FOREVER A HUSKY

By Krista Vansant

By Washington Huskies

November 7^th, 2017

Never would I have thought that my number would be hanging in the rafters of Alaska Airlines Arena forever.

Let me tell you a bit about how I got here.

I grew up in a small town in California and I loved the game of volleyball. All I wanted to do was play volleyball all the time. I fell in love with the sport at the ripe age of eight.

From a young age, I knew that I wanted to play college volleyball but I didn’t know what that would actually mean. I didn’t know how challenging and fun the process was going to be. I didn’t realize that meant that I had to push myself beyond what I already knew. I didn’t know how stressful and overwhelming the recruiting process would be.

I know what you’re thinking: “How could a top ranked recruit have a hard time with the recruiting process?”

I was so worried about making the right decision and what people would think about the decision that I made. But the moment that I walked on this campus on a sunny day in the spring of 2009, everything became clear.

Being from Southern California, I was wearing boots and a sweatshirt and since it was one of the first sunny days in the spring, Seattleites were wearing sun dresses and tank tops. I have now become one of those people.

I was greeted at the doors of Hec Ed by the brightest and most welcoming person, Leslie Gabriel. She brought me in for a big hug and that should have been a glimpse into what I was going to experience at the University of Washington: a big family.

I went through the whole visit and I am not sure I stopped smiling the whole time. I met the staff, the Athletic Director, and a handful of All-American players. What made this trip different was the message that was made very clear, it wasn’t about what I was going to do for the volleyball program at the University of Washington, it was about what the University of Washington was going to do for me.

I walked on campus my freshman year with a lot of expectations looming over me. I was a top recruit but I was scared beyond belief. I just remember feeling so overwhelmed by the information that was being thrown at me. Each year I was able to become more and more comfortable with who I was as a person and athlete.

I learned a lot about myself through each practice, film session, conditioning workout, and match. I learned that I was a lot stronger than I thought I was. This became really apparent to me before my junior season.

I was starting to feel more confident as a player and a member of this program. There was something different about this team. It’s hard to put my finger on what was so different but we just had a different presence about us.

From the preseason win at Illinois, to the devastating loss at Colorado, there was something about this team. We were fighters. We were tough as nails. We worked really well together and trusted in each other and the process that the coaches had put in front of us. We accepted challenges and adversity.

That year we played in the Elite Eight and we were down 0-2 to a tough USC team at the Galen Center. I remember looking around that locker room after the second set and there was not one ounce of doubt in any of my teammates eyes. We were ready for battle and we were ready to do it together. That match is one of my favorites that I played in in my career.

After the disappointing loss to Penn State, we knew we had to regroup and get ready for the next fall. I was pretty devastated after that match because I loved that group of girls and that season. However, being able to play in a Final Four in front of the support of a home crowd is one of the highlights of playing at the University of Washington.

Now I was a senior. I had one last season to play in the purple and gold. I had one last season to improve as much as I could. The fans make each and every home game the most fun experience and they make Alaska Airlines Arena the toughest place for opposing teams every year in the Pac-12, and I had one last season to play in front of those fans.

I was ready. I had to become a leader of this team and I knew I could do it. I was asked to be more vocal than I had been in the past. I enjoyed much more to lead by example, but the staff asked me to vocalize what I saw and to hold my teammates accountable.

I wanted to win so I had to step out of my comfort zone. This was the best thing that I think I ever did.

I had a great senior season that was capped by an unbelievable senior night. Stanford came to Seattle undefeated and ranked number one in the nation. The fans PACKED the Arena and it was one of the most electric atmospheres that I had seen at UW.

We took down the Cardinal in four sets and it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

That season didn’t end on the note that I was hoping for. After the final loss of my career, I don’t think I had been more devastated. I sat in my jersey for an hour after the match, not wanting to take it off because I knew that I was never going to put it on again.

I sat there and thought about my career and the amazing time that I had playing volleyball at the University of Washington. I thought about the good times and the bad. I thought about the laughs and the tears. But I mostly thought about the amazing people that I had been surrounded by for four years and the friendships that I had made during that time.

I went from being a scared, overwhelmed girl to a confident, strong-willed young woman in four years.

This University is a special place and those of us that have been in and around the program are very lucky people.

I am so thankful to UW Athletics for making my dream come true. For allowing me to play at the best place in the world. For making Seattle my home and for making this experience more than I could have even asked for. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today without you.

This is for you. This is for the people that supported me throughout my entire career. The people that have been there for the ups and the downs, for the blood, sweat and tears.

This is for the coaches that have pushed me to become my best. This is for my teammates that not only made me a better player but for making me a better person by just being around them. We will be friends for life.