Women’s volleyball announces the addition of two transfers

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s volleyball head coach Heather Olmstead has announced the signing of transfers Kenzie Koerber, from the University of Utah, and Gretchen Reinert, from Santa Clara University.

Koerber, a 6-3 opposite hitter from Chino Hills, California, graduated from Utah in December with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Reinert, a 5-6 libero from Dove Canyon, California, will graduate this spring from Santa Clara with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in retail studies. Both players will be eligible to play for the Cougars this fall.

“Both Gretchen and Kenzie wanting to be a part of our culture, and help our team grow and get better, is good for our team,” Olmstead said.

A three-time AVCA All-American and four-year starter at Utah, Koerber was one of the top all-around players in the Pac-12. The two-time All-Pac-12 Team awardee has career totals of 979 kills, 745 digs, 358 blocks and 78 aces while helping the Utes to four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

“I had the opportunity to coach Kenzie with the USA Collegiate National Team that went to Japan in 2019,” said Olmstead. “I found her to be coachable, disciplined and fun to be around. She loves volleyball and wants to continue to grow and get better with this extra year of eligibility. Her ability to play 6 rotations adds to our passing and depth. She’s been well-trained and we feel that we can add to that, and help prepare her for the next step in life.”

Recently named to the Spring 2021 AVCA All-America Second Team, Koerber started in all 16 matches she appeared in this past season, totaling the second-most kills (163) and points (213.5) on the team. She led the Pac-12 with an average of .47 aces per set while tallying a team-high 26 aces. Koerber also finished third on the team in total blocks (44) and fourth in digs (168).

As a junior, Koerber was named to the 2019 AVCA All-America Second Team following a career year of 400 kills, 323 digs and 109 blocks. Reaching double-figure kills in 23 of the 33 matches, she ended the season with 11 double-doubles.

Koerber received AVCA All-America honorable mention after totaling 264 kills and 108 blocks during her sophomore campaign. She appeared in all 34 matches as a freshman, starting 20 of them, and finished the season with 152 kills, 130 digs and 97 blocks.

A 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team honoree, Koerber is currently one of 10 finalists for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. The annual award celebrates senior student-athletes that excel in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.

Born in Orem, Utah, Reinert will return to Utah County to play for the Cougars after starting the last two seasons at libero for Santa Clara. Playing in 263 sets in her career, Reinert has totaled 709 digs, 173 assists and 42 aces.

“Gretchen knows and understands our conference inside and out,” Olmstead said.  “She wants to be a coach someday and has already learned from great coaches during her career at Santa Clara University.  Her experience and skills will really help us in the backcourt.  She plays with fire and passion and has great leadership skills.  We’re excited to add Gretchen to our team this fall.”

Starting all 18 matches for the Broncos in 2020-21, Reinert finished the year with 225 digs, 65 assists and 17 aces. Averaging 3.46 digs per set, she reached double-figure digs in all but four of the matches this year.

Reinert was the only Santa Clara player to play in all 124 sets of the 2019 season. She led the team with 451 digs (3.65 per set), good for fourth in the WCC. The libero recorded at least 10 digs in 28 of the 33 matches, including totaling 20-plus digs on seven occasions. As a defensive specialist, Reinert appeared in 48 sets as a sophomore and 26 sets as a freshman.

Reinert is a two-time West Coast Conference All-Academic honorable mention honoree. Her performance in the classroom also helped Santa Clara earn the 2019-20 AVCA Team Academic Award.