Medina's Kira Holland to continue with volleyball at Indiana State

MEDINA — Three-time All-Gazette volleyball player Kira Holland never wavered in pursuit of her goals. Not when shoulder surgery wiped out her entire junior season, nor when tasked with ending Medina's 15-year championship drought. Her dedication was rewarded in a big way. First, with a Greater Cleveland Conference crown and league kills title. Now, the ability to play the sport she loves at the NCAA Division I level. Holland has signed a national letter of intent to continue her career at Indiana State, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference located in Terre Haute. The school is best known for being where basketball legend Larry Bird rose to national prominence. "It's been a journey that I didn't necessarily anticipate going the way it did, but I'm so thankful for where I'm headed," said Holland, whose 958 kills rank sixth all time in Medina County. "The coaches have already given me so much support and I can't wait to be part of the ISU community. I have already set goals for myself and the team to dominate." The 6-foot-2 outside hitter blasted a personal-best 379 kills as a senior, ranking 19th in Ohio, and finished among the top six in the GCC with 50 aces and 235 digs. She also earned all-district honors in Division I for the third time. Holland said she appreciates her individual accolades, but is more proud of what the Bees accomplished with her, setter Makenzie Schellenberger and outside hitter Anslie Krogh leading the charge. Medina won 20 matches for the first time since 2007, shared the GCC title with Brunswick and advanced to the Midview D-I District semifinals. The final clash between the host Bees and Blue Devils featured the most intense atmosphere in an intracounty contest all year. "I love that we were able to make Medina volleyball something people enjoyed coming to watch," Holland said. "So many people said they didn't realize how much fun it was watching the game." Holland wound up second in school history in kills behind the 1,046 by Ally Peters, who also only played three varsity seasons. They are two of just five county players to average 300 kills per year. Despite being sidelined in 2021 with a torn right labrum that prompted colleges to postpone their recruiting efforts, Holland drew immediate interest upon her return. Indiana State took action in September by making her an offer on the spot after Medina's road contest at Mentor. "It was funny because it wasn't my best game," she said. "But they complimented other things like my character, ability to bounce back, passing, etc. I appreciated that they liked not only my hitting ability, but the all-around contributions that I could bring to the table." Playing in frequent club volleyball tournaments in Indianapolis had given her a positive impression of the state, which was where her late father was originally from. She noted that "it was kind of cool thinking about going back to his home state." Holland said the academic options at Indiana State were a major factor in selecting the school over more than a dozen other D-I programs. She is leaning toward studying nursing. What is certain is her dynamic skill-set will be utilized right away by the Sycamores, who went 3-23 overall and 2-16 in MVC play in their initial season under coach Ashlee Pritchard. "The coaches were so nice, easy to talk to, and not afraid about my ability to be a strong contributor after my shoulder surgery," Holland said. "Indiana State also is one of the few D-I programs that would allow for me to do nursing and play, if I wanted to, so it seemed like it all came together." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.