Richmond volleyball standout Katrina Tolentino is continuing her promising career this fall with the Trinity Western University Spartans.
The McMath graduate was considered one of the top university prospects in B.C. - ranked ninth in the Province newspaper's Best of B.C. Senior Girls Super 15 Class of 2013.
"I am very blessed and excited to be joining the Spartans as they have an excellent volleyball program and high academic standard," said Tolentino, who will play middle. "l look forward to studying at Trinity Western and gaining independence, while still being close enough to Richmond to visit my family and friends."
Playing volleyball has been a passion of Tolentino from a very young age and many could see she was a natural on the court. Joining her high school and the Air attack teams were the spark that lead her to the beginning of decorated career.
During her time with Richmond-based Air Attack Volleyball Club, she earned six provincial medals including three gold and one silver.
With her high school team, McMath finished in the top seven at provincials each of the last three years. She capped her high school career with an all-star selection at the 2012 AAAA championships.
"Katrina has been turning heads in the volleyball community for the past few years," said Spartans head coach Ryan Hofer. "As a middle, she possesses intangible attributes, which were essential to her success at the high level. She is fast on her feet and explosive at the net, which
gives her an impressive ability to close the block. She has a quick arm and has a variety of shots, which allows her to find the gaps and beat the block. "In the past six months, Toletino has been working hard to recover from a serious knee injury - tearing her ACL during the provincial tournament.
Despite the setback, she was determined to get back on the court dedicating her entire summer by going to physiotherapy, exercising and taking spin classes at the Richmond Oval. She is expected to be fully recovered and ready to play by November while studying towards a degree in business.
"I'm so thankful for my coaches and teammates at McMath and Air Attack for helping me develop my skills as a volleyball player," she added.
