Bound to be Bulldogs
By Millie Diaz
Staff Writer
Two Cobras committed to Texas Lutheran University in Seguin to play sports as Bulldogs for the 2018-19 season, Savhannah Kitchens and Logan Gabrysch. The seniors signed to play volleyball and golf in a small ceremony for the Division III school at Industrial High School on Dec. 4.
Savhannah Kitchens
If you’ve seen her in action on the volleyball court, it’s not off the mark to say Savannah Kitchens can turn up the heat in well, the kitchen.
All jokes aside, Kitchens’ kills were lethal to some opponents, as the term implies, and a volleyball camp hosted at Texas Lutheran University her sophomore year opened her eyes to potential.
The Cobra senior committed to TLU for the 2018-19 season, but she chose the school for more than sports.
“I hope to major in biology, then pass my MCAT and get into medical school, and TLU has a small student to teacher ratio. Their classes are the same size as my high school classes now,” Kitchens said. “So I could go in for help if I miss something due to volleyball.”
Kitchens isn’t in the clear quite yet. During the Cobras Regional semifinal match against Schulenburg in Oct. she slightly tore the cartilage in the back of her left knee and continued to play on it.
“I’m basically out of volleyball for the next year, I can’t play in the Victoria All-Star game, and club season is out of the question. But it was an honor to be chosen for the All-Star game. Right now it’s about me getting into rehab and exercising and working out for college,” she said. “It’s a kick-while-I’m-down, but I’m learning to push through it.”
Kitchens started playing in junior high, and the sport quickly escalated into something more. She escaped through volleyball when her little sister Kalyssa was diagnosed with leukemia in August of 2015.
“Even when the practices were hard, or I feel like I might die from the punishment, I still loved it. That’s when I knew volleyball was for me,” she said. “It became such a huge part of my life that I knew I couldn’t live without it.”
*For the full article, buy a Jackson County Herald Tribune or purchase an online subscription