At this time last year, Kasey Hohlen’s season was thrown off track when her knee slid off its track. Hohlen’s knee dislocated for the second time in two years, costing her four weeks of the 2016 season.
Due to the injury, Hohlen played just 83 of the Jennies’ 115 sets last season. She did, however, make the most of her limited time on the court, accumulating 210 kills.
This season, health permitting, Hohlen could very well pass that number and even eclipse her personal best: 225 kills in 2015.
Now, there is a limited sample size to examine due to the fact that the Jennies are just eight games into the season, but through nearly a third of the season Hohlen has shown she is on pace to do so.
As mentioned, Hohlen played 83 sets in 2016 during which she had 210 kills. This comes out to an average of 2.53 kills per set. This year, Hohlen leads the Jennies with 88 kills over 28 sets. This team-best amount of kills averages out to 3.14 kills per set.
Now here’s where some math comes in.
If the Jennies play 115 sets again this season and Hohlen maintains 3.14 kills per set, Hohlen will have 361 kills on the season. To put that in perspective, only three Jennies in the last four seasons have had 361 or more kills.
So yes, this season could very well prove to be Hohlen’s best season yet and solidify her as the best hitter on the team. But before anyone nerds-out over the numbers, it’s important to remember that the conversation started with “health permitting”.
Will her knees give out for a third season in a row?
According to the Hohlen, it won’t be a problem. Despite some minor pain, she says her knees are healthy.
“I just have bad knees in general,” Hohlen said. “They’re going to be sore. Sometimes you just have to push through pain, but other than that they’ve been healthy.”
If Hohlen’s self-diagnosis proves to be accurate, keep an eye out for the senrior middle hitter this season. It could be a fun season to watch.