Senior Caroline Kiehnau’s volleyball career continues at Barnstable

Barnstable’s Caroline Kiehnau returns a ball against Dennis-Yarmouth during their match Tuesday in Hyannis. The Georgia transfer was looking for a good school to play volleyball. “I am banking on playing volleyball in college and Barnstable is the best around, so I figured I should play here,” she said. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times

At the beginning of her junior year in 2019, Caroline Kiehnau moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Massachusetts. While her parents looked for a nice place to stay closer to family and for future retirement, Kiehnau looked into schools for something she has played since fifth grade, volleyball. Her search ended at Barnstable High School. 

“I am banking on playing volleyball in college and Barnstable is the best around, so I figured I should play here,” Kiehnau said.

One of the main reasons Barnstable is one of the best volleyball teams in the area is because of head coach Tom Turco. Turco has coached Barnstable varsity volleyball since 1988. Since his arrival, Barnstable has won 18 Division I state championships, 25 South Sectional Championships and had 10 undefeated seasons. 

“Caroline is a very skilled player and is a good outside hitter,” Turco said. “She hits a variety of shots and has definitely improved since coming to us last year. 

Kiehnau says that Turco is an “amazing coach” and has the best interests for his players on and off the court. 

“Coach Turco is an amazing coach,” Kiehnau said. “He does his job very well and he really looks out the well-being of his players, which is something I really appreciate. He looks for players that are, not only good athletes but good people. He’s just a good all-around person and I really enjoy playing for him. He’s made me and the entire team better players.”

When Kiehnau arrived at Barnstable, she was “surprised” that the transition went really smoothly and that all the girls on the team were very welcoming.

“As soon as I stepped on the court, I could just feel the good chemistry and I knew we were going to bond really well,” Kiehnau said. “They helped me learn the team drills and all the traditions of Barnstable volleyball and everything they are known for. I had no idea because I had never heard of Barnstable before I moved here.”

Senior Vanness Jones is a teammate of Kiehnau and says that she is very hard-working. They have developed a bond outside of school and have become very close friends. 

“Kiehnau is very uplifting and probably the loudest one on the court at all times,” Jones said. “She is a very well-rounded player so she plays any position she is put in. She’s a good leader out on the court and always encourages somebody when they are down. You can always rely on her to get the ball up or a kill on a side-out.”

Laura Cogswell is a junior and says that she sees Kiehnau as a role model not only  for her but the entire varsity and junior varsity players. 

“Caroline is such a great teammate and an amazing player,” Cogswell said. “She is definitely a big part of the team this season. She is always kind and supportive on and off the court. I love setting to her and it's been a great opportunity playing with her this year and last year.”

Last season, Kiehnau helped Barnstable to a Cape & Islands League Volleyball Atlantic title and a South Sectional championship, although they lost 3-2 in the semifinals of the state tournament to Winchester. This season, they have started 2-1. Their loss came to Dennis-Yarmouth, who beat Barnstable for the first time since 1988. Barnstable will look for payback as they face each other again Friday. 

“I talked to coach Turco about this game and he said something that really stuck out to me: ‘It’s really hard to beat the same team for more than 30 years in a row,’” Kiehnau said. “I think going into the next game, we just need to keep a level head and level play at times when we make mistakes. We need to minimize the amount of mistakes that we made on our side of the court.”

Kiehnau committed last August to Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire on an athletic scholarship for volleyball and an academic scholarship, where she plans to major in Business Finance. 

“I have already been talking to girls from the Franklin Pierce volleyball team and they are such nice people,” Kiehnau said. “I am going to college to get a degree and volleyball is helping me pay for that. I’m just a competitive person and I just love the game of volleyball and everything about it. I didn’t want that to stop at the end of high school. I don’t know what the season will hold in college, but I’m excited and looking forward to it.”