Seniors take end in stride
Seniors take end in stride
By Kevin Kosterman
The vast majority of college athletes won t go on to sign multi-million dollar professional contracts and shoe deals. For most, senior year is more than just the end of their college careers; it is the end of a lifelong dream.
Knowing that you re near the end makes you really leave it all out on the table, said Ashley Fischer, UW-Oshkosh women s volleyball assistant coach and former player. But they ll never know until they re done how much it meant to [them].
The Titans have been rocketing up the NCAA Division III rankings due, in large part, to the on- and off-court contributions of three seniors: Kim Vail, Rebecca Masephol and Leah Rosenbaum. Balancing athletics, academics and the impending conclusion of their playing careers, these women are leaving their indelible mark on the storied program and preparing for life after competitive volleyball.
Head Coach Brian Schaefer said having three seniors who have played together the last three seasons is a luxury any team would enjoy; almost like having three additional assistant coaches.
All three don t try to take over and coach, he said. But they have all been around the game long enough to know to continue doing things that are working.
Each player brings her own distinct personality and abilities to the team; attributes that Schaefer said complement each other extremely well.
Schaefer described Vail as a cool and laid back person off the court but a talkative, borderline cocky weirdo on it. Though she didn t come into her own until her junior season, Vail was named first-team NCAA Division III All-Midwest Region right-side hitter in 2006 and continues to excel as one of the top hitters and blockers on the team.
The team s heaviest hitter, Masephol does everything well, Schaefer said.
A two-sport athlete, Masephol is a standout thrower for the Oshkosh track and field team and an intimidating left-side hitter on the volleyball court.
Though she said she will miss volleyball, which she has played since sixth grade, she approaches her senior season with the same positive attitude and wisdom that has earned her the nickname, mom, among her teammates.
It s a lot more relaxing for me, she said. I m just trying to have as much fun as possible and it s keeping my spirits up. I want to make it a good finish.
Rosenbaum is the court leader, Schaefer said, the one the team turns to when a ball needs to be put down. An NCAA Division III All-American middle blocker the past two years, Rosenbaum has amassed a litany of accolades throughout her career, adding three all-tournament honors and one tournament MVP this season.
Leah will go down as one of our best players, ever, Schaefer said.
Individual honors aside, Rosenbaum said she knows this season is the culmination of more than a decade of hard work, sacrifice and dedication to the sport she loves.
I m going to be extremely sad when it is over, she said. I m not going to know what to do with myself.
She said she has but one goal for this, her final season: I want to go out on top.
Schaefer said the leadership and sense of urgency the seniors bring to the team has lead to high expectations across the board.
I think they feel that if we don t get to the Sweet 16 this year, it will be a letdown, he said. They feel like this is it and I think the younger players are starting to sense that, too.
The results have been promising so far.
The seventh-ranked Titans have won an incredible 54 consecutive games, breaking the NCAA Division III record and tying for the sixth-most consecutive wins in NCAA history, including Divisions I, II, and III.
Amid all of the awards and broken records, though, is the creeping reality that this season and three remarkable careers will at some point come to an end.
Fischer, herself an NCAA first-team All-American setter in 2005, said the true gravity of finishing a competitive volleyball career is difficult for a player to gauge while still participating every day. Her senior season ended in heart-breaking fashion when rival UW-Eau Claire ousted the Titans from the 2005 NCAA tournament.
I don t think it really set in until that next season started and I couldn t put on a jersey, she said.
Though she found a way to stay involved through coaching, Fischer admitted there is no substitute for the passion of collegiate athletics.
There are a lot of options, but it will never be the same because of the competitive edge, she said. You ll never get to strive for that ultimate goal.
I didn t get another chance like the next year s team. I still miss it every day.
There is an emotional dichotomy to the student athlete s senior year: the balancing of the normal highs and lows of a season with the knowledge that years of bus trips, skinned knees and the incomparable rush of victory in sport will soon be relegated to memories. It is an experience that Schaefer said can t truly be understood until it is over.
I don t think it hits you until that last ball falls.