St. Charles East’s Kate Goudreau said she’s not planning on continuing to play in college.
That doesn’t mean the 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter, who’s in her fourth varsity season with the Saints, has stopped trying to get better.
“She’s really improving her game, coming in every day still improving,” St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull said. “She’s still asking questions, trying to get better.
“Everybody follows her because she’s a leader. She’s a quality player.”
Kull said Goudreau is playing the best volleyball of her career, as evidenced by her 16 kills for the Saints (7-2) in a big road win last Wednesday at perennial power Benet.
The stats aren’t what stand out to Goudreau, however.
“I’m pretty happy with the start to the season,” she said. “It’s been pretty fun. It’s always fun to play with these girls. They’re the best. It’s just been a lot of fun, honestly.
“I think it feels like a family right now, so I think that’s what’s propelling us.”
Last season, St. Charles East won a regional title despite finishing 20-18. The Saints returned three core pieces in Lexi Crossen, Goudreau and Lia Schneider, all four-year varsity players.
That said, the Saints may have crept up on some people this season. The Saints opened some eyes, winning the Peggy Scholten Classic at Fremd and then beating Benet, which has brought home four state titles since 2011.
“I feel like that is true to who we are right now,” Goudreau said. “I do think that we’re a really good team. I think everyone is starting to realize that now, especially with the Benet win.”
Goudreau has been in the middle of it all.
“She’s a competitor,” Kull said. “She wants to get a kill, not just for her but for the team. In that way, she’s a good leader because she wants to do well.
“She’s worked really hard in the backcourt so that she can play back there and she can get kills in the backcourt. She’s hit her peak right now.”
Goudreau’s impact is felt off the court as well.
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“Everybody supports her,” Kull said. “She’s academically good. They chose her as a captain. We gave each other a word. Her word is power. She’s so powerful.”
As much as Goudreau loves the game she’s played since second grade, the thought of going through the college grind is something she decided against.
“I’ve been considering it for a while,” Goudreau said. “I don’t know if I have the passion for the next four years. I kind of just want to explore and see what else is out there.
“I feel like my whole life has been volleyball, and I want to see what else is out there.”
The run of Goudreau and her senior teammates coincides with the end of Kull’s career as the Saints’ coach. After 36 years, Kull is retiring following the season.
“We like to not talk about that because it’s pretty sad,” Goudreau said. “We like to ignore that topic. It makes a lot of us very sad. There will be a lot of goodbyes at the end.”
According to Kull, saying goodbye to seniors every year is one of the hardest things about her job.
The fact that she gets to go out with a group she enjoys being around as much as this helps soften the blow.
“I’m glad that I’m done too because I don’t know what it would be like to come in the gym and not have these seniors,” Kull said. “It’s always a hard time. I don’t have to go through it again because this is it.
“We’re just enjoying ourselves right now. It’s fun.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.