Burlington Central's Holthus makes Junior National Team

Burlington Central's Stephanie Holthus made the cut.

The 6-foot tall senior was among 12 volleyball players selected Saturday from a field of 21 to play for the 2010 United States Women's Junior National Team following a three-day tryout at the U.S Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The 18-year-old Elgin resident, who is committed to Northwestern University, will compete with the U.S WJNT at the NORCECA Women's Junior (U-20) Continental Championships in Tijuana, Mexico, July 5-12.

Holthus learned the good news during a one-on-one meeting with team coaches upon conclusion of the tryouts.

"They sit you down and it's either 'Congratulations, you're going to Tijuana or sorry, you're not going to Tijuana.'" Holthus said. "They told me congratulations.

"It's amazing. I don't think I can even put it into words. Knowing that I get a chance to do something most athletes only dream of is kind of a crazy feeling."

The honorary captain of the 2009 Daily Herald All-Area team in the Fox Valley was surprised when the coaching staff told her she'd been selected as an outside hitter, the position she played at Burlington Central.

Holthus had previously played libero for the U.S. High-Performance Red team and spent the first two days of tryouts in Colorado Springs playing that position. But the coaches wanted to see her hit from the outside as she did for Central last fall, when she killed 417 of 733 attempts (.503 hitting percentage). She finished her high school career tied for 13th place in IHSA history with 1,338 spike kills.

Holthus hit from the outside for the final four-hour tryout session on Saturday and enjoyed success against blockers who stood 6-foot-4 and 6-5.

"I guess the four hours that they saw me play outside was enough for them to see," Holthus said. "I was really surprised. Going up against 6-foot-5 and 6-4 blocks was quite an experience."

The coaches called Holthus "a smart hitter" and liked the fact she showed no fear against bigger blocks, she said. They also complimented her confidence, on-court communication skills and hustle.

Holthus will compete with her Fusion 18 Black club team at the AAU nationals in Florida in late June. From there she will travel to the University of Nevada-Reno to train with the WJNT from June 27-July 4 before the team heads to Tijuana for the Continental Championships. She will head to Northwestern for her freshman season on August 9.

Holthus led Burlington Central to three straight Big Northern East titles and was a four-time unanimous all-conference selection. Longtime area volleyball coach Marv Leavitt, who in 27 seasons has coached over 30 players who went on to earn college scholarships, called Holthus the best player he has ever coached.