A Look Back At The 2005 Senior Class
June 19, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
For our second installment of Alumni Updates we will be featuring the class of 2005. Narrated through the writing of Desma Colburn, here's a look into the happenings of that portion of the Beaver Volleyball family.
The four 2005 seniors had a major impact on the current coaching staff's first year at Oregon State: all four played in every match of the 2005 season.
Desma Stovall was a 6-foot setter from Santa Rosa, Calif., who led the team in assists during her junior and senior year. She is still ranked eighth in OSU history for single season assists per set for her 2004 performance of 11.95 and eighth in total career assists (2,143). Her career high of 75 assists against St. Mary's on Sept. 11, 2004 is the sixth best performance of an OSU setter is the modern era.
Karah Rhoades was a 5-foot-9 outside hitter from Burlington, Colorado. She earned All-Pac-12-Freshmen Honorable Mention honors during her freshman season in 2002 with 2.93 kills per set and 3.17 points per set. She was a true all-around player and still ranks in OSU's top 25 for career kills, digs, aces and total points.
Kristy Mortensen was a 5-foot-8 libero/defensive specialist from Alamosa, Colo. She joined the program in 2004 from Northeastern Junior College. As a senior, she played in all 24 matches, recording 168 digs.
Katelyn (Kate) Healy was a 5-foot-11 outside hitter/middle blocker from Portland, and joined the program as a freshman from Central Catholic High School. She ended her career with 560 kills, 65 service aces and 490 digs. Her 65 services aces rank her in the top 30 all-time at Oregon State.
Hello Beaver fans and Alumni,
My Name is Desma (Stovall) Colburn, and I am here to share with you some life updates about the graduating class of 2006. Our last season, fall 2005, was Coach Liskevych's inaugural season. With Mark Barnard and Salima Rockwell by his side, it truly was a memorable season. The following is a little look into the lives of Kate (Healy) Shamrell, Kristy (Mortenson) Denney, Karah (Rhoades) Reygers and myself Desma (Stovall) Colburn.
After graduation, Kate started working at Nordstrom as well as coaching volleyball. She thought the volleyball stage of her life was done, but she keeps coming back for more. Coaching will always be a constant in her life, no matter what else is going on.
The biggest change in her life was becoming a mother to two amazing young ladies, Joy who is six and Genevieve who is three.
“I don't think anything can change you the way being a parent can. It's been amazing,” she said.
Father to those young ladies and husband to Kate is Matt Shamrell, a strong supportive husband and father. Kate occasionally will play some volleyball when former teammate and Beaver Kristen Murray calls her up to fill in as a sub for her women's team. Some of Kate's memories include great matches, team bonding, our two-week trip around Europe and more than a few moments in the weight room.
She says when some of the former Beaver volleyball girls get together they can't help but tell the stories of “mean mommy” and the belly drill … moments “only those of us who were there could possibly understand.”
So very true; what didn't kill us made us stronger. And our team bond was strong to be sure.
Kate loves spending time with her family, be outdoors and active. She runs regularly and hikes, walks, goes to the beach with her family as well as jumps on the trampoline. Her girls are active too and sharing her love of sports and exercise are a huge reward for her. She's a self-proclaimed “health nut” and reads anything and everything she can about nutrition. The thing she is most proud of (outside of family) since graduation is starting a business from the ground up. She's passionate about it and has learned a lot about owning a business. It's centered around nutrition and lifestyle counseling.
Overall she is a great mother, coach and friend and works hard for her business as it “allows me to make my own schedule around my family's needs and to continue coaching.”
Kristy graduated and moved to Utah to be closer to her family. She happened to meet her future husband, Brett, who was playing football at BYU at the time. Getting married and having three boys was the biggest change in her life since graduation. Her beautiful boys are Owen, five, and Miles, three. Baby Graham is eight months old.
She occasionaly plays some volleyball for fun and recently started getting into sand after her and her family recently moved to San Diego. Her favorite memory from playing volleyball at Oregon State was our tour through Europe, even if she did “get lost and left by the team, so glad you all came back for me.” That was quite an intense team moment and memory, indeed.
Her favorite thing to do these days is to take her family to the beach. She also runs regularly and bakes … a lot. Speaking of baking that is what she is most proud of since graduation (outside of family): her “dream job” of running a food blog. Over the years it really has taken off and become a business she can do from home with her children. I have tried many of her recipes and I suggest you check it out: www.sweettreatsmore.com. Her food photography is also stunning. One more thing she'd like the Oregon State Volleyball community to know is “I miss all of you.”
Karah, since graduating from Oregon State, moved to an apartment overlooking Portland and worked with Ferguson Enterprise. The biggest change in Karah's life has been developing her identity outside of college athletics. Becoming better in each role she takes on as mother to Abby, who's four, and Jacoby, who just turned one. Lastly, her role as an employee/coworker at Castle Rock Economic Development as a Project Manager.
Karah works full time, lives in Colorado and raises two lovely children with Joseph. One co-worker is even her first club coach. She has played some volleyball since her time at OSU but recently co-ed quads in the grass has become her favorite form of volleyball. Her best memory from college volleyball would be the trip to Europe. Everything from the hike up a ski slope, to the meal at the top of that mountain, to the matches and exchanging jerseys with the other teams.
She also too vividly remembers our team losing Kristy and running back to find her at the Charles Bridge in Czech. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family in their yard, around the fire pit or playing in the grass and enjoying the sun. The last thing she wants all those Beaver believers out there to know is she is so proud to have been a Beaver. She's thankful for the opportunity to play the sport she loves, and live in Corvallis which is “such a wonderful college town and the support the community gives the university is unmatched” I have to agree whole-heartedly with that sentiment! Lastly she states “I wouldn't change the years I spent at OSU for anything! Thank you!”.
And finally we are on to myself, Desma. The summer after graduation I spent with friends and family because at the end of it I knew I was moving to Europe. I moved to Spain to play professional volleyball with UCAM Voley Murcia for two years and only recently moved back to the states. The biggest change in my life after graduation was getting married to my husband Andrew, moving to Germany, and having my daughter, Lena (four) all in one year.
I have been playing volleyball for seven of the last nine years since graduation. I played two years with Voley Murcia in Spain, two years in France, three years in Germany at VFL Nürnberg for two years and my last and final season with TSV Ansbach coaching and playing.
My single favorite volleyball memory has to be taking No. 1 ranked Washington to five sets on television. Most didn't expect us to take even one set off them. But we played seamlessly and outsmarted a bigger opponent. It was fantastic.
My favorite thing to do since moving to New Jersey this May is take my daughter to the ponds near our house, as well as to the beach. Outside of my family I am most proud of my career and where it's taken me. Playing professionally was always a goal of mine, but I knew it was in the works since I was 18. I had a club who wanted me to play with them when I was 18, and asked each year of college until I graduated if I was coming over to Spain yet. While I am proud of playing pro for so many years and the career I had doing so, I'd say I am most proud of a recent accomplishment. I have been brought on to the staff of Princeton University's women's volleyball program as the assistant coach. I can't wait until preseason and to coach college athletes to an Ivy League title.
While I am starting a new career path with another University, and in three years when the US Army moves us again I'll hopefully continue that career at another university, I will always be a BEAVER. I have a big beaver sticker on my car that's been all over Europe and I will wear that orange and black proudly forever.
Go Beavs!
