Wake Forest Athletics
Gold Rush Feature: Calming Force
8/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 31, 2010
This article was originally published in the Aug. 28 edition of Gold Rush.
By Sam Walker
Kristen White is one of four seniors on the 2010 Wake Forest women's volleyball team. It's a class that has seen the highs and lows that go with high-level competition, and it's a class, that when they entered as freshmen, wanted to take the program to new heights. Now they have their last chance.
White returns as the team's MVP, an honor bestowed on her by her teammates and coaches at the end of last season. According to Deacon coach Heather Kahl-Holmes, her even demeanor, ability to keep the team balanced and focused, and having fun in practice and games is invaluable.
"We've got four seniors that have basically started since their freshman years," Kahl-Holmes said. "We had some injuries at the end of the year, but everybody came back healthy, ready and raring to go. Kristin walked away with our team MVP award which is voted on by her teammates and coaches, and it was well deserved. She was our stabilizer, the calming force on the court, and we'll be counting on that this season as far as her leadership goes. We count on her to keep everybody on the same page and that our goals are staying in the forefront of our minds and that we're prepared every match."
"It's a prestigious award because it comes from my coaches and teammates," White said. "I don't really think of myself as being an MVP, but it's nice to have that honor. I was a little taken aback by it, but it was reassurance that you are doing everything OK. But I don't think about it much because we have to move on and get these wins this year."
As a high school junior, White captured Kahl Holmes attention as an improving player with a complete skill set. Her physical attributes and skill set tweaked interest, but it was her demeanor and obvious love for the sport that made Kahl-Holmes really want her to come to Wake Forest.
"When I first watched her as a junior, one of the first things that stood out was her athletic build," Kahl Holmes said. "She's a 6-foot kid, all muscle, moves well and was a six-rotation player, which is very rare in volleyball now. You're either one dimensional and play front row and are pulled out of the back row, but this kid stayed in and played all the way around. And she played with a smile on her face and looked like she loved what she was doing and looked very coachable. She was a kid getting better and better every time I watched her, too."
White continued to get better and better as a collegiate player as well. She has been a statistical leader on the team each of the last three seasons and a consistent starter. Last season she was in the top five in kills, service aces and digs. As the team's outside hitter, she will undoubtedly put up solid numbers again in 2010.
White knows well the importance of this team getting off to a good start. In 2009, the team lost its first 10 matches before breaking through with a victory over Appalachian State that started a string of six wins. To reach this season's goals, that can't happen.
"Getting off to a good start is important this year because all that momentum carries into the ACC," White said. "So if we're confident and successful in the preseason, then that will help us go in the right direction. There was so much dark before we saw the light last year. We didn't get our first win until right before we started the ACC schedule last year. Getting motivated and taking care of business goes back to practice and being focused."
So as the 2010 preseason practices got under way, White said she wanted to be sure the team practiced with a focused determination to be sure everyone will play up to their abilities. This year's squad is experienced and all the pieces are there to have a very good year, according to Kahl Holmes.
"I think we've gone through a lot of things." White said of her classmates. "We've had good seasons, bad seasons, injuries, everything. We've had all the ups and downs you can possibly imagine, so I think that's helped us develop as a senior class and me personally. I think it has helped me develop as a player. Getting focused is something I've come to realize is important because you have to be up there ready to go. You can't just turn it on or turn it off."
White's calming influence will certainly be felt as she stays on the court as that rare six-rotation player. And Kahl Holmes likes knowing she has seniors on the court at all times who can bring stability to a talented team.
"She can pass, she can hit, serve, block," Kahl Holmes said of White. "She can do it all, and she shows up at practice with a mindset of getting the job done with some enthusiasm. She is always cheering on her teammates, and always supportive, but also pushes them -- especially when it comes to drills -- to be better and work harder. It's not intimidating. She can crack a joke in a serious situation just to get everybody going. You have to laugh sometimes.
"She is one of the most physical outsides we have in the ACC and that's what we're looking to get from her this year, too. I tell the freshmen every year that these four years go by quickly and before they know it, they will be seniors and not to let the moment slip. They have to take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of them right now, and I think these seniors are feeling that. They felt it last spring, and they have done a good job of keeping everyone moving forward and getting better each practice. We haven't backtracked at all in practice, and that's important in volleyball when you have to build chemistry quickly."
"I just want to make sure this senior class and this team does what it needs to to finish top three in the ACC and make the NCAAs," White said. "That's what this senior class has been trying to do ever since we were freshmen -- just turn the program around and put it on the map. That's my biggest goal for the team, and to make my mark on the program. Making the NCAAs would certainly be a step in the right direction."
NOTE: White, who is majoring in health and exercise science and minoring in chemistry and biology, spent her summer studying abroad with professor Rebecca Alexander, as well as seven other students, to study biochemistry in Europe (Great Britain and France). White said it was the first time it had been offered over the summer and that they condensed an entire semester of material into a four-week course. Still, she had time to tour and actually watched the USA soccer team play England in World Cup Soccer action in a packed English pub.
