Standing just over 6 feet, Catherine Smale always had height as an advantage.
It almost seems she was destined to be an athlete. In the fifth grade, she got her first taste of sports, including volleyball. Since then, it has stuck with her.
She ended her volleyball career at Rosary High School with a first team all-state honors in Illinois, holding the school record in career kills (1135) and digs (723). Despite those accomplishments though, she had a decision to make.
“I didn’t know for sure if I really wanted to take [volleyball] past high school,” Smale said. “It’s just that I wanted the whole college experience and all that.”
Her passion for the sport wouldn’t allow her to give up volleyball so easily. With an older sister at Iowa and a best friend, Kiley Fister, committing to the volleyball program, the choice became obvious.
“[Kiley] committed here before me,” she said. “I hadn’t really looked at it a whole lot. But as she committed, I talked to her about it. She really talked up Iowa. I ended up falling in love with it.”
Together, the pair helped Iowa go 14-19 overall and 4-16 in the Big Ten during their first year. As an outside hitter, Smale led the team with 441 kills — at that time, an Iowa freshman record. She was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and honored as team’s Most Valuable Player.
Over the next two seasons, though, the Hawkeye program began to spiral south, and former head coach Cindy Fredrick resigned after going 9-22 during the 2007 season.
Shortly afterwards, Sharon Dingman came from Illinois State and took over as head coach.
The 2008 season marked a turning point. The Hawkeyes went 14-18, matching the highest win total since 2000. Smale was again honored as team MVP while finishing her career with the eighth-most kills (1,315) and 13th-most digs (1,073) in the program history.
“She just played the whole game,” Dingman said. “She was really fun to coach. She had so much experience, obviously having starting here the three previous years.”
However, just as the program seemed to be on the upswing, Smale was on her way out.
“Sometimes, I wish I had just stopped and really appreciated it for a little bit,” she said. “But I was always in the moment — next game, next practice.”
While her athletics career was done, she still had an academic year left. As a fifth-year senior, she was able to receive financial aid through a scholarship. But there was a stipulation — either work for Student Services at the Athletics Learning Center or with a team.
Not too surprisingly, she chose the latter. But Smale said she would have picked working with her former team even if she wasn’t on scholarship.
“I obviously wanted to follow them, regardless of if I was working with the team or not,” she said. “But I feel lucky that I am even able to be there with them for part of [the season].”
Smale works with Angie Boldt, the director of volleyball operations. She also participates in team drills and blogs live at all of the home matches.
The team appreciates seeing a familiar face. Her experience as a former player has proven to be invaluable.
“She was definitely a role model for me,” senior outside hitter Megan Schipper said. “I came in, and I was able to take that other outside position, so I played with her for three years. I learned so much from her — how to hit shots, how to be smart, how to just be a good outside hitter and leader on the court.”
For Smale, the opportunity to come to Iowa, play alongside a best friend, and experience the ups-and-downs of being a college athlete at a Big Ten school is something she’s grateful for.
“I’m so happy I did it,” she said. “It was the best four years of volleyball for me. That’s basically why I still stick around. They haven’t been able to get rid of me yet.”