Fresno State Athletics
Up for the Challenge
9/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - When it is time to reach down deep and find out who has more heart, one Fresno State senior will be ready show she has it. She will be ready to dig that hard spike in the fifth game of a championship match, leap sky-high to block an attempted kill or even throw one down herself when it matters most. Bulldogs' senior outside hitter Tina Milburn knows what a challenge is and she knows how to overcome it.
A 6-foot-0, health science major, Milburn has come along way since her days at Moorpark High School in southern California. At Moorpark, Milburn was a four-sport letterwinner in basketball, softball, track and field and volleyball. In basketball she was a first-team all-league and all-CIF selection. Her performance in track and field was outstanding as well, where she set school records in the shot put and discus and earned all-county and all-CIF first-team honors. Although volleyball was the most difficult of her daily activities, it soon became a four-year plan that she wanted to master.
"I was always busy, all the time," Milburn said. "There wasn't a whole lot of time for socializing. Softball and basketball came easier for me, but I decided I wanted to continue playing volleyball because it was challenging and I wanted to take it on."
Milburn attended Cal State Los Angeles in pursuit of improving her entire volleyball skills. Her goal was to compete at the Division I level, at school where volleyball had a deep tradition of success.
"It was a good experience for me at CS L.A.," Milburn said. "I had a great coach and a great team. I wanted so much to play Division I ball, I wouldn't have been satisfied with going anywhere else."
That she did. Milburn paid visits Arizona State, Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and others, but believed Fresno State was the perfect fit. Now, she and the Bulldogs are seeking a WAC title and ultimately making it to the big dance. Milburn said this team has been the closest it has ever been since her arrival, a sign that chemistry will ultimately prove to be the squad's most essential aspect.
"I believe we're capable of making the NCAA tournament," Milburn said. "We have lots of talent on this team, we just need to make some minor improvements and we'll be fine."
The Fresno State experience has been one of great value to Milburn. She said she has matured, found new friends and not to mention learned more about the game of volleyball. She hopes to become a paramedic, a vocation that she has truly learned to appreciate.
In the end, the barriers Milburn has overcome may outweigh anything she does on the volleyball court, but do not be surprised if she is defying the odds during crunch-time of a crucial match.
