Nazareth grad Katie Hurta excited to start collegiate volleyball career at Penn State
By Randy Whalen
Correspondent
There are numerous facets of the game that Katie Hurta excelled in as a volleyball player.
Now, she has taken those talents to at Penn State, where her collegiate athletics career will begin in roughly one month.
Hurta, of Palos Hills, helped Nazareth win the IHSA Class 3A girls volleyball state championship last fall. To cap it off, she was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year.
Both feats were first for the Roadrunners.
“It’s difficult to think of just one or two ways in which Katie helped lead us to the state championship,” said Nazareth coach Melissa Masterson. “If you watch her play, you quickly realize that she is one of the best all-around volleyball players to have ever played in Illinois. She can attack and score points from any front row position and she is an extremely talented setter who runs an efficient offense. Katie plays great defense, she is a strong blocker, and was one of our top passers.”
Hurta doubled as a right-side hitter and a setter her senior season Roadrunners. She had 415 kills, 360 assists, 198 digs, 30 blocks and 22 aces on the season. In the state title match victory over Belvidere North, she had 15 kills, 10 assists and eight digs.
Nazareth trailed 12-6 in the third set of that match.
“I honestly got emotional at point 24,” Hurta said. “I had tears in my eyes at that point. It was special and everything paid off that we had been working for.”
Hurta was exposed to volleyball at a young age. She recalled traveling during her grade school years to watch her sister Camille, now a senior at Grand Valley State, play in tournaments.
“Being around that environment made me fall in love with it and I never stopped,” she added.
She never stopped growing in the sport, as a player or a leader.
“Katie’s leadership and the type of teammate she chose to be may have had the biggest impact on our success, not just last season but the previous three seasons,” Masterson said. “I’ve been fortunate to know Katie since she was 14 so I’ve seen how much work she has put into being the best athlete, teammate, and leader she can be.”
Hurta credits her growth to her coaches, including Masterson and Masterson’s husband, Kyle, who is an assistant at Nazareth and the girls program director at Adversity, Hurta’s club team.
“Having them as coaches is just going to help me down the road,” she said. “They helped set me up for success.”
Hurta committed to Indiana her sophomore season in 2019 before changing her mind last February.
At Penn State, she’ll play for head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, a 1997 Mother McAuley graduate who helped guide the school to a pair of Class AA state titles in 1994 and 1995.
“They have a really good team and I’m excited to have the opportunity to play,” she said.
The Nittany Lions are excited to have her.
“Katie Hurta is a tremendous asset to the Penn State volleyball family,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “She’s a confident, fiery player with great all-around skills. She’s a very versatile athlete who will make an impact.”
Hurta said she will do anything to help the team.
“I’ve loved doing both hitting and setting in high school and in club,” Hurta said. “Setting helps me a lot because I love the power of controlling the offense. But I also love to be able to get a kill and have that power to end the rally.
“I’m not sure what I will be doing yet at college, but I’m just going to keep up on my skills and do whatever it takes.”
Local News
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015…
Police Council rallies to save ShotSpotter
Spread the love. By Alexis Bocanegra Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (773) 949-1509 • grcl.alex23@gmail.com . Chicago Lawn (8th) District Police Council members Mark Hamberlin, Al Cacciottolo and Jason Huff have created an online petition to save ShotSpotter. As you may have read in the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound back in March, Mayor…
Chicago sports stadium drama heats up
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . More sports team stadium drama could be on the horizon as the Chicago White Sox are said, as of this writing, to be preparing to announce a significant private investment in a new South Loop ballpark. The ballclub has already demanded a share of the Illinois Sports Facilities…
Capacity crowd speaks out against Evergreen Park dispensary
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Additional chairs had to be brought out to seat an overflow crowd of Evergreen Park residents who attended a meeting April 15 regarding a proposed cannabis dispensary for the village. And many who were in attendance voiced their opposition to having a dispensary in Evergreen Park. Most of the people cited…
Countryside puts dog park on hold, will require leashes in two parks
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The city of Countryside has put on hold building a dog park, but canines and their owners are still in store for a treat. The city council has unanimously approved a plan to permit dogs in City Park and Countryside Park this year. Previously, they were not allowed in the…
Bridgeview approves auto repair shop
Spread the loveMoves up time for May 1 village board meeting By Steve Metsch Bridgeview is getting a new automotive repair shop. The village board at its April 17 matinee meeting approved a special use permit that will allow a repair shop at 9010 S. Beloit Ave. There was no discussion among trustees. The board…
Summit Fire Department blood drive draws a crowd
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Summit Fire Department, along with the Village of Summit, and the Argo Summit Lions Club held a blood drive this past Saturday, and it drew a crowd that even impressed the American Red Cross. It took place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with non-stop donors walking through the…
Hodgkins toasts village businesses
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and the Board of Trustees celebrated the village’s businesses at its annual Business Appreciation Breakfast on April 10. Over 100 people gathered at the Hodgkins Administration Center for a hearty breakfast hosted by the village. Representatives from many businesses that are located in or that work…
Pickleball courts coming to Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva There will finally be outdoor pickleball in Palos Park. In a process that went longer than anticipated, the Palos Park Village Council was able give the green light to get a pickleball project started on the Village Green. The council voted April 8 to award the contract to U.S. Tennis…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
Spread the loveFrom staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at…
Neighbors
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…
Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Remembering Lee Milner
NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…
Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now. Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…
Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…