Stephanie Holthus

Classroom

Holthus has shown as much promise and dedication in the classroom as she has on the court during her tenure at Northwestern University. Holthus boasts a 3.12 GPA as a secondary teaching major; she also minors in history. She carried a 3.23 GPA in 2012-13, which culminated with the first year she earned All-America honors on the court. The Burlington, Ill., native pulled in Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2011 and 2012, the first two years in which she was eligible.  Following her playing career, Holthus has aspirations of becoming a high school teacher and volleyball coach.

Character

A two-time team captain, Holthus embodies what it means to be a leader. She has led by example throughout her career at Northwestern. In April 2012, the junior-to-be was named the female winner of the NU Sports Performance Athlete of the Month award, an honor bestowed upon just two of the department’s nearly 500 student-athletes. Her Sports Performance coach noted at the time, “She has a lighthearted and carefree personality that makes her approachable to her young team, but when it’s time to work, she is all business and expects the same from her teammates. If a workout might make her better she only asks ‘when and where?’ She doesn’t need to be persuaded and that attitude sets a great example for her teammates.”

Community

When Holthus isn’t in the gym or the classroom, she can often be spotted giving back around the community in various ways. She signs autographs for young fans after every home match and helps lead numerous skill clinics for girls ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade. Holthus has been a frequent visitor to schools in the area including Orrington Elementary School and the Academy for Global Citizenship. The Burlington, Ill., native is also active with National Girls and Women in Sports Day where she has been a featured speaker and mentor at Northwestern’s annual roundtable event for young girls. Holthus does great work to promote not only the sport of volleyball, but the importance of education and the places they both can take a young person.

Competition

Holthus is already one of the most decorated athletes in Northwestern volleyball history. She is a two-time All-Big Ten and AVCA All-Mideast Region honoree and in 2012, she was named AVCA All-America (3rd Team). She has been the leader of the Wildcats offensive attack for each of the past two seasons when she has ranked in the top five in the conference in kills per set with an average of 4.22 in those two seasons. In one of the top performances of her career last season, Holthus torched Michigan, a national semifinalist, with a career-best 28 kills and 19 digs in a four-set victory for her team. In leading her team to a spotless 11-0 start as a junior, she was named MVP in all four of NU’s non-conference tournaments in 2012. In just three seasons she has already placed herself 10th on Northwestern’s record list for kills with 1,294 and 15th for digs with 1,003.