JOURNAL SPORTS

New Airline High School volleyball coach Heaven Harris Wudtee was a standout player at Northern Arizona University and a 2020 participant in the USA National Volleyball Team tryouts.

Airline athletic director Toby Todd announced Wudtee’s hiring late last week.

Wudtee, a Phoenix native, was a four-year varsity starter for her high school volleyball team. As a senior, she was named an All-State first team selection for the 2016-17 season.

At NAU, her playing career was filled with accomplishments and honors. She snagged the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year award in 2017, was a three-time All-Big Sky first team selection, and played a pivotal role in her team’s 2018 Big Sky Championship win, when she was named the Most Valuable Player. 

During her time at NAU she earned the nickname “The Hammer” for her powerful and precise playing style.

Wudtee earned an invitation to the the USA National Volleyball Team tryouts in Colorado in 2020, an experience enriched by coaching from volleyball great Karch Kiraly, a legendary men’s beach player who has been the longtime coach of Team USA.