JM grad Katilyn Steffes climbs to junior college Player of the Year

Dec. 14—FORT DODGE, Iowa. — Katilyn Steffes says she had nobody to fall back on.

"It was just me," said Steffes, who last month completed her third and final volleyball season at Iowa Central Community College.

It was quite a season. It ended with the Rochester John Marshall graduate being named Division II junior college Player of the Year as she led all junior college players in kills with 793. She also managed 93 blocks and 551 digs.

Steffes' team wasn't too shabby, either. The high-flying outside hitter powered it to a 36-7 record and a seventh-place finish at the Division II national tournament. That despite it having been ravaged by graduation from the season before.

That "just me" thing worked out just fine for Steffes.

She'd entered this season knowing that besides herself, Iowa Central had no other stars returning from its standout 2021 team.

Steffes gave that some thought.

"With nobody else coming back, I decided that I could either get broken by that or I could use it," Steffes said. "I decided to use it. My motivation, from the end of last year and through this season was to get AVCA (American Volleyball College Association) first team."

That honor squad is a combination of players taken from all three divisions of NJCAA volleyball — I, II and III. Only three players from Division II are picked and only one player in the history of Iowa Central volleyball had ever made the team, current Tritons assistant coach Gabby Sullivan.

That was a big motivation for Steffes.

Turns out the Rochester native got that award and one even bigger, named Division II's Player of the Year, a first by an Iowa Central player.

"This recognition means a lot to me," Steffes said. "I can't put it into words. I wouldn't have been able to do it without coaches who believed in me. My coaches never gave up on me. They were always there to push me in practices. It was a good environment here. I was always supported."

Iowa Central coach Sara Horn was sure she was getting a special talent when Steffes, an All-Big Nine Conference player at John Marshall, committed to her.

Steffes' athleticism jumped out as did her fast and powerful arm swing.

Horn wasn't disappointed by any of that in Steffes' three years at Iowa Central program (she was granted a third year due to the COVID-19 pandemic). What jumped out most in Horn's time with Steffes was her personal growth.

"When she came to us, she was a 17-year-old," Horn said. "Everything is different and new when you get to college, with all of these decisions in front of you. As time went on, she made better decisions for herself, academically and socially. Seeing that growth and development, it was great."

Steffes' advancements didn't come easily. There were some mental health things she dealt with early on, much of them coming from societal pressures.

"There are a lot of things on the internet that affect how you feel about yourself," Steffes said. "A lot of it was just outside stuff that was affecting me. I had a hard time with depression my freshman year and I tried to find ways to get better with that. Helping other people that are feeling the same way, that made me feel better."

Gradually, Steffes healed mentally, having made some proper adjustments. While that piece of her life came together, her volleyball game kept growing.

After being named a junior college All-American a year ago, Steffes took her game up another notch heading into this season. She did it by showing up in the best volleyball shape of her life, late-night summer workouts at Planet Fitness in Rochester having given her even more lift on her kills.

"I used the preseason to get my body right," Steffes said. "That helped me a lot. I was jumping higher than last year which helped me stay above people. And I kept swinging fast. I was hitting with a harder pace and I came in with a chip on my shoulder. I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from my goals."

Steffes' volleyball career won't end in Fort Dodge, Iowa. She's currently being recruited by a number of four-year colleges, including Division I programs Austin Peay University (Clarksville, Tenn.) and Illinois State University.

She's likely to say yes to one of those two.

When Steffes considers her current state in life and volleyball, she does it with pride. She's come a long way and earned it.

"I've grinded and stayed with school," Steffes said. "I had to give it some time. But I've stepped up my game."