“Volleyball’s Finest” Features Hopewell’s Mikayla Kurta

Hopewell athletes are continuing to earn praise for their accomplishments on and off the court/field.

The latest example of that is freshman volleyball player Mikayla Kurta, who not only plays for Coach Borkovic at Hopewell but also competes with the 15U Sky Elite National team.

Hopewell Sports Nation wanted to make you aware of a recent article written about Mikayla by the publication ‘Volleyball Finest’.

Nice job Mikayla and continue all of your hard work. Here’s what was written.

Mikayla Kurta is freshman at Hopewell High School in Pennsylvania. The 6-foot-1 middle hitter/blocker lettered on the varsity team in 2023 and she also plays for the 15U Sky Elite National volleyball squad. She detailed her journey in this Digging Dish. 

“I always played basketball,” said Kurta. I always thought that was going to be my thing until I tried out for the seventh-grade middle school volleyball team when I was 12 years old. At first, I wasn’t going to try out for the team because I was heavily involved in school basketball and AAU. However, all of my friends were trying out and I thought, why not? I’ll give it a shot. I instantly fell in love with the game and have never looked back. I honestly haven’t stopped playing since. Volleyball has become my main sport!”

Her length has her playing middle right away. 

“I have always been the tallest girl in my class and in sports to date,” said Kurta.  I started with middle hitter/blocker and that is where I still am today.”

Playing college volleyball is her priority. 

“After my first experience playing club volleyball last year, I knew I wanted to continue to play in high school and definitely now in college,” said Kurta. “I attend as many collegiate volleyball games as I can at Pitt or anywhere we can go to watch. I love to see how much fun the players have and their love of the game. I want to have that same experience someday.”

She enjoys the adrenaline and excitement the sport has to offer. 

“My favorite aspect of playing volleyball is the adrenaline and excitement on the court is something I truly love,” said Kurta. “The teamwork and excitement of crushing the ball over the net and watching it land effectively are undoubtedly my favorite parts. When everyone comes together to make the best play possible, it’s absolutely amazing. Plus, it takes incredible communication and teamwork to win a game. I don’t want to forget all of the friendships I have made along the way. I love my volleyball families.”

Kurta is always watching volleyball content and training to improve both her mental and physical game. 

“Currently, I weight and jump train, practice whenever I can and attend private lessons and camps,” she said. “I also watch volleyball on TV, attend collegiate games and watch volleyball on YouTube and TikTok to improve my game.”

She offered words of wisdom.

“My advice for younger players is to have fun, have a positive attitude and give maximum effort,” said Kurta. “You will not always be the best player on the floor, but you can always have a positive attitude and good work ethic. I try to focus on being positive not only for myself, but for the team. Positivity makes for a much better game playing experience. Also, you need to understand that everyone is going to make mistakes. It’s how quickly you bounce back from those mistakes that will either push you forward or push you backwards. You just need to brush it off and think about the next play and doing better. Ultimately, just have fun! Be coachable, learn and grow!”