Volleyball: California recruits adjusting to life in Pittsburgh

Santa Monica, Calif.: ocean views, proximity to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and over 300 days… Santa Monica, Calif.: ocean views, proximity to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and over 300 days of sun each year.

Why would anyone want to leave such a place, exchanging perpetual warmth for frigid winters and clear seas for murky rivers?

For Jenn Katona, a sophomore on the Pitt volleyball team and a native of Santa Monica, this question has become standard.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Why would you leave California and come all the way to Pittsburgh?’” Katona said. “I lived there for 17 years, but at some point you have to get away and see something different.”

Katona, along with teammate Kiesha Leggs, represents the West Coast on the Pitt’s women’s volleyball team.

Leggs, a junior middle hitter, hails from Stockton, Calif., a city south of Sacramento.

While they share a common home state, both players route to calling Pitt their home school was unique.

In high school, Leggs was a multisport athlete, lettering in both basketball and volleyball. However, she did not play club volleyball, which often provides venues for recruiters to scout potential talent.

“I did not play club volleyball because I was always playing AAU basketball,” Leggs said. “I went on to play volleyball in addition to basketball at a junior college and was recruited from there.”

Leggs was a standout player at San Joaquin Delta College, earning all-conference distinctions in her freshman and sophomore years.

“I was recruited from schools on the West Coast and in the Midwest, but Pitt was the only eastern school,” Leggs said. “They were also the only Division I school, which made the decision easier.”

Katona played a somewhat more active role in her presence at Pitt. She composed a list of qualities that her school of choice needed to have, and being far from home was at the top.

“First, I wanted to leave California, just to get some perspective of a different place,” Katona said. “Also, I wanted a school with a lot of people, a big interest in sports, a Division I volleyball program and good academics.”

Hoping to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine, Katona was impressed with Pitt’s educational opportunities and its overall fit with her requirements.

“I recently got in touch with a stem-cell research center that works with animals, and I will be able to volunteer there,” Katona said. “The only other place with that opportunity is in California,” she said with a laugh.

Head coach Toby Rens asserted that many recruits are drawn to Pitt from a distance because of the academic programs.

“When we recruit, we are most interested in students that are interested in Pitt,” Rens said. “The majors and educational prestige of Pitt generate a lot of the interest to complement the volleyball program.”

Katona came to the volleyball team as a recruited walk-on in her freshman year. Both she and Leggs have been integral members of the team, earning playing time at the middle hitter position.

Leggs turned in a complete weekend performance, recording a total of 17 kills in Pitt’s two victories over conference opponents Rutgers and Seton Hall.

Katona has already eclipsed her freshman year-end totals in both sets played and kills, including a strong match against George Washington where she collected eight kills in a 3-2 Panther win.

Expectations for the season remain high, particularly in light of Pitt’s recent 7-1 streak.

“Our goal is to win the Big East,” Leggs said. “This goal is attainable and I think the team can accomplish great things this season.”

In addition to success on the court, both players have been able to adjust to other aspects of life at Pitt, thanks in large part to their teammates.

“I definitely learned a lot from the team, especially as a freshman, in terms of ‘culture shock’ adjustment,” Katona said.

For example, all things winter were foreign to Katona before arriving in Pittsburgh.

“I knew nothing about hockey or who the Penguins were before coming here,” Katona said. “Some of the players had to take me to buy a winter coat, since I never really had one before.”

The infamous “Pittsburghese” slang also proved to be a learning experience.

“Some of the words people use, I never heard before,” Leggs said.

Katona finds the dialect “cute” and looks to other team members for definitions when necessary.

Such instances of players helping each other and developing friendships off the court are characteristic of the team in general, according to Rens.

“Geographical diversity adds to the team make-up and allows us to be more open-minded,” Rens said. “I can see the team bonding occurring and that translates into better play on the court as well.”

Rens also noted that many members of the volleyball team are natives of Western Pennsylvania and that they help instill a sense of Pitt pride in other players from greater distances.

“I am amazed with the pride that the local players have in Pitt and the city,” Rens said. “It really comes across as a strong feeling that can be imparted to the entire team.”

For Leggs, that sentiment could not be more true.

“The team has become like a family to me,” she said. “Outside of matches and practices, we are still definitely friends.”

A support system like a family is a comfort to Leggs and Katona, as their own families rarely have a chance to see them play.

“We do not play anywhere near California,” Leggs said. “My family will travel to Pitt to see a match, but it is a long trip.”

Katona will likewise have a fan section at an upcoming home match.

“My mom and step-dad will be here for the Oct. 9 match against USF, our first home Big East contest,” Katona said.

While their families will travel from the West Coast, Katona and Leggs still recall some other comforts of home that Pittsburgh lacks, most notably, certain foods.

“Mexican food,” Leggs said, with a slight longing in her voice. “I can’t seem to find a Mexican restaurant here that is like the ones in California.”

Katona also has a list in mind.

“Organic food is harder to find, and there are some self-service frozen yogurt places in California that are great,” Katona said.

“The sushi is different here too, although I do like Sushi Boat. And Five Guys. I love that place.”

Katona and Leggs seem to have found their place at Pitt, both as members of the volleyball team and as students learning to be “Pittsburghers” for a few years.

“Pittsburgh is pretty much the polar opposite of California, but I love it here and I know I made the right decision in choosing Pitt,” Katona said.