Allison Coens dreamed of playing beach volleyball in college, and now she is dominating on LSU’s court 5.
Coens, a freshman from Kansas, played indoor and club volleyball until her sophomore year of high school. It was that year that Coens became interested in beach volleyball.
She made the decision to stop playing club so she could focus on beach. She started to spend her falls on the court and her winters in the sand. The rest of the year, she was training to become the best she could be.
“Being from Kansas, usually my focus for the longest time was indoor,” Coens said. “It was going into my sophomore year that I sort of tried beach. Who knows, maybe I can play in college so that became a goal of mine. I had went to a tournament where LSU was there and coach [Russell] Brock handed my coach his card."
“We started talking on the phone, I came down for a visit and I just absolutely loved the atmosphere here. The girls, I could tell they were such a family and they had each others’ backs in every single situation. Being at LSU, they have any resource any athlete could dream of, and he talked about them building the stadium, so LSU became a very attractive place.”
Coens went through big transitions when she came to LSU. Aside from starting her first year of college, she had to move over 800 miles from her family and figure out how to be a true student-athlete. However, Coens hasn’t had much trouble thanks to all of the love she’s seen at LSU.
“I think one of the first things I said when I called my parents after I got here was how people in the South are so nice,” Coens said. “Southern hospitality is really there so I think that made it very easy.”
One struggle most freshmen face their first year is simply figuring out how to navigate college life. College academics are much different from high school and a lot of incomers struggle to find a new balance. This wasn’t the case for Coens. She credited her high school for preparing her through taking seven class days rather than her new five.
Coens also credited LSU’s resources. LSU offers a lot of resources in general, but even more for student-athletes. It’s something that if it’s taken advantage of, it can push a student’s success rate. Coens said college almost seemed easier because she had such a consistent schedule every day such as class, practice, tutoring — all on a rotation.
Those many practices have paid off in season. Coens plays on Court 5 with sophomore Hunter Domanski. The two currently have a six-match winning streak together. Coens said she and Domanski knew of each other before, but had only seen each other in tournaments from high school.
“I was so excited when I got paired up with Hunter,” Coens said. “One of the first things I noticed about Hunter is she knows so much about the game. She was calling blocks or plays that I wouldn’t normally think of. Coming from juniors, you have limited knowledge of beach volleyball realm, and Hunter has a really strong grasp on the game."
“[Hunter] knows how we should execute things, and executing them well, and so I was really excited to play with her high-caliber player. She’s just so intense and so focused all the time, and it’s really nice to have a partner that’s just as invested and intense in making our partnership the best it can be.”
Coens said their main focus for the season is to work on their side of the court. She said that’s what they try to focus on because if they can get it right on their side, they become virtually unstoppable, which seems to be true considering their winning record. These wins have built confidence for the duo and they’re ready to take that to the National Championship.
Just like in any sport, there are challenges and rewards that come along with it. Coens’ case is no different. However, Coens was hesitant to call anything a challenge. She said the most difficult part was adjusting to playing every day. She mentioned how where she’s from, she never had the opportunity to play much, so it took time to get used to that.
Coens said the biggest reward so far has been her season. She said they’ve been practicing since January, so to be able to finally put it all out on the court has been the best. Even with such a great record and progress, Coens has the future in mind. She is looking forward to the national championship and to show who the Tigers really are.
“When it comes to volleyball, it’s been a dream for so long to play college beach volleyball, and so realizing that every single day there’s something you can do to get better and make yourself better than the day you were before is a great opportunity.”
Opmerkingen