High Point University assistant volleyball coach Jessica Sabath was named the News Herald Volleyball Player of the Decade, the newspaper announced Thursday. Originally from Kirtland, Ohio, Sabath starred for Lake Catholic High School from 2000-03 leading the Cougars to two state semifinal appearances.

“I am very honored to be named Player of the Decade,” Sabath said. “I owe everything to my coaches and family for pushing me to the best I can be as an athlete. I truly had an amazing high school and college experience and want our players at High Point to experience the same and win a championship.”

While at Lake Catholic, Sabath was a four-time All-District honoree. She was a second-team Division II All-Ohio selection as a sophomore, and a first-team All-Ohio choice after her junior and senior seasons. Sabath was also named the News Herald Player of the Year in 2001-02.

Sabath went on to play at Eastern Kentucky where she set the school record with 1,827 career digs and was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Region selection.

“Obviously having Jessica in our program is a great benefit to the current and future players,” said HPU head coach Jason Oliver. “Her passion for the sport can be seen in everything she does and to have an honor like this just shows the type of exceptional coach she can become.”

In her first season as an assistant coach at High Point, Sabath helped the Panthers to a 17-17 record. HPU finished the season with a 2-3 loss in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament to eventual champion Coastal Carolina.

News Herald story