Volleyball (Girls) | 6/23/2025 11:35:00 AM
The following is the article from The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Cathedral Catholic's Mae Kordas is the Union-Tribune's 2024-25 Girls Athlete of the Year."
The San Diego Union-Tribune's Girls Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 school year is
Mae Kordas, a senior multi-sport athlete at Cathedral Catholic High School. Here's why Kordas stands as the best in San Diego this year:
High School: Cathedral Catholic
Year: Senior
Sports: Volleyball and beach volleyball
Positions: Outside hitter, opposite hitter and middle blocker (indoor) and blocker (beach)
College: Kordas is headed to Notre Dame, where she will play indoor volleyball.
Highlights: Two years ago, Kordas stood on the sidelines as a postseason callup from junior varsity. She watched the Dons win a state championship and get crowned mythical national champions. As a junior, she earned court time and finished sixth on the team with 67 kills. This season, the Dons again captured the CIF San Diego Section Open Division title and reached the SoCal Regional championship match.
Positionless player: If you think she's a six-rotation outside player, Kordas will slide to the middle. If you think she's a middle, she'll camp out on the right side and stuff your best attacker. If you think she's an opposite hitter, she'll slide right into serve-receive and pass nails. Kordas finished her high school career as one of the most complete volleyball players in section history, earning Gatorade California Player of the Year honors.
By the numbers: The Dons won their seventh state title as Kordas finished with 469 kills, 118 blocks and 108 digs. She also won a CIF title on the sand as a senior.
On taking state: "When it first happened, I didn't process it because I didn't think we were going to do that well on the season," she said. "But now, looking back on it, it's just so crazy to me. Being able to represent my school and my program, it's just so amazing."
On her favorite part of volleyball: "How competitive it is," she said. "Being with my teammates and all fighting for the same thing. My team these past couple years has been really special, and we all got super fired up and wouldn't let anyone stop us. Being on the court with them and fighting and never giving up has probably been my favorite part."
Favorite memory of her four years at Cathedral Catholic: "Beating (No. 2 in the nation Santa Ana) Mater Dei this year in the regional final because it was my last game at home," she said. "You always want to go into a game with a winning mindset, but realistically this might be our last game because Mater Dei was looking really good. We beat them earlier this season, but I knew that maybe that was fueling them. I think we beat them in four (25-20, 22-25,25-20, 25-22). I hadn't seen that many people at a Cathedral Catholic game in a long time. Having that be my last game was really special."
She said it: "I can't think of anybody else that would be better for that nomination," said
Maya Evens, Kordas' longtime Cathedral and club volleyball teammate who is also headed to Notre Dame. "She's worked so so hard. I've watched her at practice and seen her get better every day. The way she carries herself so incredibly humble. She holds herself high, and it's honestly so impressive to watch. I'm so proud of her, and I think that no one else deserves it as much as she does."
Family tree: Kordas' parents attended Notre Dame. Mom Brett (Hensel), a Torrey Pines Class of 1992 grad, played volleyball for the Fighting Irish, while dad James played football for the school's famed football team.
Mae Kordas originally committed to Yale but changed her course after club nationals this spring.
On choosing Notre Dame: "If you ask anyone, I'm the biggest Notre Dame fan. I literally wear Notre Dame gear every day to school, so no one was really surprised," she said. "Growing up in a Notre Dame family, it's one of the strongest sports fan bases. They have an amazing community there. I feel like I've already been a part of it since I was a kid."
On playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which had three of the top five teams in the final 2024 AVCA rankings: "It's one of the best conferences in volleyball," Kordas said. "It will motivate me to be the best version of myself. That's what I want for myself. I'm going to have to work really hard because there are some really good volleyball players there. The competition is great."
