Junior Syd Bietz already has1,103 kills and 485 digs in her Centre College career. (Hannah Banfiel Photo)
When coach Patrick Robidoux told her that she received All-American honorable mention in voting by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, it surprised Syd Bietz.
The Centre College junior outside hitter started all 30 matches and had 453.5 points, 393 kills, 320 digs and 40 service aces.
“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it at all. I thought I had already got some great awards and was grateful for that. It was pretty shocking to be on the All-American list,” said Bietz, a former West Jessamine High School standout.
The Colonels finished 17-13 overall, 7-7 in Southern Athletic Association play, after going 22-7 (11-1 SAA) in 2024 when it earned its first Division III NCAA Tournament berth.
“We had a couple of bumps in the road. We came together very well and worked around some difficult obstacles,” Bietz said. “We did not make it as far as we wanted but as a team we played hard and I am proud of the way we finished the season.
“We have expectations every year. We are not delusional. You have to have that hope and believe in your team. Getting to the NCAA and winning as many games as we can during the season will always be the goals,” Bietz said. “Next year we will have the same mindset and want to win as much as we can.”
Bietz was the SAA Newcomer of the Year in 2023. She has 1,103 career kills along with 485 career digs. She has scored almost 1,200 points for the Colonels but knows she can continue to improve.
“This year I think I stepped into the leadership role a lot better. I was named captain and became a better leader on and off the court,” the Centre junior said. “I can still sharpen my techniques. We had two different setters this season and that took some adjustment.”
She did not have a service ace going into the 2025 season but got to play back row for the first time at Centre.
“I got to play defense and serve. I worked on my serve a lot last year because I thought I would have to add that so I could play back there,” Bietz said. “I practiced my serve a lot over the summer, too. Robo and I talked about implementing that part of my game and it went well even though I had a hard time serving in practice. I never thought I was good enough. I pushed myself and made sure I made myself the best server possible.
“I don’t regret not serving before. My training at Centre put me where I am today. If I had played six rotations my first two years at Centre I would not be where I am now as a player.”
She’s already optimistic about what her senior season can be like.
“We have important seniors leaving but we also have an exciting new class coming in. I think every part of my game can improve and I can make little tweaks to make us one or two points better,” Bietz said.
Before then Bietz, a biology major who is close to finishing prerequisite courses for graduate school, wants to be a physical therapist. She’ll be doing an internship with Danville Orthopedics & Sports Medicine during the spring semester.
“This is my first internship and I am super excited to get a feel for what it will be like,” she said. “I want to do physical therapy and this is a great chance to work with some great people who I know help a lot of athletes and others.”
