We have another Alumni Profile for you to enjoy this week and it features Stevenson men’s volleyball player Kyle Pottieger. Here is our conversation.
Cinn City Sports: What factors helped you choose Stevenson?
Pottieger: The biggest factor for me was probably the volleyball team. I really liked the coach, the guys on the team, and the direction the program was heading. I also really loved the campus, it is a little bit smaller which I like and everything is fairly new, which is really nice.
Major: Education: Middle School math/science
CCS: Was it difficult to adjust to the college game compared to high school?
Pottieger: It was a little difficult to adjust to the college game. Everything is a lot faster, and everyone is taller and stronger. I went from being the tallest guy in almost every match to being a pretty average height.
CCS: What part of your personal game has improved the most since playing in college?
Pottieger: The part of my game that improved the most has definitely been my serve receive. It has been something I have been working on extremley hard since my freshman year of college because I realized I was facing harder serves.
CCS: Who first got you involved in volleyball?
Pottieger: Coach Spier recruited me a little bit in middle school to come out for the team (I was 6 feet tall at the time), but it was mostly because my cousins had a sand court in their backyard and I loved playing there.
CCS: What do you like most about the game of volleyball?
Pottieger: I love playing defense. Whether it is blocking in the front row, or getting digs in the back row I just love it, and it’s a great way to change the momentum of the game. I also like how much of a team sport it is. If you and your team are not on the same page it will show. I feel like the teams I had in high school always had great chemistry and that is why we always did so well.
CCS: What do you use the most today that you learned while playing at CHS?
Pottieger: The thing that I find helpful that I learned from playing at CHS is finding the perfect balance of competitiveness and having fun. Coach Spier was a great role model for that. We were very serious and focused when we had to be, but I also do not think that any other high school team had more fun than we did. This has really helped me in my college game because the competitiveness pushed me to be a better player while still having a blast playing the sport.
CCS: What was it like to be named SJ Player of the Year?
Pottieger: It was a great honor. It was really great having all that hard work pay-off, but nothing will beat what we accomplished as a team that year. We finished the season by reaching the states semi-finals and being ranked 3rd in the state. That was the best moment of my athletic career.
CCS: Favorite class at CHS?
Pottieger: Any math class with Mr. Mike Perekupka. I had him three out of my four years of high school and every class was so much fun, and I learned so much. He inspired me to become a teacher.
Favorite movie: Anchorman
Favorite TV show: Blue Mountain State
CCS: The program won its 200th game this season. What does it mean to you knowing you helped build the foundation of the program with so many successful seasons while at CHS?
Pottieger: It is an amazing feeling. I am so grateful that I was able to be apart of this great feat. I have so much respect for Coach Spier and Coach Mooney, they have been there since the beginning and have taught me ,and many others, how to be a better volleyball player and a better person.
CCS: Stevenson won its third ECAC title in five years. How does it feel to be part of such a run of success?
Pottieger: It is great to be a part of this run. It is always nice winning your last game of the season, but I will not be satisfied until our last win is in the NCAA Championship game.
CCS: What do you do during the volleyball off-season to prepare for the next season?
Pottieger: I play almost every single day of the summer and I also work out and try to increase my vertical.
Image courtesy of Kyle Pottieger
