Burlington Central's Holthus picks Northwestern
Stephanie Holthus may not have her driver's license yet but she knows where she's playing her college volleyball.
Holthus, a 15-year old sophomore at Burlington Central, made a verbal commitment to Northwestern University last week and will join the Wldcats' program in the fall of 2010.
"It's just nice to have it done," said the 5-foot-11 Holthus, who helped the Rockets to a 33-4 season in 2007, one that ended in the regional championship against eventual Class 3A third-place state team Sycamore.
"I didn't want to call (Northwestern) so I sent a poster of me hitting a ball and wearing all my Northwestern stuff. They were supposed to get it (last) Monday and they didn't get it until Wednesday. I was going nuts."
A two-time Daily Herald All-Area player, Holthus missed the first 10 games of last season with a broken left foot and rolled ankle. She still was second on the team in kills with 237, had a 44 kill percentage and made only 8 errors in 155 serves. She also had 147 digs.
"She's just a great all-around player who plays way beyond her age," said BC coach Marv Leavitt of Holthus, the 28th player and third from Central he has sent on to a Division I scholarship. "She has great intuition on the court and she always know where to be. She does everything. She's not only a great hitter but she passes well, plays great defense and serve well. She really can do it all."
Holthus, who is ranked 19th in her class of 249 and sports a 4.o GPA, has also made her mark on the club scene. She was named a Junior Olympics All-American this past season when she led her Club Fusion 15 Black team to fifth-place at nationals. She was also named the best attacker and MVP of the National Juniors Classic and the Most Outstanding Player at the Prepvolleyball.com Classic. She is now playing for Club Fusion's 16 Black team that is ranked second in the nation.
Club Fusion is one of the connects Holthus has to Northwestern, where assistant coach Karen Milborn, a Crystal Lake Central graduate, has been heavily involved. Holthus said the coaches at NU -- eighth-year head coach Kaylor Chan, Milborn and assistant Christie Landry (a former Wheaton St. Francis standout) -- were what helped her decide on Northwestern over Ohio State, Minnesota and Illinois.
"They were all really nice," Holthus said of the NU coaches. "They said they really liked how hard-working I was and my attitude on the court. They said they needed a good outside hitter who could play all-around and pass."
Northwestern finished this past season 18-13 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have made three NCAA Tournament appearances in Chan's eight years as coach, the last in 2005.
Holthus' commitment means the Rockets will enter the 2008 season with two D-I recruits on the floor. Junior Molly Turk, the honorary co-captain of the 2007 Daily Herald All-Area team, is committed to Northern Iowa.