By Brandon Park

If not for teammate, roommate and best friend Lauren Schmitz, senior middle blocker Katie O’Rourke’s illustrious volleyball career might not have even begun. Before Schmitz persuaded her to try volleyball, O’Rourke’s love was soccer.

O’Rourke’s volleyball career started the summer before her freshman year of high school, when the volleyball coach questioned Schmitz about her very tall friend.

“He asked me to bring (O’Rourke) to an open gym session, so I did,” Schmitz said. “I told her how much fun the sport was and that she would be really good at it.”

Senior volleyball teammates Lauren Schmitz, left, and Katie O’Rourke.

Schmitz was right. The 6-foot-1 O’Rourke has done nothing but excel in the sport since stepping foot on Berry College’s campus. In O’Rourke’s first two seasons, the Vikings won back-to-back Southern Athletic Assn. conference titles, and her presence around the net is a big reason why.

“I thought it was a good idea for Katie to play volleyball because, one, she is tall, and, two, she is athletic,” Schmitz said. “So I knew she would catch on quickly.

O’Rourke and Schmitz have been friends since the first grade.

“She is someone who is always positive,” Schmitz said of her roommate and teammate. “She is loyal and funny and someone I can always turn to for everything. I am very lucky to have her as a teammate and friend.”

On the court, O’Rourke is just as valuable.

“We feed off of her energy, and she is an extremely hard worker,” Schmitz said.

All-conference and all-region last year, O’Rourke says her individual achievements are nice, but that it’s about what the team can do.

“I give credit to all my teammates and coaches I have played with over the past years,” she said.

An education major with plans to teach elementary school after college, O’Rourke says her best volleyball memories so far have been the bus trips and team dance parties before games.