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Last winter, Kaitlyn Hord was in limbo.

Hord wasn't a part of the Penn State program, having entered the transfer portal after the season ended. She also wasn't officially in the fold at Nebraska yet because she still had to finish up classes needed to graduate.

So, Hord was just like other adults looking for a place to get in a workout. She found that spot at Lionheart Fitness and Tanning near campus in State College.

The regulars there suddenly found themselves next to one of the best college athletes in the nation — a three-time All-American.

“I got a membership at a gym where I did kickboxing, and they had a little, mini gym over to the side, and the kickboxing studio on the other side,” the 6-foot-4 middle blocker said. “It was definitely not the Penn State gym. They didn’t have all the fancy barbells. It was the simpler things. So it was more about maintaining muscle than adding muscle.”

Hord did kickboxing three or four times per week, and also some weight training. She also tried to get in a little cardio, but that didn’t always go so great.

“Sometimes I would run on the treadmill, but actually one day I was really tired from kickboxing and I got on the treadmill and face-planted,” she said. “I still got the scars from that. It took a while to get back on the treadmill after that one.”

By late May, Hord had graduated and joined the Huskers in Lincoln for strength and conditioning workouts and open gyms.

Then preparation for the season really ramped up earlier this week when Nebraska began practice. The first match is in about two weeks.

Hord went most of the spring without hitting a volleyball, although she did play one match in a grass volleyball league back at Penn State.

She was one of the most sought-after players from the transfer portal before committing to Nebraska in late January.

Nebraska senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord (top right) high-fives her teammates during the team's first practice of the season Tuesday at the Devaney Sports Center.

It was during her recruiting trip to Lincoln when she actually committed to her future teammates even before telling Nebraska coach John Cook or her family.

“We were all just kind of hanging out at one of the girls’ houses and it just kind of felt right,” said Hord, the No. 3-ranked national recruit out of high school in Louisville, Kentucky. “I was like, ‘Hey guys, I’ve really liked my visit so far; I really like hanging out with you guys. Is it OK I come here?’ And then we all just started jumping up and down.”

Later Hord told her parents back at the hotel, and then Cook on the ride to the airport. She canceled visits to Southern California, Minnesota and Ohio State. She’d previously visited Texas.

Her time in Lincoln will probably be short, with Hord only playing her super-senior season for the Huskers. But she’s enjoying the experience.

“People here love to work hard and train hard,” she said. “These girls are so close that it’s not just like, ‘I’m a robot volleyball player.’ They have personalities and they let their personalities ease into the volleyball side, which I think is really good.”

Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.

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Husker volleyball/women's basketball reporter

Brent Wagner has worked at the Journal Star for 19 years, including 11 years covering the Nebraska volleyball program. His other beats include Nebraska women’s basketball, high school cross country and high school soccer.

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Nebraska senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord (top right) high-fives her teammates during the team's first practice of the season Tuesday at the Devaney Sports Center.

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