At age 12, when she was playing for the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club, Cortney Warren had already made a good impression on her future college coach.
The junior right side has now returned to her hometown with head coach Kaddie Platt after sitting out the 2012 season.
“When I first saw her play, she was 12 years old,” Platt said. “She was playing in a club that I was a coach for, so I’ve seen her develop. I know her family and she’s really everything she’s supposed to be.”
Warren has already made an impact on the Cougars as well. She was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week after her performance in the Delta Zeta Classic on Aug. 30 in San Marcos after recording 35 kills during the trio of matches, including 20 in one match. For the season, Warren has 103 kills and is second on the team, with 111.5 points after 11 games.
For her part, Warren said she enjoys being on a young team, as it allows her to step up her leadership abilities.
“It’s pretty cool. I worked hard for a year to get here and I owe a lot to my team and to my coaches,” Warren said. “I’m confident. I knew I was going to be starting. I knew I was going to be getting after it and competing right off the bat. I knew I was going to be where I am.”
Warren expressed her willingness to return to a metropolitan setting from the rural confines of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and cites her family as her biggest motivation.
“I really needed them to get through a lot of things in college,” she said.
Warren pointed out a desire for academic success along with a longing for athletic honors as her goals for the season.
Platt said Warren is able to adapt to different offensive and defensive systems.
“She’s just a really great athlete,” Platt said.