4/7/04

Texas' Kathy Hahn to retire from volleyball

	Kathy Hahn

AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Texas junior middle blocker Kathy Hahn (Leander, Texas/Leander HS) will not use her fifth year of eligibility and return to the Longhorns' volleyball team for the 2004 season because of a persistent injury to her left knee, Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott announced today.

Hahn, a two-time All-Big 12 honoree and an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Central Region honoree in 2002, had her second surgery on her left knee in the summer of 2003 and missed the first seven matches of the 2003 season while rehabilitating her knee. She played in a total of 20 of the team's 29 matches last year.

"Retiring is a very hard decision to have to sit down and make, but in the end I realized it was best not only for me, but for the team as well," Hahn said. "Jerritt and the coaches have been nothing but supportive, and UT has done everything it can to help me get back on the court. I want to wish the team the best of luck next year, but I'll still be around. Once a Longhorn, always a Longhorn."

"We're obviously very disappointed for Kathy," Elliott said. "Before her knee injury, she was a tremendous talent, but you could tell she was severely limited last year in what she could still do. We've tried as many different medical avenues as we could to get her back to full health, but unfortunately, that did not happen.

"Kathy is a great ambassador for not only our volleyball program, but also The University of Texas. She'll stay close to our team this coming year and we wish her nothing but the best of luck in the future," Elliott continued.

For her career at Texas, Hahn recorded the program's third-highest career hitting percentage (.321) and finished with 845 kills. She played in 76 matches in three seasons.