Usually, playing sports adds to the stress of the already intense high school experience, but for Karolina Bartkowiak, sports were just the outlet she needed.
Bartkowiak, known as Barto to the Utah team and fans, began playing volleyball when she was a freshman in high school, shortly after moving from her hometown of Wroclaw, Poland to Chicago.
“I was still getting used to the English barrier and I kind of just put all of that stress into sports,” Bartkowiak said. “I didn’t think about anything else, I was just playing.”
Bartkowiak, who was an avid basketball player at the time, said her friends introduced her to volleyball and she has never looked back.
“I had never played volleyball before in my life, that was the first time I actually picked up a volleyball and played and I just started liking it, and here I am,” Bartkowiak said.
Bartkowiak was a three-year varsity team member and four-time MVP for her club team, in addition to playing basketball for two years in high school.
Utah coaches Burt Fuller and Heather Olmstead began recruiting Bartkowiak after they saw her play at a club volleyball tournament.
“She is a very strong player and we knew she hit that slide well,” said head coach Beth Launiere. “You can be very successful with that attack.”
The slide has been effective for Bartkowiak, who is playing on the right side this season, as she averages two kills per set and has the second highest hitting percentage on the team with a .347.
Bartkowiak also contributes when it comes to the block. She was third on the team in blocks last season with a 1.06 per set and is averaging .77 a set this season.
Bartkowiak’s volleyball skills, however, weren’t the only reason she was recruited to play for the Utes.
“I really liked her character,” Launiere said. “When we did her home visit I thought she was a just a quality person.”
For Bartkowiak, the decision to come to Utah was all about the welcoming team environment she experienced during her visits to the U.
“When I got here and met all the girls, I was just like “I love this team, everyone is so nice’,” Bartkowiak said. “The coaches were really cool and everything about this place made me want to come here.”
Bartkowiak made an instant connection with the team and has spent two years here at Utah making her teammates laugh.
“She is a really fun thing to joke around with,” said middle blocker Lori Baird. “She doesn’t take very many things seriously, unless it comes to volleyball, and it just makes her really fun to be around.”
Unlike some athletes who seem to break down in big games or at important moments, Bartkowiak thrives on the rush of intense situations.
“She is mentally tough and has the ability to step up when it’s crunch time,” Launiere said. “The bigger the game, the better Barto plays. She doesn’t get rattled easily.”
Bartkowiak’s ability to stay grounded and not get shaken by big time game situations has made her a crucial part of the Utes’ success this season.
In big games or crucial situations it always seems to be Bartkowiak who gets a kill when the Utes need it the most.
“She has this attitude that no one is going to stop her,” said senior middle blocker Emillie Toone. “If she does get blocked, she demands the ball right back so she can make it up.”
In addition to making big plays at crucial points in the season, Bartkowiak brings an infectious energy to the court.
“She is just really intense and she brings so much passion and energy to the court and it really helps us pick it up,” said outside hitter Kathryn Haynie.
Bartkowiak was a vital part of the Utes 19-1 run at the end of the regular season and Utah’s Mountain West Conference Championship and was one of four Utes named to the All-MWC team.
For Bartkowiak, however, awards and recognition mean very little, as it’s all about playing volleyball.
“I try not to think about it too much,” Bartkowiak said. “For me, it’s just going in every day and getting my job done and enjoying playing with my team.”
Bartkowiak and the rest of the Utah volleyball team will be in Seattle for Sweet 16 action as they take on the No. 5 seeded Washington Huskies on Friday.
Lucas IsleyKarolina Bartkowiak storms the floor after the Utah?s win over BYU. Bartkowiak was introduced to volleyball by her friends after she moved from Poland to Chicago, Ill.