No weakness in Weekly

"This is our last dance, this is our last dance, this is ourselves under pressure." These famous Queen and David Bowie lyrics ring true every year for hundreds of graduating seniors who will longer play collegiate athletics.

For four years, senior co-captain Katie Weekly has been a standout player for UB volleyball and as the team enters Mid-American Conference play, it's Weekly's turn for her so-called "last dance under pressure."

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Weekly looked up to her dad, both athletically and academically. He was a teacher, but he pushed for his children to be strong athletically.

"He wanted to have lots of boys to play sports. He ended up with all girls," Weekly said with a smile.

Before the recruiting process started, Weekly never saw herself at a big school such as UB, but now if she hadn't come here, Weekly does not know what she would be doing.

"I have no idea (what I'd be doing without volleyball)," Weekly said. "I'd be a normal senior. I wouldn't be at UB. I hadn't heard of it before recruiting. I guess I'd just be sitting around."

Weekly contributed immediately to the Bulls as a freshman, adjusting quickly to life away from home. The team struggled to an 8-24 record while Weekly won the team's Top Newcomer award.

Weekly finished second on the team in blocks with 110 and her average of 1.04 blocks per game was good enough for 12th in the MAC.

"Once you are in a situation, you get used to it and it forces you be better quicker." Weekly said.

Weekly stepped up her game another notch as a junior and had a breakout season. She finished the season third in the MAC in blocks per game with 1.30, which also put her seventh on UB's all-time list. Last season, Weekly was also named to the MAC All-Academic Team.

This year, Weekly has improved yet again, as she leads the MAC in both blocks and blocks per game. She has 69 blocks with an average of 1.5 per game.

UB volleyball Head Coach Jim Lodes expected Weekly to improve yet again this season, and he had high praise for her at the beginning of the season, according to the Bulls official website.

"Katie has the physical ability to take over a match," Lodes said, according to the website. "She can be a force on offense as an extremely versatile attacker as well as providing the first line of defense with her blocking abilities."

The team has gotten off to a nice start, with a 7-5 record going into MAC play.

Weekly has noticed that there has been a spike in attendance at the volleyball games this season and she attributes that to the fact that beach volleyball has become an 'it" sport recently.

"When I tell people I play volleyball, they immediately assume I am talking about beach volleyball," Weekly said. Though, she said "Any publicity for volleyball is good."

As for plans after volleyball, Weekly thinks she wants to study abroad in Australia next semester. After that, it's off to grad school for psychology, her current subject of study.

With Weekly's volleyball career almost finished at UB, she would like to leave on a high note. She would like her last dance to be in celebration of a MAC championship.