Indiana University Athletics
Veteran Duo Runs Middle for Hoosiers in 2023
5/16/2023 1:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Kjolhede and Rammelsberg Q&A
The Indiana volleyball team will feature one of the most veteran middle blocker tandems in the nation next year.
Graduate student Kaley Rammelsberg and senior Savannah Kjolhede are back for one more year together in the middle of the IU lineup and bring with them a wealth of experience and talent. The duo has combined to play seven seasons of college volleyball and a total of 186 matches entering 2023.
Between them, they've got 1,203 kills and 563 blocks to their names. Both middles own top-10 single season hitting percentage marks, Rammelsberg (.344, 2021) and Kjolhede (.308, 2022), and were crucial to IU's success last season. Finally healthy and comfortable in IU's system together, the pair will look to help take the Hoosiers back to the big dance for the first time since 2010.
IU returns six of seven starters from last season's team including setter Camryn Haworth and outside hitters Mady Saris and Morgan Geddes. Other key contributors back in 2023 include outside hitters Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Grae Gosnell and defensive specialist Isa Lopez.
When healthy, Rammelsberg and Kjolhede provide one of the most dynamic middle combinations in the conference. Kjolhede is closing in on the program's top-10 list in blocks with both athletes likely to finish their IU careers among the top-10 in hitting percentage.
As summer training and fall camp approaches with IU's tight-knit roster, the veteran duo is ready for one final ride and the chance to do something special in Bloomington.
How did the spring season go?
KR: "I think we've been working on a lot of stuff, so execution wasn't always there. But the effort always was. We were going really hard throughout the entire spring and now things are starting to click a lot better. We're becoming more cohesive as a team."
SK: "I feel like spring for us is normally very developmental. Whatever we identified in the fall that we were missing, or we could get better on, we really emphasized that in the spring. Through our fair share of injuries, we developed a lot. We grew a lot as a team."
How was it having a normal semester with no outside distractions to just focus on volleyball?
SK: "It's been really nice because I haven't really had a semester just for development. My first semester we were supposed to have a season and then COVID happened, so it took away the spring developmental time. Last year, we needed to taper down because we had to last another month to go to Europe. It was nice having an actual structured schedule of lifts and practice. I liked the set-up of how we did things. It was very individualized."
How do you feel following your injury last year?
KR: "Coming back was definitely a challenge and it took a while. I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see, especially in the beginning of spring. I thought having a month off for winter break would be good, but I came back and I still couldn't jump that well. I worked really hard and fought through the pain and now I'm back to normal and feel 100 percent. I'm jumping just as high as I used to. I feel like since I got over that hump, I was able to focus on the things I needed to and I've improved this spring."
How nice has it been to have time to work with the setters and a returning starter in Camryn Haworth?
KR: "It's definitely improved a lot. One, my timing has gotten better because I'm able to jump as high as I used to. Two, the setters have improved a lot and they've worked so hard. We've continually just worked rep after rep to get this timing down and it's come a long way."
SK: "Cam and Nat have had a lot of growth this year. Cam, being a freshman and never setting before she got to Indiana, she was a little inconsistent. Through last fall, she's gotten extraordinarily better and even in the spring she's been so consistent. Setting the middle is difficult because it has to be precise. Cam delivers balls so consistent every time. It's always in the window. Nat, being a freshman and having the ability to fling the ball around like she does. I think we're going to have a great year next year."
What's it like to have nearly a full roster back this season?
SK: "For me, knowing who's around you and playing with them for so long, you get a non-verbal communication that you don't have whenever you're with different people. She knows that I'm going to be up or Kaley is going to be up and trusts that we're going to get the ball down for her. Our trust level is a lot better."
KR: "Getting used to new setters is really hard. Having played with someone for over two years now, it helps eliminate those errors on the court. Now, we have our tempo down too that the coaches want."
What's the tempo been like in the spring?
KR: "We're definitely speeding it up and that gives us the chance to beat the block. They want middles specially to speed up the tempo."
