A player with modest goals but big accomplishments

Katie Burrichter just wants to fit in, but she seems to become a standout wherever she goes.

The 2019 Our Lady of Mercy Academy graduate has had a knack for sparking volleyball programs in her past, and now she’s leading the Rowan College of South Jersey’s team to new heights on the Gloucester Campus.

It started at a young age as Burrichter can remember watching her older sisters’ games at Saint Michael the Archangel in Clayton, and wanting to eventually be a part of the hype and hustle on the volleyball court.

“They actually didn’t have a volleyball program at my grade school yet but my friend (Dominique Marcano)’s dad wanted to create one,” Burrichter said. “He found a few girls to play and started it up. My older sister was in sixth grade and I watched her play and knew I wanted to play this sport. I love it so much. By the time I got to fourth grade I was so excited to play.”

Katie sat on the bleachers, watching older sisters Nicole and Ashleigh set and spike, just dying for the chance for her squeaky sneakers to touch the floor. Once she got in the games, bigger opportunities came her way as Katie was permitted to play at the Cherry Hill Volleyball Club a year early. At age 11, she played with the 12s. Burrichter just wanted to fit in, despite being surrounded by older kids.

“I was a little peewee person, running around trying to fit in,” Burrichter said with a laugh. “They told me I was actually pretty good for my age so when I reached the age of 12, they put me on the 14s team. I ended up playing with older kids a lot because of how good of a coach Fred Marcano was from my grade school.”

Once she reached high school age, Burrichter again followed her sisters’ footsteps and played at OLMA in Newfield, etching her name in the varsity starting lineup as a freshman, and becoming a team captain as a sophomore. Burrichter helped OLMA to a 14-9 record her freshman year and led the villagers to three playoff appearances in her time there, which was no small feat for a school that typically excels in so many other sports.

“OLMA was really good in other sports like soccer and softball,” Burrichter said. “Volleyball was just another program. They didn’t have a whole lot of experience. Girls were coming in having never played volleyball before, so I was telling them, look, you should go play club in the offseason and get some extra touches. I got about five or six girls to go play club and they’re seniors now. It’s just nice to be able to have other girls fall in love with the sport as much as I did.”

Burrichter blazed a trail for others at OLMA and continued that tradition at Rowan College of South Jersey, where the Roadrunners set a school record for wins last season and captured their first Garden State Athletic Conference volleyball championship during Burrichter’s freshman year. She starred as the team’s libero, which is a valuable defensive position on the court.

“It was really fun,” Burrichter said. “I knew a few girls on the team that I was going to play with my freshman year, but I was still nervous. It’s college volleyball so you don’t know what you’re walking into.”

She was reunited on the court with her old friend Dominique Marcano and the two shared some memorable moments, which included an 11-game winning streak.

“Being able to actually hold records in the school was the cherry on top,” Burrichter said. “I was able to remember why I love the sport, once you’re with people and you work together. Because that’s what volleyball is.”

Burrichter is back at RCSJ for her sophomore year with high hopes for more success. She plans on returning to the court next year due to athletes being granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Burrichter is now studying exercise science and, oddly enough, narrowed down her career field even further after her dog Skye sustained a serious injury.

“Last summer, my dog tore her ACL and meniscus,” Burrichter said of her 3-year-old Boxer mix. “I figured out that I maybe wanted to help rehabilitate people with physical therapy. I absolutely love animals and I have four pets in my house. When I was driving my dog to physical therapy, the light bulb went on. I thought I should be a physical therapist for animals.”

Burrichter plans on continuing down that road after she leaves RCSJ and hopes to continue playing volleyball wherever she ends up. In the meantime, she serves as an assistant coach with the Cherry Hill Volleyball Club, instructing 18-year-olds, just a few years younger than she is.

“When I first went into it, I was like how the heck am I going to criticize what they’re doing when I’m just like two years older than them,” she said. “But I like to be a friend more than a coach and they seem to listen to me because they know me.”

She fits in as a coach, just like she has as a player. It’s an art she perfected while standing out at OLMA, roaming the hallways with a Spider-Man backpack her senior year.

“That’s what was great about OLMA,” Burrichter said, laughing. “You could be comfortable with who you are and go around and just be yourself and still fit in.”