Freedom senior Kaitlyn Hagmann on April 22 signed to play volleyball at Lander University starting this fall. Seated alongside Hagmann is her mother, LeAnn Hagmann. Standing (from left to right) are Freedom girls basketball assistant coach Austin Wooten, athletic director Rob Scott, principal Shanda Epley, Hagmann’s brother Alex and sister Olivia, FHS and Burke Elite Volleyball Club (BEVC) Kryptonite head coach Megan Treadway, BEVC co-director Tracey Treadway, and FHS softball coach Connor Townsend.
Freedom senior Kaitlyn Hagmann is an Indiana native who at one point dreamed of playing college basketball.
That plan changed a bit along the way, but Hagmann will still soon be a collegiate student-athlete after on April 22 signing a national letter of intent to play volleyball at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., starting this fall.
Hagmann took her official visit to Lander this semester and also was on campus for the program’s prospect camp recently.
“I loved the campus, it’s very pretty,” Hagmann said. “It’s not too big but not too small. And I loved the team. I met the team and coaches and really liked the culture they had there. I pretty much had my mind made up when they offered.”
In addition to basketball and volleyball, Hagmann currently plays softball for the Lady Patriots and additionally participated in track and field at FHS.
In volleyball, the 6-foot outside hitter (whose game translates to the same position at the college level) finished an all-conference senior season with team-high totals of 337 kills and 58 aces to go with 323 serve receptions, 227 digs, and 44 blocks.
In basketball, the back-to-back all-county selection averaged 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, also being one of just three county girls players selected for the WNC All-Star Game.
Hagmann said she actually didn’t start playing volleyball until the summer before her freshman year.
“I was originally thinking I was gonna be a basketball player,” she said. “I’ve kinda always been inclined to sports, love watching football, and I’ve been playing something about every season since I was little. But I never really thought about playing in college until I thought about it maybe with basketball my sophomore year.
“I think it was junior year I decided that I really wanted to be a volleyball player in college, and that year and this past season, I really fell in love with the sport. I had the opportunity to play against some players who were already committed to colleges, and I hung with them, so I figured, ‘Might as well go for it.’”
Hagmann, who plans to major in biomedical engineering at Lander, expressed gratitude toward those around her who helped pave the way for her success.
“I want to thank my mom (LeAnn) for always being there for me and getting me to games and practices,” Hagmann said. “I want to give a shout out to my Dad (John) for helping me with my recruiting process. My siblings (Alex and Olivia), for being lugged around all the time and coming to my games, having to sit through some rough ones here and there but getting through it.
“My teammates, who physically supported me on the court and made it a great experience for me. My coaches, I’ve had a lot over the years, but each one helped me grow in a different way. Freedom High School, for allowing me to participate in all the sports that I did. I also want to thank Burke Elite Volleyball Club (BEVC) Kryptonite for always being so supportive of me throughout my volleyball journey, and I have been super blessed to play for them all of these years.”
Hagmann’s high school and club coach, Megan Treadway, is convinced that Hagmann will continue to do big things in the sport at the next level.
“I’ve coached Kaitlyn for three seasons now with our travel volleyball club, and she’s grown up and become a great leader, player, teammate, and person in general,” Treadway said. “She’s the kind of player you want on your team to help build camaraderie and lead a team to success. She’s got a real drive to be the best and a real passion for the game, and she inspires a lot of people to step up to the plate and deliver when it’s their time.
“She’s been a great asset to Freedom and to her travel team, and her success is a testament to her hard work. I’m proud of her for everything she’s done. She’s committed to herself and her game, and I couldn’t ask for a better player to coach. I’m excited to see all she accomplishes at this next stage, and I believe she will go very far.”
Hagmann said there are plenty of great memories from her time at FHS but singled out one favorite.
“The best memory I have is probably hanging out with my teammates before and after games,” she said, “especially the bus rides home after games and getting ready in the locker room beforehand.”
Lander is an NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference member and finished 20-11 overall in 2025.