What's the hardest part about playing in the middle?
KR: "Transitioning is just so hard. As a middle, you have to block both pins and be up every single time. It's just so much work every time. We love it and hate it. I love when I pull the blocker and Cam sets the outside and it's a clean kill."
SK: "You don't have time to think. You just do it."
What have you learned about yourself and the Big Ten the last few years?
KR: "Before I came to IU, I played in a small conference and the tempo was really slow. I think for me, I've learned to speed up and have a better volleyball IQ. I know where to place the ball and what to do with it."
SK: "After being in it for three years, the fight is always there. You don't get a break. Your motivation to always be going has to be really high. Us as middles, we have a really good engine. We just go all the time. You're never going to have an off game or play an easy team. Being in the gym every day, you have to play to the Big Ten standard."
What's your level of trust with each other like?
SK: "Kaley and I have established a really good communication. If she feels if something off, we'll be able to help her. Now that we've been around the coaches, we can help coach each other along the way."
KR: "I think we're a lot more confident in ourselves especially after what we accomplished with the injuries we had. I don't think we're overconfident and we're ready for the fight."
What's the team's confidence level like after the spring?
SK: "I think our confidence is good and we know there's a lot more work to do and progress to be made. Overall, I think we've had a very successful last 12 months."
What's it like seeing other athletes like Morgan Geddes continue to develop?
SK: "Being with Morgan since we were freshmen, her growth has been insane. I love cheering on Morgan. It's one of my favorite things to do. She's this quiet little thing and then she'll get a monster block."
KR: "It's amazing to see them all come out of their shells. The growth for them has been astounding."
This senior class, what does it mean to you Savannah?
SK: "We've been through so much together. It's made us a lot closer. We have a lot of experiences together, especially after Europe. It's surreal. It's flown by."
What's the goal and objective this summer before fall camp?
KR: "I think we've got to continue working hard through the summer. Keeping the confidence, we have and knowing we can beat good teams."
SK: "I think keeping our standards high especially in the summer when there are no coaches around. Our group has grown a lot in that way. We've got to hold each other accountable."
The Indiana volleyball team will feature one of the most veteran middle blocker tandems in the nation next year.
Graduate student Kaley Rammelsberg and senior Savannah Kjolhede are back for one more year together in the middle of the IU lineup and bring with them a wealth of experience and talent. The duo has combined to play seven seasons of college volleyball and a total of 186 matches entering 2023.
Between them, they've got 1,203 kills and 563 blocks to their names. Both middles own top-10 single season hitting percentage marks, Rammelsberg (.344, 2021) and Kjolhede (.308, 2022), and were crucial to IU's success last season. Finally healthy and comfortable in IU's system together, the pair will look to help take the Hoosiers back to the big dance for the first time since 2010.
IU returns six of seven starters from last season's team including setter Camryn Haworth and outside hitters Mady Saris and Morgan Geddes. Other key contributors back in 2023 include outside hitters Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Grae Gosnell and defensive specialist Isa Lopez.
When healthy, Rammelsberg and Kjolhede provide one of the most dynamic middle combinations in the conference. Kjolhede is closing in on the program's top-10 list in blocks with both athletes likely to finish their IU careers among the top-10 in hitting percentage.
As summer training and fall camp approaches with IU's tight-knit roster, the veteran duo is ready for one final ride and the chance to do something special in Bloomington.
How did the spring season go?
KR: "I think we've been working on a lot of stuff, so execution wasn't always there. But the effort always was. We were going really hard throughout the entire spring and now things are starting to click a lot better. We're becoming more cohesive as a team."
SK: "I feel like spring for us is normally very developmental. Whatever we identified in the fall that we were missing, or we could get better on, we really emphasized that in the spring. Through our fair share of injuries, we developed a lot. We grew a lot as a team."
How was it having a normal semester with no outside distractions to just focus on volleyball?
