The News’ Athlete of the Week: Kristen Besselsen

1. How long have you been playing your sport and why did it interest you to begin with?

“I started playing volleyball when I was 13; my mom had tried to get me to play earlier but I always told her it was too girlie.  I guess to be candid, it didn’t interest me at all.  But once I started playing, I couldn’t stop.  Two years later, I had dropped every other sport for volleyball.”

2. What is it about your sport that makes you enjoy it?

“I like the pace of the volleyball.  It’s fast and easy to tell when two teams are evenly matched.  I would say defense is my favorite part of the game because it’s not every day that you see a 6’2” player in the back row.  I have to prove myself every time we step out on the court.”

3. How did it feel to win in the season opener for volleyball?

“Winning is an awesome feeling.  As a team, we have worked a lot on mental toughness and I felt that it showed over the past weekend.  For MVP, it was exciting.  At the same time, I’m taking it with a grain of salt.  There are many more matches to come before the OVC championship.”

4. What do you most look forward to the rest of the season?

“I am looking forward to playing the University of Washington, but mostly for our first home match.  There is a different feeling playing in Racer Arena and I miss that.”

5. If you could give one piece of advice to someone about accomplishment, what would you say?

“I would say to live in the moment and think about the accomplishments after the fact.  After the season is over and the team has gone as far as they possibly can.  Not getting all caught up in the winning streak or breaking records, but each competition individually.”