Volleyball is a game of execution, seeing who can more effectively follow the formula: dig, set, spike. This formula may be expected by a fan at any given match, but when the 6-foot-5 frame of senior Katy Ryan steps onto the floor, something feels different. When she rises well above the net to spike the ball, something feels different. When Ryan comes back down screaming, cross necklace swinging on her neck and her teammates race to embrace her, something feels different.
Ryan’s name has now become synonymous with Cougar volleyball.
“I think the question that I got all spring was ‘Is Katy Ryan back?’ and so I think this is the people in Pullman and the area around here, like they knew who she was and that was the big person you know,” head coach Korey Schroeder said.
The senior outside hitter wrapped up a season full of record-setting performances, aptly capping off her storied career. The Idaho native reached 1,000 career kills against Pepperdine University on Oct. 6 and sits just outside the school’s all-time top-10 list. She also reached the top 10 in career points, sets played and attack percentage.
Since the regular season’s finish, Ryan has been named to the All-West Coast Conference first team and the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Northwest Region All-Region first team. The senior helped the Cougs to a ninth straight postseason appearance and the team ended the season at 16-12 after losing to Utah Valley in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Ryan finished fifth in the WCC this season in both points and kills, with 425.5 and 374 respectively.
The volleyball standout’s passion and love for the sport began early, as Ryan recalled one of her earliest volleyball memories from when she was about 8 or 9 years old.
“My mom played in high school and I remember when I was really young, she bought me a volleyball and would just play at the yard and I just didn’t want to stop,” Ryan said. “We would just go back and forth and see how many we could get and I just remember being like, ‘No, we have to get like one more higher,’ and all that.”
Ryan would grow from both a physical and a leadership standpoint in the buildup to her college career. She said she grew 6 inches between seventh and ninth grade to 6 feet, 2 inches, and kept growing until her junior year of high school.
Ryan also attributed much of her growth throughout her career to her faith, mother and teammates. “Growth” was the word that Ryan said described her 2024 season and Schroeder said she has been asked to step out of her comfort zone and into a more vocal leadership role this season.
Ryan’s final season growth has revealed the kind of leader she is on and off the court, something that has allowed her team to admire her for different reasons.
On the court, Schroeder said he has seen more of Ryan’s competitive side this season, and freshman and teammate Breccan Scheck said Ryan has an uplifting attitude on the floor but also “knows when to bring that fire.”
Her coach consistently praised her ability to connect with others and to lead by example, something he has seen especially in the off-court setting.
“She did such a good job after matches, interacting with fans, right?” Schroeder said. “Especially the kids. She’s an elementary education major so she loves that connection with them. When we do our ‘Little Spikers,’ we have the kids that have been coming to that camp for two, three years and run up to Katy and give her a hug.”
Scheck described her teammate as the “GOAT” and said the team would miss her strong attacks, but she was also inspired by Ryan’s tenacity in recovering from offseason surgery and her shoulder injury.
“Every day she’s been limited with her injury and her surgery and I think just her mindset coming back from that has been super successful,” Scheck said. “Something for me to see is how she came back after that. She sometimes will get discouraged, but her mindset is just going forward, and hitting her problems head on and just being determined to get better every day.”
Schroeder said Ryan set the standard for building relationships and connecting with teammates and is an excellent representative for the team and the school.
As Ryan closed out her career, she said it does not feel like it is over but she knows she needs to keep taking it one day at a time. Ryan’s legacy will no doubt highlight her impact on and off the court, and Ryan’s words of wisdom to the younger players punctuate that.
“You have more power than you think you do and more influence over the people around you, so just keep that in mind while you’re playing and while you’re off the court,” Ryan said. “People look at you and wait to see how you’re going to be because you’re in the position of being an athlete. Just take advantage of it and be the person to be kind and to help others out and be a good person.”
