Katherine Carlson returns to the Valpo bench for the 2019 season as a student assistant after wrapping up a stellar four-year playing career last season.

Carlson closed out her playing career with Valpo on a high note, earning Second Team All-MVC honors as a senior in 2018 as she hit .222 with 413 kills (2.89/set), 434 digs (3.03/set) and 29 service aces. She led Valpo in kills and aces, and ranked third on the squad in digs in helping Valpo advance to the quarterfinals of the NIVC, in the process picking up the first postseason victories in program history.

Carlson's senior year capped a standout four years on the court, as she closed her career fourth in program history in total attacks (4,061), fifth in service aces (137) and sixth in kills (1,273). She also just missed Valpo's career top-10 chart with 1,409 career digs, and is one of just nine members of Valpo's 1,000-kill/1,000-dig club in program history.

Carlson is finishing her undergraduate work as a business management/sports management double major in the fall of 2019.