Stephanie Holthus joins the Colby coaching staff in the fall of 2021 after a decorated career as an amateur player, a professional player, and a coach. At 15 years old Holthus committed to Northwestern University, where she was a four year starter at outside hitter. After being named to the All Big Ten Freshman Team, she would go on to be a 2x AVCA All-American and 3x All Big 10 in the country's most competitive volleyball conference.
"As a player, Stephanie was in a league of her own," said head coach Lindsay Johnson. "The drive, determination and work ethic she put in to achieving her goals went unmatched. As a coach, she is even better. The amount of wisdom she brings to the team each day along with the drive to improve, is nothing short of a player's dream. Having her presence in the gym will automatically increase the level of intensity our team embodies. I am grateful to have Steph on board as I know Colby Volleyball will be better with her addition to our staff."
Racking up numerous Freshman of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week honors during her career, she was also named the Sports Imports / AVCA Division I National Player of the Week after averaging 6.18 kills and 4.1 digs per set in three wins. She was also named a Senior CLASS award candidate, an annual award given to a student-athlete who most embodies community, classroom, character, and competition. Holthus still holds Northwestern University's All Time Kill Record with 1,797 career kills.
Immediately after completing her collegiate eligibility in December of 2013, Holthus left to begin her professional career overseas. She played a total of 3 professional seasons - one each in Puerto Rico, Peru, and England.
After completing her playing career in England, Holthus transitioned into full-time coaching. In 2017 she opened up a girls side to Pipeline Volleyball Club (Schaumburg, IL), previously a boys only program. In four short years as Co-Owner / Director, Holthus has grown the program from the ground up, now consisting of 30 teams and over 300 athletes. In total, Pipeline trains over 500 athletes and has alumni competing at DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA schools around the country.
