Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

Wow! I cannot believe this day has finally come. All of my years here at SMU I have had to watch the seniors write their salutes and now I guess it’s my turn. These four years really did go fast but they were filled with so many great memories and so many great people. I have been fortunate enough to learn and develop so much as both a player and a person by being a part of this team.
    
I have learned a number of different lessons in my SMU volleyball career but I would say one of the most prominent lessons I have learned is punctuality. Before playing volleyball at SMU I will be honest I was not exactly a punctual person. However, after that first season I was never late to anything, ever again. I had taken on coach’s philosophy of “if you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late.” I now find myself at least 15 minutes early to everything I do, without even thinking about it. Naturally I had to put that in my salute because I am eternally grateful that I have been forced to make the transition from always late to be freakishly early.
    
Throughout my four seasons I was fortunate enough to travel with the team on three different occasions. My freshman year I was able to travel to Boston which was a really cool experience. Boston is a really awesome city. My favorite memory was going to the Red Sox stadium. That same year I was also given the opportunity to travel to Italy with the team. I have some truly spectacular memories from that trip. Italy was an incredible place to visit and to do it with my teammates made it that much better. My favorite part of that trip was seeing Venice and riding in the Gondolas.  This year we travelled to Colorado which was such a breathtaking experience…literally. I think the altitude change was worth the memories though. My favorite part was our trip to Pikes Peak. I will never forget that view, it was absolutely amazing being above the clouds.
    
I think I am going to begin my “Thank You’s” with someone who sometimes goes underappreciated. To our athletic trainer Bill, thanks so much for everything you do for us. You have dealt with a lot from us and are always a good sport about it. Most recently we are thankful for you coming to Colorado with us. Sorry we roped you into driving us up to Pikes Peak but at least we all made it out alive.  
    
I was also very blessed to have some amazing assistant coaches throughout my career. I would like to start off by first thanking and recognizing Tessa Wagnild who taught me that wearing bows would result in the cutting off of your pony tail and that glitter is unacceptable in any sport that is not dance. All jokes aside, Tessa was an amazing assistant coach. With the intelligence of a rocket scientist and her competitive drive she taught us all a lot that first season. My sophomore year I was happy to have Jenna Ness as an assistant coach. Jenna taught us a lot and really liked to do “warsh” drills during practice. Jenna was very helpful and knowledgeable about volleyball and I am appreciative to have had her as a coach. For both my junior and senior season I have been lucky enough to have Jackie (Jones) Kiecker as my assistant coach. Jackie, I am really going to miss you telling us on a daily basis that “y’all are drivin me crazy.” Your energy and passion for the game of volleyball is contagious. I have learned a lot from you throughout these last two years and am very thankful for that. You are such a great coach and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you. For all four years of my career I was also lucky enough to have the fabulous Chris Rhode as an assistant coach. Rhode, I think that the middles will agree with me when I say that the absolute best sentence to hear in practice is “Alright middles go over there with Rhode.” We all love our middle time and are appreciative of all that you teach us. Thank you so much for always being such a great coach and thank you for teaching me about how to be a great middle. You are very talented and I feel lucky to have had you as an assistant coach.
    
To Coach Lester, thank you for being such a great coach these past four years. I can remember how excited we both were when I decided to come to SMU. I am very glad I made the decision to come play volleyball for you, it was one of the best decisions of my life. I met some amazing people and made some amazing memories and I would like to thank you for that. You made it easy to come to practice because you are always very excited and happy to be there with us. You are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about volleyball and it has been awesome to have you as a coach. I am appreciative of all that you have taught me about volleyball.
    
To my past teammates, you guys have been amazing. It is truly an awesome experience to get to play with people who are as passionate about volleyball as I am. We come together every game and every practice and we always work hard and have a ton of fun while we do it. To Ku and Rika, thank you for being such amazing examples of leaders my freshman year, I always looked up to you both. To Meghan, Kathy, and Carissa thank you for being such amazing teammates. I enjoyed playing with all of you and am happy to know you all. To Turra, I was so happy I got to play with you. I am even happier that you and I became really good friends. You are an awesome person and I am happy to have you in my life. To Bree, my goodness you are one strong lady. You are honestly one of the best people I have ever met I am so happy to have you as a friend. To Buns, thank you for being my middle buddy. How we survived being the only middles my freshman year I will never know but we got through it together. Thank you for sharing your hilarious personality with us, you truly made the seasons more entertaining. To Lexi, you are such a hard worker. I was very happy to have had the opportunity to have you as my setter. You are very talented and such a great person. Thank you for always being positive out on the court your energy was contagious and truly made our team better.
    
