“I’ve thought about doing something for the last few years,” Hausfeld said. “The university has been so important to me. It was very important to Kacie and Tom. They loved the school. Even after the accident, they were just so supportive to me. I just wanted something to give back to UD because they gave so much back to me and my daughter.”
Dayton coach Tim Horsmon recruited Kacie, a Kettering Alter graduate, and she played for him as a freshman before Horsmon left for the University of Maryland after the 2007 season. Horsmon returned to Dayton in December 2013.
“When I first came back, I wanted to touch base with (Hausfeld),” Horsmon said. “I hadn’t really had a chance to sit down with her after what happened with Kacie and Tom and share how I was feeling, that I wished I were here during that time. I think that turned into her wanting to do something for the program and her doing something in Kacie’s memory.”
Part of the donation with allow UD to build a team room for the volleyball program at the Frericks Center, and that will be named after Kacie.
“It allows us to show a commitment to our volleyball program and our players that not too many other programs get to do,” Horsmon said. “When we’re recruiting against Big Ten programs and SEC and ACC And Big 12, it puts us in that arena with what they’re doing. It’s a special donation. It’s a special opportunity.”
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