Fresno State Athletics
For Shauna
10/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - For Shauna,
It's your day Shauna. It's your day to shine in the spotlight. Four years have passed and today, in your final match at Fresno State, you will experience the culmination of an incredible experience as a student, a volleyball player and a person. After four years of hard work, sweat, strife, good times and bad, here you are the only senior on this 2001 squad. All eyes are on you.
Not too long ago, you decided to play volleyball. Look at all the lives you have affected, including yours. As a young girl, aspirations of college never entered your mind. All you wanted to do was play volleyball, schoolwork was not a priority. Hmmm, sounds like fun I'm sure, but little did you know that you would grow both mentally and physically over the next eight years, to a point that was unreachable to you before.
Well, volleyball has been your life ever since the day someone told you that you were good at it. That was all it took wasn't it? Just for someone to give you that boost of encouragement. Then once you joined club volleyball, you really gained interest. Soon, college scouts from around the country were coming to watch you demonstrate your skills. Division I volleyball seemed unbelievable to you, only you though. As they sent you letters and called you on the phone, it became clearer everyday where destiny was leading you. Then one day, the head coach of Fresno State's volleyball team, Lindy Vivas decided she needed a middle blocker, and she had seen you play. Now the decision was up to you. After some careful considerations, you chose Fresno State over schools such as Northern Arizona and St. John's. And so, you headed north to the San Joaquin Valley from the sunny shores of Mission Bay in San Diego.
Throughout playing high school volleyball and club, you received numerous accolades in recognition of your talent. Things were easy then, but now you are about to embark on your hardest play yet, NCAA Division I volleyball. As you entered the North Gym at Fresno State with your All-Harbor League award, MVP and team captain acknowledgements on your side, you realized that you were about to be measured against some of the best volleyball players in the nation. As a freshman, most of your time was spent learning through observation and practice. Although, you did have a few milestones, which included getting your first kill versus Northern Arizona. That kill would be the first of many to come.
What a difference a summer makes. With a year of credible experience under your belt, you settled in for your sophomore year. And what a year it was. Your stats showed it all. You had six double-figure kill matches and 46 blocks in your last 14 contests. And that's not all. Overall, you led the team in block solos, block assists and total blocks and finished second on the team in kills. Oh yeah, remember how school was a priority, well you certainly got on the ball, and not just on the court. For the first time since entering college, you earned the honor of being a Fresno State Scholar-Athlete.
It seems not long ago that you were a junior, possibly thinking about that final day by the net. You had only two years remaining to achieve personal goals and help this team succeed. Your determination to be the best was admirable and well represented. As a co-MVP, you completed your junior year with 24 double-figure matches, led the team in kills, kills per game, hitting percentage and finished second in blocks. You also continued hitting the books and received WAC All-Academic, WAC Scholar-Athlete and Fresno State Scholar-Athlete honors. And it looks like you hit the weights too. You became just the second volleyball player ever to become a National Strength and Conditional Association All-American. With three years of hard-nosed volleyball behind you, what would it result in as you played your senior year?
Today, as your fans read this letter, you will be warming up, concentrating on the match that lies ahead. Only you know what you're thinking about. The crowd cannot possibly fathom the emotions and thoughts racing through your mind as you play your final match in the North Gym. But the least I can do is let them in on what we talked about earlier in the week. Your father is here to watch you play for the first time. Your mother, grandparents and best friends from back home are also watching with eyes wide open. You told me that you were sad to let it go and that tonight will be a very sad night. We understand and we are all here to cheer you on. Play on Shauna. It's your night.
Sincerely Yours, Bulldog fans
