FEATURE | Herman Finds Home in Transferring to UMSL

Life has a funny way of working out sometimes. A few years after UMSL head volleyball coach Ryan Young tried to recruit Kaileen Herman, he finally ended up with her on his roster. 

Herman originally signed with the University of North Florida out of high school, but after a year and a half in Jacksonville, and a coaching change following her sophomore year, she opted to transfer to UMSL. 

“My freshman year, North Florida felt like home and that was important because I was so far from home in Chicago,” Herman said. “But then after my sophomore year, it started to feel a little less like that and I decided it was time to come back a little closer to home and find somewhere that felt a little more like home again for me.”

Herman put her name in the transfer portal and Young was one of the first coaches to reach out. 

“Once I saw her name on the transfer portal, I was excited knowing what kind of player she was and having a slight connection through the recruiting process through emails and a phone call,” said Young. “Sometimes with the transfer process, it can be difficult to know how a student-athlete’s game will fit into your program, but with knowing what Kaileen could do as a setter, I was very confident she would be a great fit for us.”

Herman ended up packing up all her stuff over winter break and on her drive home, she stopped in St. Louis. 

She joined the volleyball program in the spring semester of 2019 and immediately began working out the team. 

“It was scary and a bit intimidating at first to just pack up, make that decision and move, but I think coming in at that time and being able to get adapted to UMSL and Ryan and Lindsay (assistant coach Meyer), as well as getting to know everyone on the team and who I’d be playing with in the fall, made a huge difference for me, especially with my position as a setter.”

Herman adjusted well and made an immediate impact on the team, which saw unprecedented success, finishing 29-5 overall after starting out 12-0 for the first time in program history before earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

Herman averaged 11.40 assists per game, which ranked second in the GLVC and 14th in NCAA Division II, and directed the offense to a 0.251 hitting percentage, which ranked 16th nationally. 

“Kaileen has been so valuable to our team in many areas,” Young said. “Having a player that is highly skilled is key, but her overall demeanor as a player and leader on the court is invaluable. She understands the game at a high level and is always striving to be better for the team. She loves the game and loves to compete which is the mindset we want to have in all of our student-athletes.”

Herman will have some extra time before she gets to play her senior season as COVID-19 has pushed the volleyball season from the fall to the spring. The bright side of the pandemic may be that it gives Herman more time this year to play the game she loves. Instead of being done in November when the season would have originally ended, she will now get to practice this fall and play in the spring. 

“I am excited to have the full year to play and to get better and do everything I can in my last year to impact the people under me and make it a fun and successful season like last season.”