The observer sat down with senior Kaycee Kallenberger and talked about her athletic career at Augie. Kallenberger has played Varsity women’s basketball for her 4 years here; however, She will now be playing on the varsity women’s volleyball team.
1.) How long have you played competitive basketball?
I’ve been playing basketball since I was 7 years old, so I’ve played for 16 years.
2.) How long have you played competitive volleyball?
I started playing volleyball in 6th grade when I was 12 years old. I played until my Junior year in high school, and then I focused on basketball until this year. So, I’ve been playing volleyball for 6 years or 7 years if you count this year.
3.) What made you chose to play basketball at Augie?
I really loved the coaching staff and they were willing to push me to become the best player I could be. They were patient with me and knew how to motivate me when I needed it.
4.) What made you switch to volleyball now?
I am a term behind, so I was supposed to graduate Augie in the spring but now I will be done this fall term. I chose to play volleyball because I thought it was a great opportunity to continue my athletic career. The NCAA gives athletes 5 years to play a varsity sport, but you can only play the same sport for 4 years (unless you red shirt). I used up all my eligibility to play basketball and since I’m only here for fall term it was the perfect time to focus on volleyball since my basketball career is over.
5.) What does the team hope to accomplish this year?
Our obvious goal, like a lot of teams, is to win an NCAA championship. We also want to make it to our conference tournament and become conference champs.
6.) How will you guys facilitate towards that goal?
In order to accomplish these goals, we need to stay focused. Working on the little things and pushing our teammates in practice is also our plan. We work hard everyday to get better, and it’s just the beginning of the season. I see this team accomplishing so much this year because of the work we are putting in.
7.) What are you excited for in the volleyball season?
I am excited to help the team accomplish some of our team goals. It will be really exciting to see how far we go this year because we have so many different strengths on the team.
8.) What can you bring to the team?
I am becoming a great blocker for the team. Even if I don’t get a block, a lot of opponents will try and tip or hit around me, which usually results in the ball going out.
9.) Do you plan to continue anything related to volleyball after the season?
I won’t be playing volleyball next year because I will have graduated, but I will definitely be at the volleyball games to support!