Just four years ago, senior Caitie Kenneally was spending her weekends at a lacrosse field preparing for games in both the blistering cold and the scorching heat. Today, she spends her weekends in gyms across the tri-state area playing volleyball for a national level team and preparing for the years ahead of her playing for the Illinois Institute of Technology Volleyball team.

Caitie Kenneally is now committed to play volleyball for a Division III sports team while also studying architecture. But before high school, she had really only played lacrosse for a competitive team.

“My mom played volleyball in college and we go camping with her team every year so I first started playing it on those camping trips. But I did not start playing on an official team until eighth grade. I always knew that volleyball would be a big part of my life whether I played competitively or not. Once I started to play on a team I fell more in love with the sport and improved on my technical skills. But until high school lacrosse was my major sport. Once I made the decision to play volleyball at a high level all year I knew I didn’t want to stop when I went to college.”

The Illinois Institute of Technology, or IIT, is located in Chicago Illinois and has a great architecture program.  Caitie said that there were three major things that the schools she was looking at needed to have. First, she said they needed to have a great architecture program. She said that the school needed to have an elite program that would prepare her for a career doing what she loved. Second, they needed to have a good volleyball team. She says she honestly doesn’t think she could survive not playing the sport so she was looking for a higher level team that would allow her to continue her volleyball journey. “Playing intramural was always an option but I really wanted to play for the school.”  Lastly, she said that she was looking for a small school because her personality fits better with a smaller school where she could really connect with the other students and the teachers.

Fortunately for her, IIT had everything she was looking for. She also says that throughout the years her family and coaches have helped her the most.

“Family has always been there to support me both emotionally and financially and this year and last year my club team coaches have really help to guide me through the process of finding, communicating and preparing myself for college ball.” Her plans for the future include studying architecture and then eventually designing homes. Her biggest goal is to design a camp and then run the camp as well.