Kean University

One of the most decorated players in the history of Kean University volleyball, Loretta Zahn Pogorelec was a four-year Most Valuable Player Award-winner for a program that captured three New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championships during her time in uniform.

Competing then as Loretta Zahn, she garnered her first of many awards in 1992 when she was tabbed the NJAC Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-NJAC first team. She continued as an All-NJAC performer, earning Player of the Year acclaim for the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons to go with first-team conference honors in each of those seasons. Zahn was also an all-region selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association in 1994 and 1995 and capped her athletics career by becoming a rare two-time recipient of the prestigious D'Angola Award, the highest honor given to student-athletes at Kean.

Zahn was a winner in the classroom as well, compiling a cumulative 3.959 grade point average on her way to twice claiming GTE Academic All-American notice. In 1995, she became the first and only competitor at Kean University to earn the ECAC Scholar-Athlete Award.

Zahn earned her Bachelor of Science degree in teaching of the handicapped in 1996.