Catching up: 5 questions with Ursuline grad, Western Michigan volleyball player Logan Case

Logan Case is no stranger to highly competitive volleyball. The Ursuline Academy graduate had a standout high school career, leading the Lions to two state championships (2018, 2019) and had numerous personal triumphs.

Now a senior at Western Michigan University, Case has added another accolade to her trophy case.

Case, who is proudly supported by her parents J.P. and Jeni Case, was recently voted the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for NCAA Division I women's volleyball. This new title comes on top of Case being named to the CSC's Division I Academic All-America® First Team for the 2023 season, an honor she also earned in 2022.

Case has one more year of NCAA eligibility and is set to compete for the Broncos next season. But before she looks to the future, Case answered a few questions about her past and her success at both Ursuline and Western Michigan.

Question: How did playing volleyball in the Girls Greater Catholic League prepare you for college ball at Western Michigan University?

Answer: "Playing in the GGCL certainly helped prepare me to play college volleyball. Talking with teammates that I’ve met over the years, some did not have the opportunity to play in competitive leagues in high school and had to rely on club ball to have great competition. I had the privilege of playing in a highly skilled school league paired with club, which really set me up for success at Western."

Question: What was it like to play with three women this past year whom you faced in high school and how did it ultimately help the Broncos?

Answer: "I absolutely love playing with people who I used to play against and sharing stories of our like experiences that we had in the league at different schools. Julia (Marr, Seton), Madison (Merz (Mercy McAuley) and Maggie (King, Mason) all came from competitive programs and all of us getting to put our skills and attitudes together has been really fun. That kind of chemistry can’t be taught and our closeness and relatability certainly put us in the right direction to succeed!"

Question: What is one memory from this season that really encapsulates your time at Western Michigan?

Answer: "One memory from this season that encapsulates my time at Western Michigan so far is our Mid-American Conference championship game against Bowling Green. The atmosphere was insane and I had never played in front of so many people in my time at Western up to that point. It was honestly bittersweet thinking about my freshman year when we couldn’t even have fans and we lost in the championship to BGSU and then this year having a packed arena and winning that game against BGSU was amazing. Honestly a full circle moment. All of our culture-building, training, and hardship that I faced with my teammates in the years past felt so worth it in that moment and it was a perfect ending to our season."

Question: You were the NCAA Division I leader in total assists this year with 1,421 and second in assists per set (11.94). What goes into making that happen and, separately, establishing new Western Michigan setting records?

Answer: "It’s honestly all about system work. Volleyball is so far from an individual sport and there are so many moving parts at one time. The chemistry that I had the chance to build with my teammates having been with them for so many seasons makes a huge difference in us being successful and me being successful from a setting standpoint. By the end of this season, we were a well-oiled offense that worked extremely efficiently; hence the chance for me to have some records at Western and success in the statbook! Our hitters this year were so hardworking and intentional with their efforts and I give all credit to them for turning my sets into assists!"

Question: Of all the accolades you’ve had in your volleyball career – high school or college – which were the most important to you and why?

Answer: Absolutely nothing can top winning a state championship and a MAC championship for me but as for memorable personal accolades, I was named MAC Player of the Year this past season and that one might just be my favorite! Our conference has so much talent and I can even name 1-2 girls on our team who could have also easily snagged that title as well! Knowing how deep in talent the conference is specifically in my position made that accolade extremely special for me. Another one that is important to me is this award I received in high school from the Ohio Valley Volleyball Officials’ Association. The referees gave it to me before the District all-star match, if I remember correctly, and it was just really memorable for me. I wasn’t expecting it nor had I heard of it before, so receiving that award from the refs regarding sportsmanship and dedication was very cool for me."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Catch up with Western Michigan volleyball senior Logan Case