#OhioVB Freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek proves she could be the next star for Ohio Volleyball
Over the years, Ohio has had a tradition of breeding stars at the outside-hitter position. It seems like yet again they have found another gem on the outside.
Despite only playing a handful of games so far, freshman Jaime Kosiorek has shown glimpses of being the next go-to outside hitter the Bobcats have been so reliant on over the past decade. In only her third game for Ohio, she tied a school record with eight service aces against Arizona State — impressive considering the Sun Devils are undefeated and currently ranked No. 15 nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Chagrin Falls native entered her collegiate career with plenty of accolades as Kosiorek was ranked 91st on PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces List.
She also garnered first-team all-state selection as a senior in 2013 as well as twice earning USAV National All-American honors for her club team. It was an impressive get for Ohio as Kosiorek also considered Maryland, Notre Dame and Oregon, according to cleveland.com.
Coming into the season, the Ohio starting lineup seemed to already be written with four All-Mid-American Conference selections and two returning conference players of the year. Kosiorek defied expectations as she cracked the starting lineup for the Bobcats’ season opener against Hawaii.
“Every year there are freshmen across the country that start for their team opening weekend,” coach Deane Webb said. “The thing that impressed me the most about Jaime is the way she dug out and continued to play well improving in her second game against San Diego State. Then in the next game against an even better team in Arizona State she played even better.”
The freshman, who continues to improve at a fast rate, has plenty to look up to in terms of experience at the outside hitter position. Both senior AVCA All-American Kelly Lamberti and junior 2012 First Team All-MAC selection Chelsea Bilger have plenty.
Kosiorek admitted she is constantly learning from her teammates. She strives to improve on her game every day and learning from the likes of Lamberti has accelerated her game to the next level.
“(Lamberti) is so fun to watch,” Kosiorek said. “She does things in practice that makes me wonder if I will ever be as dynamic and as good visually as she is. She’s teaching me so much without even realizing it … I really couldn’t have asked for a better player to come in behind and learn from.”
So far this season, Kosiorek has amassed 46 kills, which puts her second on the team in that category. Her ability to serve the ball high rate is what can potentially make her a special player. Kosiorek leads the Bobcats with 10 service aces through the first six games of the season.
Webb said he has experience with talented servers and sees a bright future for her on the service line.
“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think she was going to hit eight aces in the first weekend against a Pac-12 team, but we knew she was going to be special,” Webb said. “The only downside for her is the better she performs the more we’re going to push her and she has a chance to be a special server. I’ve coached a server who led NCAA Division I in aces per game and I know what that looks like and Jaime has a chance to be a special server.”
