Kate Mueller is back and ready to lead

Editor's note -- Last semester Abilene Christian's media relations office has teamed with Grant Abston's Topics in Journalism class to bring additional feature content onto ACUSports.com. The following story on Katelyn Mueller was written by junior communications major, Madi Miller. The Wildcats will open their season this Friday at 6 p.m. in the Teague Center.

ABILENE—After sustaining an injury in the Wildcats first volleyball match last season, Kate Mueller returns to the court this Spring as ACU’s lone senior, looking to lead a young team that includes 14 freshmen and sophomores.

The outside hitter from Sugar Land, Texas, appeared in 110 sets in each of her first two seasons, and earned preseason all-conference honors as a junior, appearing in six matches at the end of the season after undergoing surgery.

“Getting injured shook my world a little bit,” Mueller said. “I’ve never really sat on the bench, and I’ve never had to watch games fully from the sidelines. So that was a big adjustment for me, but I also think it was a cool opportunity for me to learn how to be a better teammate off the court.”

Mueller took a lot of pride staying involved with her team despite not being able to help them win games on the court. Due to the injury, she was unable to travel to most games which meant staying home and finding ways to better herself prior to her return.

“I got to pour into my team in a way that I’ve never been able to do before,” Mueller said. “I also got a lot of perspective about what it was like not traveling and being on the bench, so I feel like I was able to reach out to other girls and show them that no matter your role on the court, you still have a role on the team. That was definitely a valuable experience for me.”

Muller went through an intensive rehab process, spending extra hours in the training and weight rooms to regain her strength and mobility, while also maintaining her cardio. The hard work paid off, as she was able to return to the court to compete in a few matches at the end of the season.

“That meant so much more to me because of all the work I had been through and all the time it had taken to get to that point,” Mueller said. “It was really special because of the journey and made me appreciate it so much more. Anyone who has gone through ACL rehab knows that it’s a process, and knowing when you’re fully healthy is hard to answer. You don’t really know what your 100% feels like after surgery, but I definitely feel like I have got to that point where I have my confidence back.”

Mueller enters this spring as the oldest player on the team, and is ready to lead the younger talent with the goal of reaching the postseason conference tournament.

“I think the most exciting thing is just being able to play for my team this year,” Mueller said. “Getting to serve my team in every way. Playing with them and for them and being in the grind with them is what I’m looking forward to most.” 

Due to COVID-19, the volleyball season was postponed until the spring semester, and while the delay was disappointing, Muller knows the extra time will only benefit the team as a whole.

“With us being a younger team, my goal is to help them pick up on things the best they can and get the best out of them everyday,” Mueller said. “They are so talented and have so much potential and I want to see them excel as much as they can so that when the season arrives they feel even more prepared than they ever would have been with this extra time.”