West grad has NAC for success
Roessler caps Concordia career with conference's top honor, again
Nov. 23, 2009 | 3 comments
Anyone studying in the computer lab at Concordia University Wisconsin one recent day probably wondered just what was on the Web site that Katie Roessler found.
Out of nowhere, Roessler suddenly began to scream and excitedly bounce up and down in her seat.
"Everyone was staring at me," she recalled, "and it was right in the middle of a school day."
Roessler could be excused for her exuberance because she just found out not only had she won a prized honor, but she had established a bit of school athletic history.
The Concordia senior and Wauwatosa West graduate had just garnered the Northern Athletics Conference Player of the Year award as a middle and outside hitter on the volleyball team for the second straight season. That was the first time the NAC had awarded back-to-back Player of the Year honors to anyone in any sport.
Roessler was working in the computer lab that day when she received a short e-mail from head coach Joe Cawley that simply read, "Katie, congrats!"
"I thought I might have made All-Conference, so I went to the NAC Web site to check," Roessler said. "I found out I was Player of the Year again and started screaming. The first thing I did was to call my mom and I was talking really loudly. I probably distracted some people."
Roessler said the honor came as a surprise. "When I got the first one (as a junior), it was a big shock," she said. "It was a goal of mine to win it, and I knew I could do it eventually, but not necessarily as a junior. As a senior, it was an even bigger shock. There were so many good players in the conference this year, and if you look at the statistics for the top 10 players, they were all close.
"Also, the team didn't do as well as I expected (9-3 in dual meets, fourth in conference). I was not expecting Player of the Year again."
Cawley, though, was not taken by surprise. "I thought she could win it again," he said. "She played extremely well. I knew there was a lot of competition in the conference, but with the way she played, I knew she would be right there."
In addition, Roessler was one of 14 collegiate players named to the American Volleyball Coaches' Association All-Midwest Region First Team.
Plaudits pile up
Those honors nicely capped a career at Concordia that included All-Conference recognition all four years, plus the Rookie of the Year award as a freshman.
"When she reflects back on her career, she will say, 'Wow! I accomplished a lot,' " Cawley said. "It's almost like a (Brett) Favre career.
"She has a great work ethic and is committed to volleyball. She is always working at improving her game, and she did some additional things other athletes don't do, such as working with a personal trainer."
Volleyball has long been a passion of hers, including her years at Tosa West, when she played both high school and club ball.
"She has a combination of tremendous athletic ability and a huge volleyball IQ," said Dennis Casey, who was Roessler's club coach, "and she has an outstanding love of the game. She was a coachable athlete and provided good team leadership. When you combine her dedication, her motivation and her ability, it inspired the rest of the players around her."
Her love of the game is such that Roessler was not limiting herself to playing during her days at Concordia. She was also coaching for the Milwaukee Rally, a club Casey started in Wauwatosa to give local teenage girls who play multiple sports a chance at club volleyball.
"Coaching has been really fun," Roessler said, "and a good experience. I'm happy I could coach while I was playing. Coaching helped me see the other side of the court, what the opponent was doing. Also, now when I play, I know what I might be doing wrong mechanically. Coaching made me a better player."
She said coaching offers the same level of intensity and excitement as playing, but in a different manner. "I learned you can't make the players do what you want them to do," she said, "but when you tell a girl she needs to do something and she does it, it really makes you happy. You know she may become a better player because of that."
Casey added, "She coaches girls who are 16 or 17, so she relates well to them. They appreciate her enthusiasm, and she has helped several athletes go on to college ball."
Her own college volleyball career is now over, but Roessler has no plans to leave the sport behind. After she graduates in December 2010 with a degree in physical education, she plans to work as a teacher and coach volleyball. "My goal is to coach for the rest of my life, either in high school or at a higher level," she said.
"She will be successful in whatever she does," Casey said.
THE ROESSLER FILE
WHO: Katie Roessler, former Tosa West volleyball standout and senior middle and outside hitter at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon
WHAT: She won the Northern Athletics Conference Player of the Year award for the second straight season.
HIGH SCHOOL: She played on West's varsity for three years, earning All-Woodland Conference honors. She also won 10 varsity letters at West: three for volleyball, three for basketball and four for track, where she competed in distance and discus.
COLLEGE: She was First-Team All-Conference all four years and as a senior, she was in the top three in the NAC in hitting percentage (.322), kills per set (4.01) and points per set (4.7). In conference matches, she was the top scorer with 4.9 points per set for Concordia, which was 21-10 overall in duals and lost in the second round of the NAC Tournament to Dominican (Ill.). She also helped her team to the finals of the NAC Tournament in 2006 and 2008.
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As a footnote to the Roessler file:
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croe38 - Aug 30, 2010 10:51 AM - Report Abuse
Katie was given National All American Recognition after this story was filed.
She was also named an Academic All american for the 4th straight year and will graduate in December with Honors. She will have a degree in Physical Education with a minor in Health Science, Coaching, and Adaptive Needs Education. She is also certified in Personal Training.