‘She's doing all the right things’: How Berlin volleyball's Addison Knapke made room for flaws
Monday, October 12, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Libero Addison Knapke, a Northwestern commit, has led Olentangy Berlin to an OCC-Cardinal title and a top-four state ranking this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Addison Knapke is a self-described perfectionist. Not only does she want to do things well, she wants to do them flawlessly. It’s what’s made the Olentangy Berlin senior volleyball player a standout libero.
There are also downfalls to being a perfectionist.
“I think it hurts me at times,” Knapke said. “Especially because volleyball is a game of mistakes and it’s hard for me to let it go.”
Knapke has come up with a physical way to get past her mental block. She walks to the sideline, takes a deep breath, reaches down and touches it.
“Leave it outside the court,” she said. “It’s gone now.”
It’s a little exercise that Mintonette Sports director Max Miller came up with to help Knapke move on. She started doing it during club season about a year and a half ago.
“Just making a mistake or if I got super riled up about something,” Knapke said. “It’s just like, ‘O.K, Addie, calm down. You’re good. You got the next one.’ I just started doing it and it stuck.”
Knapke has been a key player for the Bears throughout high school. A four-year varsity player with over 1,000 digs and 200 aces over her career, she played a key role in the Bears’ run to the program’s first trip to the Division I state tournament as a sophomore.
This season, Knapke leads Berlin with 343 digs to go along with 33 aces and 71 assists.
Berlin is 19-1 overall and has clinched the OCC-Cardinal Division title at 8-0 with two matches remaining. The Bears, fourth in state in the latest MaxPreps Division I rankings last updated Oct. 12, host Marysville in a league match Oct. 13.
Outside hitter Jillian Rode paces the Berlin Bears with 191 kills this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Berlin’s only loss came against undefeated Big Walnut on Aug. 27, just four matches in the season. Since then, they’ve dropped only four sets overall against OCC-Cardinal opponents.
“It’s not enough to say that (Knapke is) one of the hardest workers; that she’s one of the humblest and most grateful kids I’ve ever coached,” Berlin coach Michelle Mimna said. “She’s smart, she’s talented, she is giving – she’s all of these things. She’s doing all the right things. It’s just what you love to see – really great things happening to great people.”
Being a perfectionist has manifested in positive ways for Knapke. She’s committed to Northwestern University where she’ll continue her playing career.
Knapke also plans to pursue business but has recently taken an interest in psychology through an AP course at Berlin.
“It’s kind of cool to see the ins and outs of how people think and do certain things,” she said.
It was being a perfectionist that made Knapke work through a tough time in volleyball when she was not selected for the top team or even the second team in her age group with her club program.
Knapke questioned whether she should continue pursuing the sport as seriously. Instead, she decided to try out for an older age group, making the 15U third team.
“I stuck through that season (and) did private lessons,” Knapke said. “(There were) many hard times but I wanted to show that I deserved to be on a higher team. I wanted to prove everybody wrong.”
Outside hitter Charlize Ailes, who has 227 digs, 133 kills, and 41 aces for Berlin, celebrates a point with her teammates. Photo: John Hulkenberg
She made the 15U top team the next season after playing a role with Berlin as a freshman.
“She’s not a loud player; not a bragger. She doesn’t want attention. So, she internalized that disappointment. She toughed it out,” Mimna said.
“Then, as a freshman, she broke our (season) aces record. As a sophomore, she broke the career record. (Now), she’s second in career digs – 98 away from breaking the program record.”
For all Knapke’s success at Berlin, she’s the first one to point out that it’s because of the team.
Knapke’s role is to receive the serve or dig out a spike to get her team’s offense started. Then it goes through the setter who gives it to a hitter at the net for a chance at a point.
There’s senior outside hitters Jillian Rode (191 kills) and Charlize Ailes (227 digs, 133 kills, 41 aces), junior opposite-side hitter Kacey Clark (151 kills).
There’s sophomore middle hitter Sarah Ross (64 blocks), junior defensive specialist Reese Fenner (141 digs, 34 aces) and junior setters Carsyn Chitty (320 assists, 118 digs) and Maddie Jirele (228 assists, 112 digs). All of them are doing their part.
It’s what made Knapke fall in love with the sport in the first place.
“It’s the team aspect,” Knapke said. “You all have different positions and different things that you’re good at. But at the end of a point, you’ve all come together and you’re like, ‘O.K., we did that together.’ It’s just so much more united than other sports.”
The Olentangy Berlin Bears huddle before their match with Dublin Jerome last Thursday. Photo: John Hulkenberg