FIRST & 10 CONVERSATION WITH:
LAIRA AKIN
Marquette University volleyball player and Blue Springs resident
1. Being home schooled and playing for KC East, was it more difficult to get noticed by college coaches?
Being home schooled has no effect on recruiting since virtually all college recruiting of volleyball players is done during the USAV club season. There are a couple of reasons for that, one being that college and high school seasons are going at the same time, so it is hard for college coaches to be coaching their own match and also at a high school match at the same time. The second reason is that college coaches can see lots more players during a weekend at a USAV tournament, where there may be hundreds of teams in the same building, instead of only two teams playing a high school match, so most recruiting is done at large USAV club tournaments where colleges are able to see a larger pool of players and a higher concentration of highly skilled players.
2. How much did your play with the Invasion help you when it came to getting recruited for volleyball? How did playing for the Invasion prepare you for college ball?
Playing for Invasion was a huge help in getting recruited because Invasion has teams playing at the highest levels. My 17 Open team finished 11th in the nation and we had players that have gone on to play for Arizona State, Missouri, Kansas, UNLV, Wyoming, Florida Tech and, of course, the Marquette Golden Eagles. Being on teams with such good coaches and players, and playing against other teams that were also that talented, taught me to play at the highest level, which helped get me recruited, but also made for an easier transition to Division I college level.
3. What were the biggest adjustments of going from KC East to NCAA Division I volleyball?
The biggest adjustment is the amount of time spent with volleyball. There are more hours in practice, and way more hours doing strength and conditioning. The other adjustment that is big, in a literal sense, is that the height of the players. On KC East, I was the tallest player on my team at 6 feet. My Invasion 17s team had six players that were from 6-foot to 6-foot-4, and we were a really big team, but that is just normal for Division I. Marquette played American University this season, and American had two players who are 6-8!
4. What was the highlight of your career playing for KC East?
There were lots of highlights during my KC East career because we had a really successful team and were good friends as well as teammates. Maybe the biggest highlight would be winning our first Homeschool National Championship in 2004 when I was only in eighth grade. That team had only seven players, but had three sets of sisters, including me and my older sister Rachel. My mom, Tina, was an assistant coach on that team, so between the family atmosphere, our 42-2 record, and a national championship, there are some really good memories from that year. The 2007 Homeschool National Championship we won last year, when I was a senior and my mom was the head coach, and I was chosen as the tournament MVP, would rank right up there, too.
5. What has your first season playing for Marquette been like and what have been some of the challenges and highlights of that?
Well, my first season at Marquette started off a little differently than that of my fellow freshman. I chose to graduate high school early and join the team during their spring season. So I started college mid-year at the start of the spring semester in January. This was really beneficial to me because it allowed me to adjust to being so far away from home and bond with the team before the season ever actually started. This came along with its own set of challenges, and I’m not sure if I would do it again. But with the help and support of my friends and family at home, I was able to get through it, and I think I’ve come through it a stronger person than I was when I first came to Marquette. One other challenge I have faced here at Marquette is that of injury. I was injured during the final game of our spring season and because of that and some other contributing factors, I am going to medical redshirt this season to save a year of eligibility. I had a slightly different freshman season, but it has been great for me because I have been able to focus on school and really learn all the differences that come along with this level of volleyball, so I’m really looking forward to next year.
6. What other schools were interested in you and why did you choose Marquette over them?
Some of the other schools that recruited me were Missouri, Texas, Iowa State, KU, K-State, Ohio State, Michigan State, UConn, Notre Dame, Georgia, Kentucky, UNLV, TCU, Missouri State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Buffalo, Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio U., Gardner-Webb, Winthrop, and Central Missouri. I chose Marquette because of a combination of several different amazing aspects. First off, the academics here at Marquette are unparalleled, and that is something that is very important to me, so that obviously was a big factor. Also, the volleyball program is on the way up and I really connected with the coaching staff and the players. Along with the benefit of liking the people up here, Marquette was a place where I knew I would have the opportunity to play as a freshman, which to me was very important because that is why I play the game; to play, not to watch, but to be out there competing with my friends. And the campus is beautiful, and I have fallen in love with Milwaukee since I’ve been up here, so that has been a bonus for me.
7. How did you become a setter and what are the things you like about the position?
When I started playing volleyball, I was only in third grade, so I was kind of thrown into the setting position because I did have a more advanced knowledge of the game since I had been watching my sister play for a few years already. And I think I am a natural born leader and that goes along with being a setter, so it all fit together. But I set, and was also a hitter for a lot of my teams up until I was 15, which is when I started setting exclusively. I think having played different positions really helps me when I’m setting because I know what it feels like to be on both sides of the play. I really love setting; it’s a great position. It allows me to serve my team by being the one who touches the ball every play, and it also lets me lead my team because I am again the one who is always getting the ball. A common misconception with setters and setting in general is that it is a position that does all the work and doesn’t get any of the glory, which is completely untrue for me. There is nothing more amazing than setting a ball and having one of my hitters kill it straight to the floor!
8. What are your goals for the rest of your college career as far as volleyball goes?
I’m here at Marquette to win some games and get this school its first Big East Championship in volleyball. Another goal is to set this program up to be a contender in the NCAA tournament. Now whether that happens in my time here or not is something that we’ll just have to wait and see, but I’m going to work my hardest to make it happen.
9. What do you like to do in your spare time – if you have any – when you’re away from the volleyball court and school work?
(Laughing) I don’t have a whole lot of free time outside of volleyball, but that’s not as bad as it sounds, because I really love being with my teammates, who have become like sisters to me, and I love playing the game of volleyball. But when that free time does come along, I definitely take advantage of it! I really enjoy reading, especially Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, and Terry Brooks, and listening to music, which varies from rap to country, to Motown, to some oldies but goodies.
10. I noticed your major is undecided at this point. What do you see yourself majoring in and then doing after college? What are your aspirations following your college volleyball career?
I am really leaning toward a degree in astrophysics, which is basically a major in physics and a minor in astronomy. I am also looking to minor in meteorology. I have always loved the stars and looking at everything out there in space, so an ideal job would be working for NASA or being able to work with some of the amazing telescopes out there in space, like the Hubble Space Telescope. And, of course, playing volleyball professionally in Europe would be a dream come true.
