saw Randorf rack up 459 kills, 298 digs and 106 blocks, the Lancers again dazzled with a 25-3 record and brought home the program’s second consecutive Division II state title. The senior ended up saving her best for last, tallying an impressive 33 kills and 17 digs in an intense five-set state championship match.
“The best thing you can do going out on your career is win another state championship,” Randorf said. “To be able to win two back-to-back is one of the best feelings. I know that going out of here, I made such an impact on Gilmour Academy’s volleyball program for the future. Winning is one of the best feelings you can have in the world and just knowing that you’re doing it with your best friends makes it 10 times better.”
Not only did Randorf become a back-to-back state champion, but after the season, she also became a back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year.
“Being named Gatorade Player of the Year two years in a row was something that I didn’t even know was honestly possible,” Randorf said. “It just goes to show how hard I worked and how much I’ve put into the sport I loved. I was just so blessed. To get two is unbelievable and I was just so honored.”
Randorf was also named an American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-American after her senior season. However, it is the Gatorade awards that really stick with her because of what they also entail off the court.
Over the years, the volleyball standout has volunteered her time as a youth volleyball coach as well as at her school organizing events to raise money for various organizations. Meanwhile, she has also excelled in the classroom, maintaining a weighted GPA of 4.19. This despite having to overcome the challenge of having dyslexia.
“School was never my best friend,” Randorf said. “Obviously having dyslexia is a challenge. Understanding in high school how I learn with my dyslexia is what really pushed me over the edge. Getting that understanding really helped me learn in the classroom. It gave me confidence, like volleyball gave me confidence, to be able to do better in school and kind of jump over this obstacle that I have.”
Truly impressive whether on the volleyball court or off of it, Randorf has a bright future as she heads off to Northwestern. She has left a tremendous impact as a program record-setter across the board at Gilmour, and will continue to make her mark wherever her career takes her.
“Being named Gatorade Player of the Year and having these state championships, I know my name will be remembered,” Randorf said. “I hope people look up to me in the aspect that you can do both, you can do school and you can play volleyball. Having become such a big role model at Gilmour across the board means more than I can even express. Obviously the school has helped me a lot. The school has made an impact on me and me being able to leave here showing that I have made an impact, it means the world.”
