Fresno State Athletics
The Second Annual `Fighting Spirit' Award Goes to the Team
12/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 3, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - The `Fighting Spirit Award' was introduced to the Fresno State volleyball team on September 18, 2008 as an award given to the student-athlete/s who most exemplified a `Fighting Spirit' in that specific match. The honors were tallied over the season and those who had been honored the most throughout the season would be the winner/s for the year. After tallying the winners for the 2009 season, the team has been named this year's winner.
The entire team won the award 10 times during the season. The highest individual winner was senior Kelly Leonardo who won the award seven times.
"The `Fighting Spirit Award' is the essence of what we're trying to develop within the volleyball program at Fresno State," said head coach Lauren Netherby Sewell. "This award is given after every match to the player/s who shows a fight through times of adversity. It's one of the most important things I can pass down to my student-athletes. Fighting through adversity is something that will help these young women become successful and able to cope in life's ups and downs."
Netherby-Sewell brought the award with her in her first season as coach of the Bulldogs, a tradition that was started by her mentor at Hofstra University.
"My mentor and boss at Hofstra University, Fran Kalafer, is one of the winningest coaches in Division I history," said Netherby-Sewell. "I got the pleasure of learning under her and she is such a strong woman.
Her mother had four different types of cancer and fought for years with a terrific attitude that Fran called a `Fighting Spirit'. She died a few years ago and lost a long battle.
So after that, Fran made an award and named it after her mother because Fran and I think that a fighting sprit is the most important thing that we can give to our athletes and something that will take them through life. What it really means is who has that fighting spirit through adversity and challenges and who keeps fighting no matter what the situation is."
Netherby-Sewell said that this year the team goal was to win the award together.
"This team's ultimate goal this year was to earn a TEAM Fighting Spirit Award," Netherby-Sewell said. "That's hard to accomplish. It takes 15 people staying on task, unselfishly; to reach a common goal and take a challenging season step-by-step. Though many individuals like Kelly Leonardo, Kelly Mason and Kelly Parker came close to earning the award on their own with some valiant fights, the team stuck together more often than not. Nothing makes me more proud than to teach a team to work together for a common goal no matter the outcome. Our 2009 team will never be forgotten because of this."
This is the second year of the award at Fresno State. The 2008 winners were Allanah Munson and Baylee Platt.
"We Are Your Team" - For ticket information log on to www.gobulldogs.com. Follow the volleyball team in the offseason by viewing the Fresno State volleyball blog.
