Where Are They Now?
What is your favorite UCF volleyball player doing today? Find out here with stories, photos and quotes featuring your favorite former Knights.
Tyra (Harper) Turner
From 1994-97 the UCF volleyball team made four-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, won four-consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference titles and had a combined 114-38 record. It also had Tyra Turner.
The former Tyra Harper, Turner is one of the most decorated volleyball players in UCF history, earning first-team Atlantic Sun Conference honors three times, while being named to the A-Sun All-Tournament Team three times as well. She was the A-Sun Tournament MVP in both 1996 and 1997 and was named A-Sun Player of the Year following her senior campaign. Turner was also named to the AVCA All-District Four Team as a junior and senior and earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Nov. 18, 1997. Turner ranks in the top five in 12 of UCF's 16 individual career records, holding the top spot for solo blocks (156), block assists (475) and total blocks (631).
In 2004, Turner received a UCF student-athlete's most prestigious honor; she was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame."Being inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame is an accomplishment that continues to give back," Turner said. "I wasn't sure what to expect the day of the event. I walked into the room and saw my mother crying beneath a 10-foot banner of myself. At that time, I realized I had so many people to thank for getting me this far. I recognized so many faces in the crowd. Each one had played a part in my development as an athlete, student, person and friend. It hit me; UCF was family."
Her UCF family helped her reach the pinnacle of women's volleyball. She is a former member of the US National team and was an alternate for the 2000 US Olympic team. Now, Turner is a member of one of the top teams on the American Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour, the cream-of-the-crop of professional beach volleyball players.
"My career now is different from when I played at UCF because it is a career. I never thought I would continue to play the sport that I love and make money. I always felt so blessed to have the opportunity to play for my education. Now I play for meat on the table. If we lost in college, it didn't mean I wasn't able to afford books and tuition. In college I thought I was giving it everything. Wait until rent, retirement fund and sponsorships are on the line. It's a little more pressure than an upcoming exam after a home match."
But Turner remembers her days as a Knight fondly, especially when it comes to her teammates."What I miss most about college athletics was our team camaraderie. My team was my heart. They gave me a reason to fight and work hard. They are also responsible for me becoming the athlete I am. They believed in me. They still support me and they mean everything."
On the AVP Tour, Turner has a different kind of support, the support of her husband, fellow AVP player Chad Turner. "Having my husband on tour brings nothing but smiles my way. I can't think of one disadvantage having your best friend around all of the time. We understand each other because we have the same office, same work hours, same travel schedule and, of course, the same drama. We don't get tired of each other because even though we have the same job, we technically don't work together. Now if the AVP Tour brings out a co-ed league, watch out. You might see some nasty fireworks!"
As for her plans following her successful volleyball career, Turner knows exactly what she wants to do.
"If I weren't playing volleyball, I would be back at UCF getting my master's degree. My bachelor's of science degree is in speech language pathology communicative disorders and I can't wait to work in the field. Now whether or not my application for graduate school will even be looked at after spending 10 years smacking a volleyball around and traveling the world is another question. I do hope to finish my education where it started."