September 14, 2026
Senior Kate Guthrie Leading Mount Dora In The Classroom And On The Court
By Kyle Coppola
Senior Kate Guthrie Leading Mount Dora In The Classroom And On The Court
Kate Guthrie has spent four years making herself indispensable to the Mount Dora High School volleyball program.
The senior leads the Hurricanes this season with 64 kills and has added six aces. Over her career she has appeared in more than 200 matches, recently surpassing 322 kills. She sits at 76 career aces closing in on 100 and has recorded 153 assists.
Head coach Kevin Gifford calls her a “big piece to the puzzle.”
“She has the ability to serve, pass, set and slam the ball consistently,” Gifford says. “I have always told the players to be a Swiss army knife and make it tough for me to keep you off the court. She embodies that.”
Kate has played multiple positions during her time with the Hurricanes. Gifford pointed to her perseverance and team-first approach as defining traits.
“Her willingness to work with and mentor those younger players” stands out, he says. “Having high hopes for an incoming freshman is one thing. Seeing her excel at the level she has been able to puts it into a whole other perspective. Not only on the court but in the classroom as well.”
That classroom work carries with it a 4.98 GPA. Kate has consistently showed exactly what it means to be a student-athlete.
Coach Gifford described her as “one of the most athletic student-athletes I have had the privilege of coaching,” adding there is “no doubt in my mind she could compete at a high level in anything she chooses to do.”
Kate is also a standout on the track and field team, having qualified for the state championships in each of the past three seasons and earning MVP honors as a junior.
“My greatest athletic achievement are those state championship appearances and the junior-year MVP award. This season I am aiming to return to state once more while continuing to improve at all my events,” she says.
With graduation approaching in May, Kate plans to continue competing in track and field at the collegiate level while majoring in biology with an eye toward medical school.
When she’s not playing volleyball or running, she values time with her close-knit family, watching movies, cooking, eating and playing games. Her older sister, Sydney Guthrie, was also a standout volleyball player for Mount Dora and had 492 career kills, 76 aces and 300 digs. Sydney graduated in 2025.
Photos provided by Mike Doherty Images
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
