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Kaitlyn Hiltz and the 13th-ranked Virginia field hockey team will play its final home game of the season at 1 p.m. Saturday against Wake Forest. The game will be shown live on ACC Select. Hiltz, a second-year from Virginia Beach, Va., recently sat down with VirginiaSports.com to talk about her sister recently rejoining the team, her personal goals for the rest of the season.
Question: How will you prepare for your last home game against Wake Forest?
Hiltz: It is Parents’ Weekend. I love playing at home; I plan on just trying to focus and to have fun; that’s what I really want to do. The most important for all us is to focus and have fun and go out there and get it done.
Question: What is it like now that your sister, Liz, has rejoined the team?
Hiltz: We played one year together in high school and we had a pretty good season. Then, she left and came here and that was part of the reason why I wanted to come to Virginia. She stopped playing but she is still one of my best friends. We live together and everything. When we had so many injuries, Coach [Madison] asked her to come play. We haven’t done that since high school so we finally got a chance to play together.
Question: How do you describe the team chemistry this season?
Hiltz: The chemistry is awesome. I really enjoy everybody on the team. Everybody brings something different and plays a role on the team whether it is when people are injured, it’s our first-years, our upperclassmen, our leaders, I couldn’t be happier with the chemistry and the way everybody gets along so well.
Question: Nearing the end of the season, did the team make any goals and adhere to them?
Hiltz: Definitely. There were a couple of setbacks, but our most important games are ACC games that we have left. I think that everybody is ready to take on the ACC championship and try to improve our record from the past several years and try to get a good result.
Question: What are your personal goals?
Hiltz: My personal goal is to fulfill my role on the team, making sure that I am doing the right thing on the field that I should and being positive. Playing as well that I can and anything that I can do for the team are my goals.
Question: Before the end of the season, what would you like to accomplish?
Hiltz: I shouldn’t take so long to transition sometimes, and I really need to get my confidence back and listen to my coaches, taking their advice, and really going for it.
Question: What do you do for fun?
Hiltz: My roommates are girls on the team. When we have time, we’ll go out with each other, get something to eat. It’s kind of hard during the season; we don’t really have time for outside activities. I think any time that I can just relax and take some time to enjoy whatever it may be.
Question: What is your major? Do you have any future career aspirations?
Hiltz: I’m undecided on a major but I’ve been interested in media studies, actually broadcasting or anything sports related. I’m really not sure, but I think that’s where I’m going. My sister is in physical therapy so I thought about kinesiology. But I think I’ll be better off with English and journalism versus science. It’s not really my thing.
Question: What has been your favorite college class?
Hiltz: I really enjoyed my nutrition class. It was pretty interesting. I really like my media studies class right now. It’s kind of dry because it’s an introductory class, but I like it.