HUNTINGDON, Pa. – As the Juniata women's volleyball team heads to the NCAA South Regional for a 12:30 p.m. matchup with Trinity (Tex.) on Friday, Nov. 9, the young Eagles will be looking to Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion), their lone senior, for leadership. This will be the outside hitter's fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and her last chance at a national title.
Fuller was just named the Landmark Conference's final volleyball player of the week and is looking forward to the challenges the NCAA tournament brings and thinks her teammates are ready too.
"This is our time to show what Juniata volleyball is all about," said Fuller. "This is where we want to be and now you just go and play your heart out."
Head Coach Heather Pavlik knows how valuable her senior is and was thrilled with outside hitter's recent accolade. "I think it's wonderful," said Pavlik. "She has worked so hard for four years and she has done a nice job of being patient with a lot of the youngsters and I think that's paid off and she's playing her best volleyball of the year right now. She's extremely deserving of this."
After capturing their sixth consecutive Landmark Championship over the weekend, the realization that she was embarking on her fourth and last trip to the NCAA playoffs gave the 5-11 senior time to reflect on her outstanding career.
"It's really bittersweet, but I have such a great group and it makes things easier," she noted. "Being on the road should help us because we have traveled so much this year."
When asked to look forward to the matchup with Trinity, Fuller offered, "We have a history of tough matches with them. But I think we have a height advantage and we have to utilize that. It's always been a good competition with them."
Fuller has been successful at Juniata. In her freshman year, the Eagles finished as the national runner-up and she was named the AVCA Mid-Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year. She was also selected to the AVCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region team in 2010. Fuller has been a four-time All-Landmark Conference Team selection and a team leader in kills and digs throughout her career. Her 1,219 digs and 1,090 kills for her career put her in an elite club of Eagles who are ranked among the all-time best in multiple categories. She is ninth all-time in career digs and 10th all-time in career total attacks (3, 262).
"Juniata has been very good to me and not just in volleyball," Fuller said looking back at her four years. "I have learned a lot of life lessons and grown so much as a person. Juniata taught me patience and gave me a chance to look at things from a different perspective and I wouldn't change my decision to come here for all the world."
Fuller has been studying human communication and behavior at Juniata and intends on graduating this spring. As for what the future brings, she knows one thing for sure.
"I possibly would like to go into human relations but I would also like to coach. I am not ready to set volleyball aside yet."
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