As usual it snuck up on us. We’ve reached another season’s end and the final chance to see this year’s only senior — and the last to be called a Lady Vol. Today we’ll dig through the archives and take a look back at Shealyn Kolosky before she took the court for Tennessee: high school and club, what was said about her, thoughts on her arrival at UT, and some old photos!

Shealyn Kolosky was a middle hitter at Wheaton Warrenville South in Wheaton IL. She was named to PrepVolleyball’s list of top players in Illinois twice. She was All-Conference for two years and All-Area her senior season. She was one of the top 50 volleyball players in the Chicago area according to the Sun-Times. And she was listed on the AVCA Girls’ High School All-America Watch List. Kolosky played club at Sports Performance VBC. Her team finished 9th at the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championship her junior year and won it all her senior year. She was ranked the #83 recruit in the country by PrepVolleyball.

HS coach Bill Schreier: “Shealyn’s biggest growth has been in her ability to demand the ball at crunch time”

The Chicago Daily Herald: “A force to be reckoned with at the net. She has developed into a solid offensive option and added shots to the power she already possessed.

Former UT assistant coach Gregg Whitis: “We started recruiting Shealyn as a sophomore. She has always had good size and a great volleyball frame and when she came to our camp she really stood out because of how physical she was. We think she has the ability to attack both in front of and behind the setter, which is a big part of our offense, and we expect her to play at a very high level as she continues to gain experience on the court.”

PrepVolleyball: “Kolosky is a physical player and a 10-foot athlete who can really take up some space at the net. Not only has she played a high level of volleyball for an extended period of time in both club and high school, she has great potential for continued improvement.”

UT head coach Rob Patrick: “She’s a physical specimen and somebody that we’re very excited about as she develops over her four years. She comes in with a great net presence. She has a tremendous arm swing. She’ll vie for playing time in the middle. A hard worker as most middles need to be to be successful.”

PrepVolleyball: “At 6-2 and with a legitimate touch above 10-0, Kolosky has ideal size, athletic ability and skill for the middle blocker position. Kolosky is physical — she hits high and hard and is a big block. She also possesses a fast arm swing, which makes her a capable attacker both in front of and behind the setter. Playing for Sports Performance, Kolosky has received tons of training and match experience playing middle at a high level. She’ll be ready to contribute right away when she gets to Tennessee.”

Kolosky on why she chose Tennessee: “I really like how the boys and girls programs are separate — the Vols and the Lady Vols — and I thought that was really important. I also liked how different it was from my high school atmosphere”; “It’s a cool environment and I really love everyone on the team. I like the coaching staff and the direction the program is headed.”

photos from: Daily Herald / Patch / PrepVolleyball