To my teammates this year, thank you for making this last year the best one yet. You guys are so much fun and such hard workers. I feel lucky to have been on a team with such great chemistry. Thank you all for making it so much fun to come to practice and so much fun to be out on the court competing during games. To my freshman, you guys are so fabulous and I can’t wait to see all your careers grow in the future. Brit, you have some amazing hands little lady, you have a great setting career ahead of you. Keep it up and don’t forget that you run that court so be as loud as you want. To Clare, you have improved so much this year. You are a great back row player. Remember to be always be confident and you will have an awesome career ahead of you. To Cass, you are a great player and can hit the crap out of the ball. Keep it up and you will be very successful. To Sara, I enjoyed having you as a middle buddy. You are such a funny person and a great middle, you are going to be so successful in the future. To my sophomores, you guys have all improved so much in these last two years. Keep going as you become upper classmen next year. To Mo, you are such an amazing back row player. You have so much talent. Remember to always trust yourself and your teammates and you will go far. Keep up the good work. To Maddie, you are such a talented setter. Keep working hard and you will do great things. I am so happy we became good friends and workout buddies. To Murbs, I have enjoyed being your pepper partner and middle buddy. Your humor is what gets me through, you are hilarious. I love when you hit the crap out of the ball and everyone knows that when Murbs gets mad that ball is going through the floor. Keep up the good work and you are going to have great success in the middle. To my juniors, I have loved watching and playing with you all over the years. You guys are amazing and are going to make amazing senior leaders next year. To Kenz, you are such an awesome outside, keep working hard. Thanks for always being so nice and being a great teammate. To Tay, you have improved so much over the years. You have a great court sense, keep it up. You are such a hard worker and have a great senior year ahead of you. To Jordo, I cannot even begin to fathom how you get dig some balls up. All of a sudden you come out of nowhere. It is amazing, you are truly talented. Thanks for always being so sweet and having a great attitude on the court. To Em, you are the best. Thanks for always being such a genuine person. I loved being middle buddies with you. You are so talented and an incredibly hard worker both on and off the court. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you. To Al, wow girl you have a cannon. I think one of my favorite things during games is your celebration when you get a kill or block because you get so excited. I loved playing with you. I can’t wait to watch you kick butt next year and have an amazing senior year. To Mack, you are such a talented right side. You hit the crap out of the ball every time and it’s awesome. You are a true athlete. Go kick some butt out on that ice this winter. Keep working hard next year and you will have an awesome senior year. To Lex, thank you for always being such a positive person on and off the court. I would also like to thank you for yelling at me from the sidelines and helping me with defense. I don’t think you realize how much I appreciated it. You are truly one of the most talented back row players I have ever seen and I loved playing with you. The way you dig balls is incredible to watch. Keep working hard girl and you will have an awesome senior year. To my fellow seniors, well guys, we finally made it. I am so glad I was able to play with you three throughout the years. To Jenna, your dedication to volleyball is truly amazing. You are a talented player with an awesome sense for the game of volleyball. You really have a fantastic court sense and you are good at placing balls strategically. To Molls, I have loved playing with you throughout the years. You have improved so much and have been doing so well. I love being in the front row with you because I enjoy your attitude on the court. You will make a fantastic teacher one day because you are a fantastic leader. To Janaener, who would have thought looking back 5 years ago that we would be here? I am so happy to have had the opportunity to play with you. I am so glad we met at that camp five years ago. I could not have done any of this without you, you have truly been my rock on this team. You are a great teammate and an even better friend. I value our friendship so much and am thankful that we have always remained so close.
    
Next I would like to thank my family, none of this would have been possible without their support. To my Grandpa, who was my biggest fan until he passed away this last month. Thank you for always telling me how proud you were of me. Thank you for watching all of my games and telling me to “work hard and do good.” I always use that philosophy both in volleyball and in life. To my Auntie Mary and Uncle Steve, thank you both for always supporting me and watching my games. To my little sister Katie, thanks for always being there supporting me at my games. I am always inspired by your work ethic and drive. I am so happy to have you in my life and am thankful that you were able to make it to all of the games this year, I love you skip. Of course to my parents, Mom and Dad I am so incredibly blessed to have you both in my life. I do not know what I would do without either of you. Your support means the world to me. I am so appreciative that you drove all over to watch me play. Thank you for all the opportunities you have given me. You guys have been my biggest fans since day one and I am proud to be your daughter. Thank you for always being there for me, I love you both.
    
Last and certainly not least I would like to thank the Saint Mary’s Community. The support I have received from all my friends, fellow students and professors has meant so much to me. All of this would not be possible without you all. You all are the reason we put on the jerseys and go out on the court. When we play, our goal is to play for the university and to represent what it means to be a Cardinal. Since my freshman year, whenever I leave the gym I always hit the sign above the door that says “cardinal pride.” Cardinal Pride truly means something to me. I am beyond blessed and proud to be a part of such a supportive and caring community. I am proud to be a Saint Mary’s Cardinal and always will be.