Volleyball's lone senior sets the example for underclassmen
Becky Walters stands above everyone else on the Iowa volleyball team.
And now, the 6-3 outside hitter is the only senior on the team.
Initially, Iowa was planning on having three seniors on the court this season. But Aimee Huffman had to forgo her final season because of an injury, and Signe Muller departed from the team for personal reasons just a day before the first match.
Yet teammates and coaches feel if anyone can handle the burden of being the oldest person on the team, it's Walters.
"She's a great example of the right way to do things," head coach Sharon Dingman said. "I don't know if I've coached an athlete who's put herself in a better position to succeed than Becky."
Dingman described Walter's choices in immersing herself in the sport as a "lifestyle," making choices in her diet, study habits, and social life with volleyball always in mind. While this not only benefits Walters, who has 41 kills in just three games, players say it may have some effect on the younger players of the squad.
"She's a very good role model," sophomore Lauren Friedman said. "Especially to the [under]classmen. She does what you're supposed to do."
But this drive may not have always been Walters' way of life.
Not highly recruited out of high school — she said only Iowa and Northern Iowa were heavily seeking her talents — the Parkersburg, Iowa, native redshirted during her freshman year. Then, Walters suffered a season-ending ACL injury in her second year.
During the rehab, everything clicked for her.
"Every day, you have an option to get better, and after I tore my ACL, I'll never take anything for granted again," she said.
While providing a good example off the court, one would never view her as a quiet leader between the lines.
Walters leads the team chant before games, something different every time, and most players agreed she offers a lot of vocal advice — and even a few demands.
"She's definitely one of the hitters that will come up to me and say 'Give me the ball,' at a crucial point," junior setter Paige Stevens said. "I love that about her."
Stevens said that because of Walters' height and specific skills, it's simple to set the ball.
And while she knows when to individually want the ball, the team's cocaptain is fixated on this year's team goal. Everyone wants an NCAA Tournament bid, something Hawkeye volleyball hasn't seen since 1994.
Walters is now the only player left on the team who won't have another shot next season. In her fifth year occupying Carver-Hawkeye Arena, she's the oldest player left on the team.
But she has seen the team rebuild from one conference win in her redshirt freshman year to five in 2009.
And for Walters, even if she's alone in her class, those continued improvements will keep her comfortable.
"It's the rebirth of volleyball at Iowa," she said. "That's the reason I came here, to rebuild theprogram."
comments powered by Disqus
