From the time Chelsea Colclasure turned eight, her parents had involved her in many different activities—softball, soccer, dance and, most importantly, volleyball.

“It’s probably the most exciting of all the sports I was playing,” Colclasure said. “You’re constantly scoring, your team’s always cheering. It became my main attraction.”

Thirteen years later, Colclasure now holds the record for most digs in SIUE history.

Colclasure, now a senior nursing major, has been a starting libero since her freshman year, an achievement volleyball Head Coach Leah Johnson said is no easy feat.

“It’s one thing to start as a freshman, it’s another to maintain that position all four years,” Johnson said. “For her to have earned it and kept it says a lot about her growth as an individual on the court and her leadership.”

Colclasure said when she was younger, she played a variety of positions before finally deciding on libero.

“I’d set and even hit, but that was when the nets were a lot lower. Then when everyone else kept growing and I stopped, I got moved to the back row,” Colclasure said. “I love libero; I like that I keep people from scoring and how that makes them mad. I’ll pick a player out and go after them—I pick their best hitter to make sure they don’t score.”

Colclasure had never expected to play volleyball in college; she assumed no school would work with her to balance both a sport and the nursing program.

“It took me a while to decide to try to find a school that would work with me, because I just figured no one would,” Colclasure said. “I picked this school because the campus is really pretty, they have my major and my coach was willing to work with me to be a nurse and let me play sports. Not many schools were open to do that.”

Johnson said Colclasure was one of her first recruits as coach at SIUE. At the time, the volleyball team  was in need of someone who could fill the role of libero and start as a freshman.

“I liked the fact that she had been in a program that had been tough,” Johnson said. “They worked very hard and emphasized ball control defense, so I knew at the very least I was going to get someone who understood that was a priority. I got more than I ever bargained for.”

Colclasure said she is glad she decided to juggle both athletics and nursing.

“It involves a lot of responsibility, organization and putting your priorities straight,” Colclasure said. “It’s made me grow as a person and as a leader; it’s helped me learn to work with authority and just being able to get everything organized.”

Colclasure said after graduation, she plans on going to nurse practitioner school in order to advance her degree.

“I liked the health field and I knew there were endless opportunities for it, so many things I could do with it,” Colclasure said. “I want to do oncology with kids; I really like kids and I think oncology is awesome, crazy and a really interesting field.”

Colclasure said this year has been the most difficult year balancing her two passions. However, she is fortunate to have parents who help keep her grounded.

“They’ve supported me though everything, even when I wanted to quit they pushed me to do better and keep at it,” Colclasure said. “My dad helps me a lot to get through things; he makes me realize that I am a strong person and I can do both. He’s a good mentor.”

Colclasure’s parents are not her only supporters. Her teammate, roommate and best friend of three years Haley Norris is also one of Colclasure’s biggest cheerleaders.

“She affects our team in a really positive way,” Norris said. “She is a big stabilizer for us and a lot of people, especially our underclassmen, look to her for guidance and confidence on the court.”

Johnson said Colclasure’s leadership is one of the many qualities that have distinguished her throughout her career.

“The past couple years she has been a stabilizing force for us. She has a great read on the ball and she knows how to put herself in the right place. She has easily been our most steady ball control player, so that in and of itself in the game of volleyball is irreplaceable,” Johnson said. “She can also communicate with me very well; I feel like she and I understand one another, having played the same position. She has a good head about her, not only by taking responsibility and being accountable for the things that she can and can’t control, but also working with me to be challenged, improve and grow.”

Norris said since she and Colclasure have the same sense of humor, they got along from day one. The two have also bonded over sharing the same position.

“She pushes me to try to be better,” Norris said. “You would think it would be like, ‘You don’t like each other because you are competing, but since the beginning we just clicked. We are open about how we’re competing, we’ve both been able to push each other and I think that has been a maturing factor in our relationship. We’ve been able to be best friends, even though she is my competition.”

Johnson said when Colclasure was recruited, she was an average student, and Johnson explained to her in this program at this level, average is not acceptable.

“She said, ‘I know it’ll be different when I get there,’ and I just had to trust her. That is the relationship we had from day one, there was a great level of trust,” Johnson said.  “She came here as an exceptional student and got accepted into nursing. She’s doing something that is hard for your typical nursing student and she’s doing it with a full-time athletic job and doing well and excelling. I think that’s another testament to the person she is and why accomplishing such a record and so many accolades throughout her career should not surprise anyone, because that’s just the nature of her.”

Colclasure said when the digs record was broken, she wasn’t even aware of what she had accomplished.

“I didn’t even know I broke it. My coach was like, ‘Congratulations, you broke the record the other day.’ I remember last year they said I was five digs away and then I forgot about it,” Colclasure said. “It is really cool to have my name somewhere on the university because of this. All the hours that you put in, working hard every day at practice and dedicating yourself to—it really does pay off.”

Johnson said having herself been a libero, she can attest to the fact that this accomplishment is outstanding.

“It’s very difficult to do; you almost have to be a starter from your freshman year to be able to break that kind of record. But just being on the court isn’t enough, you have to be a skilled, smart player and Chelsea is all of those things,” Johnson said. “I think it speaks volumes to the people around her, too. She’ll tell you that she couldn’t care less about a record, as long as her team’s winning. Those around her help make her good, too. They trust her, they see her potential and they want her to be great.”

Norris said Colclasure has the ability to keep things light and fun on the court.

“If someone makes a mistake, instead of letting them get down on themselves, she would just be like, ‘Dude it’s fine, just laugh it off,’” Norris said. “But she is also super driven. She has a lot of pride and always wants to be the best in what she does.”

Johnson said one of the most distinctive things she will remember about Colclasure is her desire to improve the team in any way possible.

“I remember her first couple years we played 10 five-set matches and we were so competitive, but we were coming up 50/50 on those. She’d come to the front of the bus and say, ‘Coach, what do I need to do to help us win; what else can I do?’ and I just kept saying, ‘Chelsea, you’re going to have to be patient; not everyone’s where you are yet. But you’re going to get them there,’” Johnson said. “It’s funny because this year she’s asking the same thing, but she’s talking about a whole different level. We are 6-5 and she’s asking that same question because it’s not good enough still. That’s a great place to be in and that drive is always something I’ll remember about her.”

Colclasure said her motivation comes from realizing this is her last year in the program.

“This year I know I don’t have anymore chances to win the [Ohio Valley Conference] tournament or go to [National Collegiate Athletic Association] tournament and that’s always been a dream to go to the NCAA’s,” Colclasure said. “Also working hard for my teammates; I love every single one of them. They are like my family so I think they keep me going every day.”

Colclasure said being a part of this program for the past four years has meant a lot to her and helped her grow.

“It meant that I worked really hard to get where I wanted to be,” Colclasure said. “I went into practice everyday. I tried to get better everyday and I’d say, looking back, it was a great experience. I loved being around all my teammates, my coaches and I wouldn’t change it.”

Caitlin Grove

Via alestlelive.com