Q&A with Volleyball Player Lacee Koelliker
Nov. 15, 2006 Q&A with Lacee Koelliker WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING VOLLEYBALL? I started playing competitively in eighth grade and continued through high school. That's what my family did, my sisters, my brother and my parents all played volleyball. It's kind of a family tradition. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE UTAH VALLEY? I really like the area and I wanted to stay close to home. Plus, I knew Sam was a great coach and he had a good program. WHAT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU'VE LEARNED FROM YOUR TEAMMATES HERE AT UTAH VALLEY? I've learned a lot from them. They are amazing people. They've taught me the lesson of staying together, being friends and being there for each other. They've influenced me to be a better person as well as a better friend. WHAT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU'VE LEARNED FROM YOUR COACH? He's taught me that I should never stop and that I should always believe that I can do it. He's had a lot of faith and confidence in me and it's helped me to have more self-confidence and believe in myself. WHAT'S THE GREATEST LIFE SKILL YOU'VE LEARNED FROM PLAYING COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL? Time Management. It's a challenge balancing practice, attending class, doing homework, and having a social life. STATISTICALLY, YOU'RE ONE OF THE BEST VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS TO PLAY FOR UTAH VALLEY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? In the beginning, I didn't even think about that. I'm just here to play volleyball and I haven't thought about what's to come and how the program is going to be after me. It's been an honor to play here and have the coaches and teammates that I have. I haven't even thought about it. I'm just playing the sport that I love. YOU'RE ABOUT TO REACH 4,000 ASSISTS HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS? I didn't even find out about this until last week when they told me I only had 200 more assists. So I said, "Okay, so let's just keep playing the game and hopefully I'll get there." [Lacee reached 4,000 assists on November 10, 2006] WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER YOU GRADUATE? I'm graduating in elementary education and I'm planning on teaching middle school. Hopefully I'll be able to teach somewhere and eventually coach. ARE THERE ANY PLANS OF PLAYING OR COACHING AFTER GRADUATION? I want to for sure coach and come back to the game. I don't think I'm going to go play overseas but I would love to help out at Utah Valley or help out and coach somewhere. I would really like to stay with the game. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAJOR IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION? Like volleyball, education is a family thing as well. My parents are both in education, as well as my sister. I love working with kids and being a part of their lives. It's very enjoyable. WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL JOB? I want to be a middle school counselor. I'll have to go on and get my Master's degree, but I want to be a counselor and I'd love to coach volleyball. But ideally, I want to be a mom and have a family. WHO HAS BEEN YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM THROUGH YOUR COLLEGIATE EXPERIENCE? My family is my main support system. I talk to my mom everyday. We're always in close communication. My parents have always been there for me, helping me make big decisions and always supporting me. Here at school, it's my teammates. I live with them and they are so great. They help me out with everything. They listen to me, they're my shoulder to cry on and they're my best friends. WHO IS YOUR HERO? I have a couple of them. One of my heroes is my sister. She's amazing. She's been through a lot and she's an amazing mom. Another one of my heroes is my best friend Maegan. She played with me here at UV, she graduated and now she's coaching. To see everything that she's gone through and everything she's accomplished and how she's remained so positive and optimistic, it's great. It's motivation for me. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO IN A GAME? I love setting and having my hitter get an amazing kill, either hit someone in the face or just bang the ball. I love to joust and I love to dump. I love getting a kill off a dump--it's a great feeling. WHAT'S YOUR FONDEST MEMORY OF UTAH VALLEY? So far, it's been winning the Independent championship last year. That was an incredible experience. The last part of the season how we were untouchable, it just clicked and it was perfect. WHO'S BEEN THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE? My parents. They were always the ones that kept me from quitting when I was struggling to stay with the game. They pushed me and encouraged me. They gave me the confidence to believe that I could play volleyball in college. They've never stopped supporting me. My coach has been so influential in my life. He always has had faith and confidence in me and not taking me out when I make that first mistake and letting me keep trying and improving myself. IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY VOLLEYBALL, WHAT WOULD YOU PLAY? I would play soccer. I played soccer until I started playing volleyball. I miss it now so much. I wish I would've stuck with it. WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR LEISURE TIME? I like to hang out and watch movies. I play the piano and I would love to be able to play the piano more. ALL-TIME FAVORITE: MOVIE? COMFORT FOOD? BAND/SINGER? Pride and Prejudice. Ice cream and Oatmeal Cookie Dough. Dashboard Confessional. |
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