Biette tops All-Region team; Holy Family standout led team to district, regional titles

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By Tom Dixon For the Camera
Monday, December 8, 2008

As captain of her team, Daily Camera volleyball player of the year Kelly Biette led Holy Family to the Metro district and 3A regional title for the first time in school history.

Not bad for what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.

"At the beginning of the season no one was expecting much of us and I think we proved them wrong," the senior middle blocker said.

After losing three key blockers last year, coach Trisha Kroll knew the Tigers needed someone to step into the leadership role. Biette spent the summer playing at the Front Range Volleyball Club becoming that someone.

"Front Range helped not just with my physical volleyball skills but the mental skills, too," Biette said.

The extra effort paid off.

"I think it taught her the language and how to compete," Kroll said. "Her leadership grew in leaps and bounds. She was a coach out on the floor, which was awesome."

Biette led the team with words and actions. She led the team with 38 aces, 242 kills and 48 blocks. She was second on the team in passing and digs.

"I just never wanted to take her out of the game," Kroll said. "She was a big, huge factor in getting us to state again."

Apparently, Biette never wanted to take herself out of the game either.

After winning a tough four-game match, Kroll noticed Biette holding her hand gingerly, "She said, 'I think I broke it,'" Kroll said. When her coach asked why she didn't say anything, Biette replied, "Because I knew you'd take me out and I wanted to win."

That fierce competitiveness comes out when Biette remembers handing rival Faith Christian their first loss of the season to win the regional title in what she called "one of my favorite games of high school."

"That game was huge," Biette said. "We had been playing well all day ... We had two matches off so we watched Miracle. We were so excited and we had so much energy going into it. It was such a great way to show everybody how good we were."

Despite the momentum of winning nine straight sets in the regionals, Holy Family struggled in the Colorado State 3A championships, finishing seventh.

Now, Biette looks forward to playing for the Seattle University Redhawks under a full scholarship.

Her coach is looking for another player to fill her shoes. "My hope is that she taught the girls how to win and how to communicate," Kroll said. "She's one of those captains you dream of having."