But step inside the gym, and her presence is much different.
Ostendorf, the 2024 Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year, is the Indians’ school-record holder for single-season aces and single-season kills. She is a 4.4 GPA student in the top 5% of her class and a four-year starter.
Most impressively, she has never sat out a single rotation during her prep volleyball career. And she most recently recorded her 1,000th career kill to go with her 1,600-plus career assists.
Ostendorf became the first player in Greater Miami Conference history to hit both marks in a career.
For reference, volleyball players who hit 500 kills, 500 assists and 500 digs are considered to have achieved the rare Career Triple Crown. Ostendorf has obliterated that standard with over 800 career digs on top of it.
“When I came here my freshman year, I just knew that I wanted to do things that put me out there,” Ostendorf said. “I love volleyball, and I just wanted to break records.”
She didn’t just dream about it. She plotted it.
A setter when she arrived as a freshman, Ostendorf immediately set statistical goals — assists records, all-conference selections, impact roles that usually take older players years to earn.
Then something changed.
Midway through her career, Fairfield needed a hitter. The offense wasn’t clicking. Most players would have hesitated. But Ostendorf didn’t blink.
“She just wants to win,” Fairfield coach Jessi Grimes said. “She had to give up a lot of her personal goals to change positions, and that tells you everything about her. It’s rare to find a kid who’s that competitive and that selfless at the same time.”
A leader without needing a spotlight
Off the court, Ostendorf is quiet. On it, she has the loudest heartbeat in the gym.
“As a setter you have to control the floor,” Ostendorf said. “I wasn’t really vocal at first, but I learned I had to be louder. I had to be someone my teammates could look at and know what we were doing.”
She never asked to be captain. She became one by default — not through volume, but through reliability.
“She finishes first in every cardio drill,” Grimes said. “We brought in a training program over the summer with the beep test, and we literally had to make her stop. She would have gone forever.”
It tracks — in four varsity seasons, Ostendorf has never missed a single set. Not one. No injury breaks. No rotation subs. No rest. She plays six rotations every night, taking first contact, resetting to hit, diving for digs and closing sets with kills.
“People don’t realize — she’ll take the dig, then sprint in to set, then rotate and put down the kill,” Grimes said. “She does the work of three positions.”
Her consistency has turned her into more than just a star. Ostendorf has become an institution within the program.
“At youth camps, she’s a celebrity,” Grimes laughed. “And she hates attention, but she gets it. She high-fives every kid, organizes jerseys, makes prizes for camps, keeps the bench in order.
“I never have to manage her. She’s always two steps ahead.”
Ostendorf credits her mother — a Fairfield coach who sits on the bench every match — and her brothers for instilling a relentless work ethic.
“My mom’s a really big part of it,” Ostendorf said. “She’s been coaching me since I was little, and she’s on our bench now. She’s always been there.”
What’s next?
Ostendorf accomplished part of her milestone journey on Senior Night last week, recording her 1,000th kill in front of family, teammates and a packed Fairfield gym.
“It kind of stressed me out because I knew it was going to happen,” Ostendorf said. “Once it did, it was just relief and excitement. It meant a lot that it was on Senior Night and my whole team was there.”
Next up is postseason volleyball for the Indians and an Illinois College career waiting on the other side for Ostendorf.
“I visited, and right away I just knew it was right,” Ostendorf said. “It’s far, but I’m ready to start fresh and see what I can do.”
But the high school volleyball road continues. Fairfield opened tournament play Monday, Oct. 20 against Hamilton, a team that beat the Indians in the regular season — which is fuel Ostendorf welcomes.
“We’re coming out with fire,” she said. “We’ve talked about that loss. We’re using it.”
Grimes paused when asked what Fairfield volleyball will look like without Ostendorf.
“We won’t be the same,” Grimes admitted. “Not just because of her kills and assists — because of who she is. Her grit. Her standard. Her impact. You hope someone else carries it on because she’s planted that seed.
“But a player like her? You don’t replace that.”
Ostendorf won’t make a big speech when it happens. She’ll check back in, rotate to the service line, lock into the next point. That’s who she is.
And she still hasn’t missed a rotation.
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