Photo by Jim Franz

The Beloit College volleyball team was struggling on the road. In the first game of the non-conference match, nothing seemed to go right against a team the Bucs should have handled relatively easily.

“All it took was eye contact,” says Jami Strinz, the Buccaneers’ head coach. “No words were spoken. But we both knew it was time to raise the level of play.”

The other person in this silent conversation was Beloit senior middle-hitter Katelynn Rynders, a three-year captain of the team and a quiet leader throughout her record-setting career.

“I’m usually a pretty laid-back person,” says Rynders, an education and English double-major from Dundee, Ill., who hopes to teach elementary school and write children’s books. “But I do get emotional. I just don’t show it much. It’s mostly through body language. I keep it inside and let it just sort of take over.”

On the court or off the court, Rynders has a passion for whatever she is doing — writing a paper, studying for a test, leading a meeting, doing community service, coaching youth volleyball, or leading a team to victory. She even played the viola in the Beloit College orchestra for a time.

Yes, Rynders is busy. But it’s all pointed toward reaching her goals in life.

“I’m excited to graduate and get my life going,” continues Rynders. “I want to see what’s out there for me and then go after it. I really enjoy Beloit College, the volleyball team, and all of my teammates and friends through the years. But I’m ready to take my life to a new level and face new challenges.”

As president of Beloit’s athletic advisory committee for three years, Rynders has turned the group into an active force for many of the community service projects the Athletic Department does.

“When I was first asked to be president of the group, I was pretty nervous and not sure what I needed to do,” says Rynders.

“But now we’ve got a good core group of people who really want to make a difference. We’re proud to be Beloit College student-athletes, and we want the community to see what a great thing we’ve got going here.”

“Katelynn is the epitome of what a team captain should be,” says Strinz. “She leads, supports, consoles — whatever’s needed. And it’s all done in a positive way. She’s a great person on and off the court. She and our other seniors this year have been outstanding in so many ways.”

Rynders is energized about this year’s Buccaneer volleyball team and its chances for the 2006 season. She and five other seniors are playing together for the last time, so there is a sense of urgency.

“I am so lucky to have had such great teammates all through my years,” says Rynders. “Especially this year, with the big group of seniors, everyone’s expectations are high, but so are ours. We’ve been through a lot together and have really done well. But we’ve got more to do before we’re done.”

As for the volleyball match mentioned earlier: The Buccaneers lost the first game but took the next three fairly handily. Rynders finished with an unbelievable 25 kills, the second-highest match total in school history.

“I was in the zone that night,” says Rynders. “Some people think you only get in the zone in sports. But I know I get in it in so many other areas of my life. That’s always my goal — to find that zone.”

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