From Delmont, Pennsylvania in a town with just over 2,000 people, sophomore Aly Kindelberger took the leap when she committed to DePaul a year ago. 

At 6’1”, Kindelberger’s number has been called early and often since she first put on a Blue Demon uniform. 

Kindelberger appeared in 28 matches her freshman year, accounting for 91 kills to go along with 74 block attempts. 

Once Kindelberger was able to try out for her middle school team in seventh grade, she immediately began her interest and career in volleyball. 

“Once I made the team, my family hired a personal trainer and I would practice with them multiple times a week,” Kindelberger said. “That’s when I really started to enjoy volleyball, and kept wanting to get better.” 

When Kindelberger arrived at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, volleyball was still her main interest. She quickly became a two sport athlete after discovering her talents as a high jumper in her freshman year. 

With her commitment to both volleyball and track & field, Kindelberger became a four-year letterwinner for her accomplishments in both sports. 

After her 0-12 start in her freshman season, she followed up the remaining season at Franklin Regional with a 46-10 record. She led the team to the section championship her junior year finishing second in state and walking away with the WPIAL title. 

Kindelberger left a lasting memory at Franklin Regional, she recorded 1,000 career kills and holds the school record in the high jump event. She was named Pennsylvania All-State twice, named 2020 AAA Player of the Year and qualified twice for the WPIAL meet. 

Kindelberger was asked if the combination of the high jump event helped her become a better middle hitter. 

“Not really, at first I thought that would be the case,” Kindelberger said. “When I went out for track my freshman year, that was just the event I was the best at and coaches thought the same thing.” 

There comes a time when an athlete realizes they have the potential to play collegiately and for Kindelberger, this was after her junior year when she began to be heavily recruited. 

The decision was not the easiest, as Kindelberger wanted to stay home and be closer to family. After taking her visit to DePaul and sitting down with head coach Marie Zidek, Kindelberger was invested in making the trip to the Midwest. 

Originally, Kindelberger’s plan was to not be so far away from Delmont, but her family relocated to North Carolina and her worry of staying closer to home no longer put her in a dilemma. 

“I am actually so glad I moved farther away from home,” Kindelberger said. “Chicago is amazing, with so many things to do and eat.” 

In year two, Kindelberger has already made an enormous leap. In the first 20 games of the 2022 season, she has already eclipsed her kill and block record of 91 to 137,along with currently tying her total blocks of 74. 

This season, Kindelberger has taken on a role that has allowed her to make a more significant impact on offense, while being a reliable middle at the net for the block. 

“I think what makes Aly special is she’s physically gifted with her vertical,” Zidek said. “She is a very agile mover, she has great instinct on the block and one thing that we accounted on her a lot for this year versus last year is to put together a little more offense to match the strength of her defense.” 

Kindelberger is not the only sophomore who has been able to contribute to DePaul so early on in their career. Maggie Jones and Ashley Cudiamat, the two setters have played just as much as Kindelberger since they arrived.

Defense specialist junior Julia Nagy said she really got to know Aly off the volleyball court when they were both roommates last school year. 

“She is one of the hardest workers I know. She’s is someone that will kind if just give her all to the team,” Nagy said. “Even in relationships too, living with her last year whether she was having a rough day she would just give it her all. She’s always there to listen. I’m really proud of her becuase I think she’s stepped up to be a huge leader of this team and someone you can count on.