SK: "It's been really nice because I haven't really had a semester just for development. My first semester we were supposed to have a season and then COVID happened, so it took away the spring developmental time. Last year, we needed to taper down because we had to last another month to go to Europe. It was nice having an actual structured schedule of lifts and practice. I liked the set-up of how we did things. It was very individualized."
How do you feel following your injury last year?
KR: "Coming back was definitely a challenge and it took a while. I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see, especially in the beginning of spring. I thought having a month off for winter break would be good, but I came back and I still couldn't jump that well. I worked really hard and fought through the pain and now I'm back to normal and feel 100 percent. I'm jumping just as high as I used to. I feel like since I got over that hump, I was able to focus on the things I needed to and I've improved this spring."
How nice has it been to have time to work with the setters and a returning starter in Camryn Haworth?
KR: "It's definitely improved a lot. One, my timing has gotten better because I'm able to jump as high as I used to. Two, the setters have improved a lot and they've worked so hard. We've continually just worked rep after rep to get this timing down and it's come a long way."
SK: "Cam and Nat have had a lot of growth this year. Cam, being a freshman and never setting before she got to Indiana, she was a little inconsistent. Through last fall, she's gotten extraordinarily better and even in the spring she's been so consistent. Setting the middle is difficult because it has to be precise. Cam delivers balls so consistent every time. It's always in the window. Nat, being a freshman and having the ability to fling the ball around like she does. I think we're going to have a great year next year."
What's it like to have nearly a full roster back this season?
SK: "For me, knowing who's around you and playing with them for so long, you get a non-verbal communication that you don't have whenever you're with different people. She knows that I'm going to be up or Kaley is going to be up and trusts that we're going to get the ball down for her. Our trust level is a lot better."
KR: "Getting used to new setters is really hard. Having played with someone for over two years now, it helps eliminate those errors on the court. Now, we have our tempo down too that the coaches want."
What's the tempo been like in the spring?
KR: "We're definitely speeding it up and that gives us the chance to beat the block. They want middles specially to speed up the tempo."
What's the hardest part about playing in the middle?
KR: "Transitioning is just so hard. As a middle, you have to block both pins and be up every single time. It's just so much work every time. We love it and hate it. I love when I pull the blocker and Cam sets the outside and it's a clean kill."
SK: "You don't have time to think. You just do it."
What have you learned about yourself and the Big Ten the last few years?
KR: "Before I came to IU, I played in a small conference and the tempo was really slow. I think for me, I've learned to speed up and have a better volleyball IQ. I know where to place the ball and what to do with it."
SK: "After being in it for three years, the fight is always there. You don't get a break. Your motivation to always be going has to be really high. Us as middles, we have a really good engine. We just go all the time. You're never going to have an off game or play an easy team. Being in the gym every day, you have to play to the Big Ten standard."
What's your level of trust with each other like?
SK: "Kaley and I have established a really good communication. If she feels if something off, we'll be able to help her. Now that we've been around the coaches, we can help coach each other along the way."
KR: "I think we're a lot more confident in ourselves especially after what we accomplished with the injuries we had. I don't think we're overconfident and we're ready for the fight."
What's the team's confidence level like after the spring?
SK: "I think our confidence is good and we know there's a lot more work to do and progress to be made. Overall, I think we've had a very successful last 12 months."
What's it like seeing other athletes like Morgan Geddes continue to develop?
SK: "Being with Morgan since we were freshmen, her growth has been insane. I love cheering on Morgan. It's one of my favorite things to do. She's this quiet little thing and then she'll get a monster block."
KR: "It's amazing to see them all come out of their shells. The growth for them has been astounding."
This senior class, what does it mean to you Savannah?
SK: "We've been through so much together. It's made us a lot closer. We have a lot of experiences together, especially after Europe. It's surreal. It's flown by."
What's the goal and objective this summer before fall camp?
KR: "I think we've got to continue working hard through the summer. Keeping the confidence, we have and knowing we can beat good teams."
SK: "I think keeping our standards high especially in the summer when there are no coaches around. Our group has grown a lot in that way. We've got to hold each other accountable."
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
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