The road hasn’t always been easy for Kristen Hahn.

Hahn came to Iowa State from Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a talented but lowly recruited freshman who struggled mightily with passing to being a two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year and unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection.

The recognition Hahn received throughout her junior season, including a Big 12 record eight weekly awards — the most ever by any Big 12 volleyball player — in a single season, has not made her forget the work it took to get there.

 Great promise

As a freshman at Kennedy, Hahn was selected to move up to the sophomore squad by volleyball coach Michelle Goodall. Goodall would go on to have Hahn on the varsity squad for three years and called her “one of the most focused and driven athletes that I’ve had” with “great promise.”

“She was exceptional, not only in her statistics, but in her floor leadership and she still maintains that in her play at Iowa State,” Goodall said. “It’s not something she acquired, she’s always been a fabulous floor leader.”

On the varsity squad for the Cougars, Hahn was a two-time Elite All-State libero her junior and senior year, averaged 6.1 digs per set as a senior and was the 2010 Kennedy Female Athlete of the Year. 

ISU takes notice

It was through club volleyball that Hahn met an opposing club coach who happened to be Joe Lynch, a volunteer ISU assistant coach. Lynch gave Hahn’s club coach a flier for a volleyball camp.

“I came to camp later that summer and that was kind of when I was first getting interested in being recruited for volleyball,” Hahn said.

ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said Hahn could become a high-level libero with proper development when she first began recruiting her.

“In meeting her, I was very impressed,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She was just very mature, composed and just [had] a really good head on her shoulders.”

In February of Hahn’s junior year of high school, Johnson-Lynch offered her a spot on Iowa State’s roster. Hahn also received an offer from Northern Iowa as well as interest from North Dakota State and Wright State (Ohio).

Although Northern Iowa was high on the list for a long time, Hahn ultimately chose Iowa State after she enjoyed its upset of Texas in 2009 during her visit to Ames.

“Once Iowa State offered me, I kind of got in the aspect of my whole family went here and got on campus a few times and how beautiful it is and having my brother here,” Hahn said. “I think it was just everything I wanted in school, family and volleyball.”

Positive affirmations

When Hahn arrived at Iowa State to begin her freshman year, her confidence in her game was tested after struggling with her passing.

The coaching staff experimented with changing the mechanics of Hahn’s passing in order to make her more efficient. Johnson-Lynch said it was a struggle for most of the year for Hahn.

Hahn saw playing time in 17 matches and averaged 2.13 digs per set, sixth-best on the team.

“That fall, I wasn’t sure,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I think we saw a great athlete who could become [a great player] but I wasn’t sure how quickly she would be able to take that next step.

“I was a little concerned that fall because if she couldn’t put up good passing numbers, she’s not going to be a libero for us.”

During that year, Hahn would often call her parents upset and frustrated. Goodall said that at Kennedy, the coaches try to help prepare kids for the transition into a collegiate program and warn them that it would most likely be a tough experience becoming a freshman again.

“I talked with her throughout that [season] and she became a little bit more confident and a little more relaxed with the new chemistry that was evolving in her collegiate program,” Goodall said. “You could really see a big difference in her as far as her comfort level.”

One of the things that helped Hahn adjust was a mental training exercise Johnson-Lynch would do with each class on the team.

“She told us all to write down specific things to switch our thought processes from negative thoughts to positive thoughts,” Hahn said. “[My negative thought] was always, ‘I can’t have a bad pass.’ So I switched it to, ‘I’m a great passer.’”

Two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year

Johnson-Lynch noticed Hahn make tremendous strides the spring after her freshman season. As a starting libero her sophomore year, Hahn led the Big 12 in digs per set with 5.44 and was named Big 12 Libero of the Year.

In her junior season, Hahn was unanimously named Big 12 Libero of the Year, First Team All-Big 12 while averaging 5.40 digs per set.

“I think with her help, we’ve become a place where the best liberos in the country want to come play,” Johnson-Lynch said of Hahn. “It helps our program set up a legacy and tradition of, ‘Hey, you’re one of the best liberos in the country, you want to come to Iowa State because you’re going to be highlighted here and you’re going to be able to reach your potential here.’”

Even in an individual award, Hahn gives the credit to her family, coaches and teammates for supporting her even when things were at their toughest. All the success will not stall Hahn in her efforts to improve her team and herself, however.

“I’ve always wanted to do this and I’ve set specific goals every season,” Hahn said. “I’m going to have to set bigger ones next year.”