Nathan Forest
nforest@uwyo.edu
While Allison Waldvogel is quite an approachable person to sit down and talk with, the way she plays volleyball is anything but tame.
Waldvogel is a soft-spoken person who is majoring in physiology and wants to be a pharmacist one day.
Waldvogel has only been on the Cowgirl volleyball team for two seasons now after she transferred from Lindenwood University in Missouri.
She quickly rose to a starter role just a few days after her first game with the Cowgirls. She has been playing a high level of volleyball for most of her life, but she has also competed in other sports.
“I was 11 when I started playing competitively,” Waldvogel said. “I played basketball and ran cross country, but I gave those up because I wanted to play volleyball.”
Waldvogel still has the fire to compete at the highest level she can.
“I think it more of my parents gave me the choice to play rather than forcing me to play, because I wanted to play, and I wanted to keep going and being competitive,” Waldvogel said.
Waldvogel is the libero for the Cowgirls and a defensive specialist. This means that she plays a hefty percentage of points and is also the player usually responsible for stopping spikes from the other team.
But as scary as that can be, Waldvogel has an incredibly optimistic view of her volleyball career. She sees the good in each day playing the sport.
“I’ve had a lot of good days,” Waldvogel said.
Waldvogel has played for many volleyball teams in the past; some of them were even at the collegiate level when she played for Lindenwood University. But she has seen this team evolve over the couple of seasons she has been with UW.
“I think we’ve improved a lot. I think that a lot of that has to do with spending a lot of time with the coaches in spring season, and I think that next year we’ll be even better,“ Waldvogel said.
But the affinity she has for this year’s team doesn’t stop at their volleyball abilities. As many of you know, a team can not function if the players don’t get along well.
The UW volleyball players have stated time and again how much they love to compete with the girls they find on their sides. Several have said that they enjoy striving for their team and that the team makes all the effort worthwhile.
“This is probably one of the best teams I’ve been on regarding team chemistry,” Waldvogel said.
But she is not just another player on the squad; many look up to the player who takes the role of libero as a de facto captain. While many would shy away from a leadership position like that, Waldvogel has taken charge and flourished in her new role.
“Having to step into a leader role has been enjoyable,” Waldvogel said.
Being in a leadership role, Waldvogel can have major responsibilities when it comes to keeping intensity high and setting goals for the team.
“I would like to see us get a chance at going to the tournament,” Waldvogel said.
Although she has set quite a lofty goal for the team, she understands that sometimes things are out of their control. She stated that if they weren’t given a spot in the tournament, she wouldn’t be too torn up about it.
Volleyball has taught her many lessons that all those who participate in sports learn. Skills like time management, how to be a part of a team as well as discipline in all areas of life were all taught by volleyball.
But her volleyball goals don’t just stop at the end of the current season, or at the end of her education. Volleyball has been an integral part of her life and shows how much the sport means to her.
“I always told myself that I’m not going to stop playing after I graduate,” Waldvogel said. “I don’t think I could ever give up playing volleyball.”
Collegiate athletics can be a draw on both time and energy, which many realize they aren’t cut out for when they start. But what many see as a downside to college athletics, Waldvogel sees as an added bonus.
“I don’t know if I have one, one would say how much time you spend with your sport, but I also love that about it,” Waldvogel said.
The Cowgirls will be back in action Saturday as they take on the San Jose State Spartans in Laramie at 6:30 p.m.
