James Wood Volleyball Star Houser Signs With Notre Dame On Her 18th Birthday

Posted: November 15, 2014
By ROBERT STOCKS
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — It’s safe to say it’s been a pretty special 48 hours for James Wood senior Katie Houser.

A day after setting the team’s single-game record for kills with 36 in a 3-1 victory over Jefferson Forest in the 4A North Region semifinals Thursday night that clinched the Colonels’ third consecutive state tournament berth, Houser made her 18th birthday even more memorable by signing to play volleyball at the University of Notre Dame next fall on Friday.

With a crowd of about 100 friends, family members and teammates wearing Notre Dame pins that were handed out, Houser signed her letter of intent with her parents, Archie and Patty Houser, and her two brothers, Tomas, 19, and Aidan, 15, by her side in the James Wood High School Library after school on Friday.

“It kind of was a coincidence with it being National Signing Week and we had two games [earlier this week],” said Houser, about having the signing day on her 18th birthday. “But it’s the best birthday present I could ask for.”

Although Houser put on a Notre Dame hat when she signed, there was no drama in her decision because she had given her verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish back on Sept. 17, 2013. She visited South Bend, Ind., in August of 2013 and she selected Notre Dame from about 20 other scholarship offers.

“The recruiting process was really hard for me, not at first but injuries come, and it all kind of worked out the way I think it was supposed to work out,” said Houser, who is James Wood’s career kills leader with 1,235. “Notre Dame was never on my list [early on] but once it was on my list it was my No. 1.”

Houser, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, ranks at the top or near the top in several James Wood and Virginia High School League categories. Her 513 kills this season currently rank fourth best in Virginia High School League history (581 is the VHSL record), and her career kill total (which was amassed in three varsity seasons after she missed her junior year with an ankle injury) ranks second in VHSL history to Megan Good of Fort Defiance, who finished with 1,716 kills in 2013.

While Houser is a dominant hitter who can hit with both her right and left hands with power and finesse, she also utilizes a top-spin, jump serve that’s resulted in a team-best 94 aces to go along with 185 digs and 33 blocks this season.

“It’s been an honor to coach Katie and I’ve worked with her since she was 14-years old and she’s definitely a rare find,” said James Wood coach Jill Couturiaux, who has coached almost a dozen former Colonels who have gone on to play collegiately. “Playing volleyball for a prestigious school like [Notre Dame] is an incredible honor and she definitely makes us all very proud.

“Katie’s a leader and she’ll make friends wherever she goes. She’s a very personable gal and she is outgoing and I know that they’re eager for her arrival and excited for what she brings to the program.”

Notre Dame is currently 6-19 overall (3-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) after a 3-2 loss at Wake Forest Friday night. The Fighting Irish have six seniors and one junior on their roster, so Houser will be joining a young team next season.

Houser said her goal will be to compete for playing time as a freshman.

“The goal is to win, but first I’ve got to get on the court,” said Houser, who was recently named the Northwestern District and Conference 21 Player of the Year. “That’s goal No. 1 and ultimately I want to be on a winning program.

“I’ve played with the girls over the summer and I feel like I fit right in. We’re going to have a really good recruiting class and I’m one of three All-Americans in my class, and then the class above us had three as well and there’s a bunch of freshmen starting, so I think even though right now there’s maybe more Ls than Ws we’re at the peak of changing that and turning it around.”

Notre Dame coach Debbie Brown owns a 636-326 coaching record and has coached the Fighting Irish for the past 24 seasons (and she was also the head coach at Arizona State for six seasons prior to coming to Notre Dame). Her teams have reached the NCAA tournament round of 16 six times and have won 20 or more games in 18 of her past 27 seasons as head coach.

“Katie is a strong outside hitter with good ball-control skills,” said Brown, who was a two-time Mikasa Award winner (given to volleyball’s top all-around player) for Southern Cal. “She is a talented six-rotation player, hits a pretty heavy ball and is an outstanding athlete. We are excited to get her on campus and get to work.”

Although Houser will begin to turn her full attention to Notre Dame in the coming weeks, she and her James Wood teammates get their third shot against two-time defending 4A state champ Loudoun County in tonight’s 4A North Region championship game (at 7 p.m.) in Leesburg.

Regardless of tonight’s outcome, the Colonels (25-3), who have lost to Loudoun County twice, have already clinched a spot in next Tuesday’s 4A state semifinals. The winner of tonight’s game will host 4A South runner-up Jamestown, while the loser must travel to face 4A South champion Grafton (who beat Jamestown 3-2 in the regional final).

Houser said it was a relief to get Thursday’s 3-1 victory on the road — three hours away from home — at Jefferson Forest to earn the team’s third consecutive state tournament berth, especially after having to miss last year’s state tournament because of her injury.

“It was definitely something huge to overcome,” said Houser of her ankle injury. “But it shows that I can do anything I want to with the right people in my life and the right mind set.”

Houser said it also meant a lot to her that so many friends, family members and former coaches attended her signing day.

“It’s collectively — it’s the entire school, Frederick County and the town of Winchester — I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Houser, who may pursue a business degree at Notre Dame.

Her father, Archie, said it was special to see all of his daughter’s teammates attend her signing day.

“It’s a team sport and if you don’t get the ball to the hitter then you can’t do [Katie’s] job,” said Archie Houser. “All the practices, all the years of being on different teams, all the support, all the competition — all of that is important. These are friends and girls that she’ll be friends with hopefully for the rest of her life and it’s important.

“Her family, her teachers and former coaches and some parents who were former coaches were here — coach [Carla] Milton was her coach in middle school — so it’s great to have everyone here.”

— Contact Robert Stocks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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