Aug. 13, 2008
With the 2008 UCF women's volleyball season on the horizon, the UCF athletics communications staff recently was able to visit with freshman Kristin Fisher. After redshirting in 2007, Fisher is looking forward to taking the court inside the newly renovated UCF Arena. While not being able to play, Fisher, a nursing major, worked hard during the offseason in the classroom and was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
How are you preparing yourself differently this season than last year when you were injured and knew you weren't going to be able to play?
Just knowing that I am going to be able to come back and play and rejoin the girls is important. I want to prove to myself and to my teammates that I am ready to help out because last year was pretty rough sitting and watching. I am preparing myself to do anything I can and give everything I can because those girls worked so hard last year, and just watching them makes me want to be a part of the team again.
What have you done this summer to prepare yourself for the upcoming season?
We have been lifting a lot of weights with our strength coach. We have also been running and just getting into the gym and playing. Playing is the most important aspect and getting a lot of reps in the gym (is important).
This past April the UCF volleyball team was selected to help in the making of the Lance Armstrong Foundation instructional volleyball videos that appeared on LIVESTRONG.com. How was it being involved in the making of the LIVESTRONG videos that are on the web?
It was really cool to take part in that experience. It was an honor for them to choose UCF, and for us to be able to get in there and to have that opportunity. My family is also excited that I was able to have that opportunity with my teammates, and that we were able to say that we took part in the making of those videos.
How do you think the new home for UCF volleyball is going to change the atmosphere on game days this season?
First off, it has changed the way that our team feels. We feel like we have our own place to go and that it will excite the fans and bring more to the games. We also feel that since it is our gym, we need to protect it when other opponents come in to play.
Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?
Not really. I think that just getting ready with the team and having our dinners together is enough. I am usually pretty quiet before games and don't listen to loud screaming music. If I listen to music it is usually something more acoustic. I like to relax more before I play.
Last season you made the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll as a nursing major. How hard is it to balance school and volleyball?
It definitely takes time management, being on top things and staying organized. It is a lot of work, but it is something I want to do. I take around 15 or 16 credit hours with a lab, so it can be demanding.
Why did you want to go into the nursing field, and what are you doing to gain more experience?
My mom is a nurse, so it was something that I have been exposed to. Right now in the summer I go home on weekends and shadow at the hospital in Clearwater and I just watch nurses. Shadowing has helped me realize that nursing is what I want to do.
Are you excited about your fall semester class schedule and will it be pretty difficult?
I am really excited even though I have a lot of hard classes; it isn't anything I can't handle. It is going to be hard to balance because last fall I didn't play and I wasn't physically tired like the rest of my teammates. It will be a different experience, but it is one that I am excited to have.
There is so much buzz surrounding UCF volleyball this season, do you think it is because of the new coaching staff, new players or new facility?
I think it is all three of those combined. We have an amazing coaching staff that just came in. Todd [Dagenais] is incredible and very knowledgeable about the sport, and I think that he is going to bring UCF volleyball to that next level. We have a bunch of new girls coming in that will help our team get to that next level. I know that everyone coming in and that is here has been working very hard to get ready for this new season. Also, having this new arena is going to show our fans that we are serious about the game. Hopefully getting more fans to the game and getting the school involved will show that UCF volleyball is a big time deal here.
- Eric DeSalvo