Athletes of the Week: Kat Dumoulin and Rachel Luo

Two-time defending New England champions Kat Dumoulin and Rachel Luo, the co-captain duo of the volleyball team, have seen a lot of successes in their time here at Exeter. When asked what it’s like to take on the role of captain for such a historically dominant team, Dumoulin said, “It’s honestly terrifying. Everyone expects a lot out of us, and we expect that out of the team.”

Oftentimes, this expectation motivates Dumoulin to push her girls when training. Luo also pointed out that the high expectations for a defending championship team come from how hard the team has worked over the past two seasons.

Dumoulin first took on the sport in her sophomore year of high school in her hometown. Although Dumoulin was initially committed to field hockey throughout middle school and freshman year as her fall sport, she couldn’t get over how much she loved volleyball, having trained in many summer camps. “At first, I was awful. The only thing I had going for me was that I wasn’t afraid to run full speed at a ball and throw myself onto the ground to get it up,” Dumoulin said. She explained that her old coach only took her because she was “gutsy.” However, that train of thought resonated with Dumoulin throughout the season, which ultimately got her onto the starting squad.

The following year, repeating as a lower at Exeter, Dumoulin made the varsity team. Coach Shang told her early in that season that she would rarely see the court as there were three upperclassmen playing over her, but Dumoulin knew she would find a way to play. Finding strength in her serve, Dumoulin became an important piece to a New England Championship team, playing in all three sets in the final game of the season. “To me, it revealed that hard work and fearlessness can conquer anything,” Dumoulin said.

It’s a certainty that Dumoulin and Luo can easily agree on one thing: Coach Shang has been a major factor in their impressive developments during their time here. “Shang’s one of the most incredible coaches; I mean, the guy has two coaches of the year for a reason,” Luo said. Luo expressed her gratitude for getting to play with him over the years, saying that no one is more committed to a team than Shang, who has also served as a father figure over the last three years. “I can’t even begin to say how much that means to me,” Luo said. Dumoulin also asserted that Coach Shang is the best coach she’s ever had. She explained that Shang is very unbiased and plays athletes solely based on efforts and performance in practice. A notable point for Dumoulin is that Shang doesn’t put up with the team’s drama, which has helped the two captains along with the team stay focused and primed in practice. “It’s really refreshing because he’s one of the main reasons for the past two years, the volleyball team was so close,” Dumoulin said.When Luo was introduced to the game in sixth grade, she immediately fell in love with the sport. For her, she has found her passion in the resilience of the game. “You can be down 24-10 and still come back to win the game,” Luo said. Reflecting on her time as an athlete, she said, “It’s crazy how far I’ve come; in sixth grade I couldn’t for the life of me serve a ball overhand. In comparison, now the goal has become to serve to specific spots on the court.”

“They are incredible leaders and do a great job of bringing energy and enthusiasm to practice every day.”

Upper Margaret Kraus said that Luo puts 100 percent into everything she does and is always there to listen or give advice. She added that Dumoulin is one of the most spirited girls during practice, who the team can count on to pick people up and push teammates to stay motivated. “Everyone would agree that we have a very positive team dynamic this year, and a lot of that is due to the atmosphere that Rachel and Kat established at the beginning of the season,” Kraus said. Lower Jenny Yang agreed. “Both Kat and Rachel are very strong players, but my favorite thing about them is that they will always be there to support you,” she said.

Upper Charlotte Polk admired their “fierce” devotion to the team and the sport. “They are incredible leaders and do a great job of bringing energy and enthusiasm to practice every day,” she said.

As the season’s end rapidly approaches, Luo said that she wants to “give back to the team.”

“Exeter volleyball has given me so many amazing memories, and it’s made my time at Exeter so much more worthwhile, and I just hope I can do the same for the girls on the team,” she said.