VOLLEYBALL - Wood student Hockman signs with Hollins

WINCHESTER — James Wood High School senior Kaitlyn Hockman signed a letter of intent to play for NCAA Division III Hollins University in Roanoke on Tuesday.

Hockman is not a member of the Colonels’ high school team, but she has played for Winchester’s Apple Valley Volleyball Club the last three seasons, including this year on the Under-18 team. Hockman mainly plays as a right-side hitter and a defensive specialist.

Hockman said she was contacted via email by Hollins coach Katherine Lawson at the end of her junior year after Lawson saw stats and videos on Hockman’s Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) recruiting profile. Hockman was invited to visit the campus over the summer.

“I really loved the school,” Hockman said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “They have a great campus, and they have nursing, which is what I want to do. Everybody down there is so polite. It just feels like home. [Lawson] emphasizes having fun. She really just wants you to go out there and do your best.”

Hockman is excited to continue her career for Hollins, which went 2-24 overall and 0-11 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference last year.

“I didn’t play varsity ball for high school,” Hockman said. “A lot of my friends love the sport, but they just didn’t make the cut for high school ball.

“High school doesn’t make you or break you. If you keep going and have the determination to better yourself, you can play in college and you can continue to play the sport you love.”