Finding My Place

FINDING MY PLACE - by Jasmine Robinson

Growing up, I played a ton of sports. Soccer, track, cheer, volleyball — you name it, I played it.  But the time came when I had to choose one. 

Luckily, I had always been really tall from a young age, so volleyball seemed like a natural fit. They always say, “You can teach skills but you can't teach height.” 

As I was getting into volleyball, I heard about club volleyball, and naturally, I wanted to try out. I had played a few games in middle school, but the club scene was a whole different ball game. I ended up being a starter which was surprising considering I didn't have a lot of experience. But we traveled a lot and played in tournaments which helped me learn the game pretty quickly. 

However, it wasn't until my junior year of high school that I learned on-court responsibility. We had just gotten a new coach, Will Stein, and before him, everybody just kind of let me do what I wanted to do because I was still learning. But Coach Stein taught me how to be responsible and a leader on the court. 

He's one of the best coaches I've ever had, and I thank him for keeping me disciplined.

Redshirting

Going into my freshman year, I knew college ball was going to be hard but I didn't realize it was going to be as hard as it is.

Coming in, I knew I had to redshirt my first two years. But I don't think I truly understood what that meant. I couldn't travel with the whole team. I couldn't be in uniform on game days. Sitting on the bench, not wearing the same uniform as everyone else made me want to cry. I felt like the odd one out. 

At the same time, I was really struggling. I was missing weight. I got kicked out of my first collegiate practice because I was late. I knew something needed to change, but I didn't know how.

Turning the Page

Spring of my  junior year is when things turned around for me. 

I had just gotten close to my best friend, Sydney, on the team. She had transferred from Nevada in the summer of 2022, and she was very responsible. I started to pick up on some of the things she was doing, like showing up to practice early. I think by getting close to her, I started to learn off-court responsibility.

I remember one practice that summer, and I was staying at my teammate's house off campus. She had left before me, and I realized I had lost my car keys. It was a two-mile run, and I decided that I was not going to let my teammates down. I ran the two miles in a pair of UGGS slippers in 19 minutes. I made it to the gym four minutes before practice started. Nobody expected me to be there on time, let alone early, but I was there. 

We sprinted the whole day and then I did camp with my teammates. My head coach, Marci Byers, came up to me and said “I heard you ran to weights,” and smiled. She then said  “Running to practice showed true dedication.” 

Her words showed me that she could see the changes that I had made and my value to the team. I think it pushed me to work that much harder. I realized how much people in my life have sacrificed so that I get to do what I do today.

They are counting on me.

My teammates are counting on me. My coaches are counting on me.

And I wasn't going to let them down. 

Going Global

One of my best experiences in volleyball came this offseason when I got invited to the Global Volleyball Challenge. It's an international volleyball tournament in Croatia that hosts teams from all over the world.

I had a teammate that went the year prior, so she invited me to go with her. I told my coaches that it would be a good opportunity to compete at a high level and also build back some of the confidence I had lost early in my career. 

Although a lot of the girls were strangers at first, we bonded so quickly. We ended up beating the Mountain West All-Stars in the championship, which was an amazing experience. I was able to capture the moments along the road to victory with pictures and videos, but the best moment was when my teammates and I received our gold medals.

The opportunity to participate in the event, travel all over Europe and see volleyball through a completely new lens was incredibly valuable. Without a doubt, this was an experience I'll never forget. 

Looking Ahead

This season is far from over, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire team that we're going to give everything we have to finish this season strong. We've done a really good job developing our team culture and doing the right things — and we want to translate this to the court every time, especially when things get tough. 

I have quite a bit of eligibility left, and I plan on making the most of it. My time at Virginia Tech has already been a blessing. Without a doubt, I'm a different person than I was when I first got here, and I have my teammates and coaches to thank for that.