HS volleyball: Penn tabs Kaitlyn Hickey as new coach

MISHAWAKA — The Penn High School volleyball program has turned to one of its own to lead the way.

And a very good one of its own at that.

Penn announced Friday afternoon that former Kingsmen star and two-time state champion Kaitlyn Hickey is their new volleyball coach. The hiring is pending school board approval on May 22.

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Hickey, who helped Penn win Class 4A state championships in both 2010 and 2011, replaces Lisa Pawlik. Pawlik, who Hickey played for at Penn, resigned along with her coaching staff in March.

Pawlik posted an 871-257 mark in two stints spanning 22 seasons as the Penn coach. She was coach from 1994-2010 and then again from 2018-2022. She was suspended last October by PHM schools following a sideline incident with a Penn player during a match late in the regular season. She did not coach Penn in the sectional last fall, but was fully reinstated as coach in December without any disciplinary action after an investigation. Pawlik remains a teacher at Penn.

“We’re thrilled that Kaitlyn Hickey will be our next volleyball head coach,” said Penn athletic director Jeff Hart in a release issued Friday afternoon by Penn. “She embraces the characteristics that I believe make the best high school coaches. She’s passionate about the benefits of education based athletics, she’s competitive, she’s positive, and she’s prepared to lead and mentor our student-athletes going forward. She has deep roots in the P-H-M community and we can’t wait to get started with Coach Hickey leading the program.”

Hickey, a 5-10 outside hitter, was a four-time All-NIC selection at Penn. She also was a two-time All-State choice and had 18 kills and eight digs as a senior in the state title match win in 2011 under coach Sarah Hendricks, who had replaced Pawlik after she retired after leading Penn to a state title in 2010. Hendricks is now an assistant principal at PHS. Hickey was also a Junior Indiana All-Star while at Penn.

Hickey was a two-time captain as a star player at IUPUI. She was twice named as an honorable mention All-American and was the Sumitt League Player of the Year in 2016. She was also a student assistant coach and a volunteer assistant coach with IUPUI. She holds career records for kills and solo blocks at IUPUI and will be inducted into their Hall of Fame later this year.

“I am super excited about the opportunity as Penn's next volleyball coach,” Hickey said in the release. “This is a great group of athletes and I am honored to be able to give back to the school that really kicked off the love of the game for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without the community and family support I received through Penn and on through college.”

“This was a big decision for me and I feel very welcomed by the school and community,” Hickey said of returning to the Penn volleyball program. “It feels like the right move. I take great pride in Penn from playing there and watching my siblings and cousins participate in athletics throughout the years.

“Penn has always encouraged its athletes to be the best they can be and I hope to continue that. In high school, I was able to play softball, basketball, and volleyball, winning two state championships for volleyball and one runner-up state final for basketball.

“My coaches worked together to help me time-manage and be fully invested in each sport. I hope to bring that to the volleyball program — embrace those multi-sport athletes. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am very competitive and will continue to push these girls to be as well.”

Hickey is looking forward to helping her alma mater pursue championships.

“The more you play, the more you learn,” Hickey said. “I am a firm believer in wanting to play the best of the best. It is more rewarding to challenge an amazing team/player than to beat weak teams.

“Stepping out of that comfort zone and challenging yourself at the highest level has taught me many things for coaching. The mental side of challenging that player across the net or motivating a teammate on and off the court to better the team as a whole has to be strong when playing those tough teams.

“The tougher competition is also adapting quicker, which forces me as a player or coach to adapt quicker trying to stay a step ahead. “Even while coaching, I like to step on the court and play with the team to see first hand how they anticipate plays or learn why they make the decisions they do and think that has helped me a ton that I can still do that.”

Hickey, who has also coached club volleyball and served as an official for the sport, is currently the Chief Financial Officer and Financial Controller for Trim-A-Door in Mishawaka. She earned both her bachelor's degree and master's degrees from IU.

Hickey, who is 28, is the daughter of Lou and Michelle Hickey. She was the first of four daughters of the pair to play for the Kingsmen. The trio of Rachel, Ally and Emma all were standouts for the Kingsmen and all went on to play collegiately too. Her brother Joe played golf for the Kingsmen and another brother Josh is currently a sophomore who plays lacrosse at Penn.

Penn finished 22-10 last fall, losing to Warsaw in a sectional semifinal match.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Former Penn star Kaitlyn Hickey is the new Kingsmen volleyball coach