ISU libero Caitlin Nolan has seen a lot in her volleyball career.

The Texas native had a stellar high school career, leading her team to three straight district championships and earning All-American honors as a senior. Ranked No. 40 in her class by prepvolleyball.com, Nolan found her way to Ames and made an immediate impact.

In her freshman season, she played in every set of the year with the exception of one and recorded double-digit digs in 13 matches. In her sophomore season, Nolan was one of four Cyclones to average multiple digs per set.

For her upcoming junior campaign, though, Nolan is faced with the challenge of taking over for one of the most decorated players in Iowa State history, Kristen Hahn.

Hahn, who earned All-American and Big 12 Libero of the Year honors three times each, rounded out her ISU career with a school record 5.71 digs per set in the 2013-14 season.

Though Hahn’s shoes may seem impossibly large to fill, they’re the perfect size for Nolan.

“Nolan, she’s just such a great player. I’ve loved watching her play and develop for the last couple of years,” said ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “She’ll be different than Hahn, I think they have very different strengths, but I’m excited to see her have this opportunity.”

One of the main differences Johnson-Lynch acknowledged was the style of leadership. Where Hahn was a very outward and vocal presence on the court, Nolan tends to be more even-keeled. That discrepancy in style is something Nolan has also taken note of.

“Hahn was a lot more vocal than I am and if you ever watch her play she gets pretty into it,” Nolan said with a light laugh. “I mean, I get really excited, too. Maybe I could be a little more vocal out there, but really that’s just a difference in our styles.”

Junior right side hitter Mackenzie Bigbee said as the start of the spring season has approached, she has noticed Nolan’s efforts to take on the libero role.

“We’ve changed a lot since the end of last year as a team and it’s nice to see people stepping up and taking on those leadership roles,” Bigbee said, referring to Nolan. “Especially now, I’m noticing that she’s filling in to Hahn’s role and has gotten more vocal and become a big help on the defensive side.”

Not having the spark-plug personality that her predecessor did is not the only thing about Nolan that has caught Johnson-Lynch’s eye. As the off-season has progressed, Johnson-Lynch has noticed Nolan’s emphasis on fundamentals and how she thinks they will play a role in the future.

“Nolan’s just always got this steady presence to her,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I don’t know where [opponents] will come out passing and defensively because I haven’t seen the stats yet, but I know that I love Nolan’s passing platform. Her technique is very, very consistent and that’s going to serve her well.”

With competitive spring matches just days away, Nolan has her goals laid out and feels that she has the tools to continue the legacy Hahn has left at Iowa State.

“When you think of Hahn, you think competitive,” Nolan said. “Seeing her work ethic and her competitive mindset, working alongside that, really makes me want to be that competitive, too. Going forward, I want to be like that just as much as she was. I’m really excited to take on this leadership role.”