Staff reporter D.J. Palomares sat down with senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hurt to find out her plans after graduation and what creeps her out the most. Hurt leads the volleyball team with 13 service aces this year. Last season, Hurt finished sixth on the team in kills (122) and second on the team in hitting percentage (.284).

D.J. Palomares: Do you have any nicknames?
Kaitlyn Hurt: Yeah, I have a few. One is G-Hop and it was given to me by Whitney Evers. I was her little grasshopper and she was my master, while she was teaching me everything about the middle. But people normally call me Hurt, my last name.

DJ: Do you have any phobias?
KH: I really don’t like little babies’ drool. I have a fear of babies’ drool, it freaks me out. But, besides that, no real phobias.

DJ: What do you plan on doing after you graduate?
KH: My major is in entrepreneurship and my minor is in finance. Since my junior year, I have been more into finance, so I think I want to get a job in accounting or something with numbers.

DJ: What is your favorite memory from CMU volleyball?
KH: I think I will remember having excellent dance parties in the locker room before games. We bust out some crazy moves.

DJ: What makes you a good middle blocker?
KH: I think I bring a lot of energy to the game. I am quicker than the majority of the other middle blockers. It gives me the ability to fake them out because I have such quick feet.

DJ: Did you work any jobs while you were in high school?
KH: I worked in a bakery my junior year. Senior year, I worked as a receptionist in a beauty salon. For the most part, I sat at a desk and booked appointments for people.

E-mail the author: D.J. Palomares