The Hollister Free Lance caught up with Utah State freshman
Chelsea Fowles, who has continued her volleyball career from San
Benito High School to the Division I level.
The Hollister Free Lance caught up with Utah State freshman Chelsea Fowles, who has continued her volleyball career from San Benito High School to the Division I level.
The 2007 SBHS graduate and 2006 Tri-County Athletic League co-MVP helped lead the Lady ‘Balers to their first ever Central Coast Section title last year, and is now excelling in her first year at Utah State.
The Aggies currently own an 8-8 overall record and are 5-2 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), good enough for third place in the league.
Fowles, who has moved into the team’s starting setter position, leads the Aggies with 457 assists in 41 games played, an average of 11.15 per game. At the service line, the former Lady ‘Baler has accumulated 13 aces, placing her third on the team.
In the WAC, Fowles is the highest-ranked freshman in assists and service aces, ranked fourth and sixth in the conference, respectively.
Today, the Aggies will host Louisiana Tech (6-14, 1-6) in Logan, Utah.
Free Lance: So tell us, how’s college life treating you?
Chelsea Fowles: I love it. It’s been such a good experience so far.
FL: Have you declared?
CF: I was actually going to major in interior design, but one of the required classes was during practice time, so I couldn’t. We have to be done by 2pm because we have to be in the gym by 2pm.
FL: Tell us about the beginning of the season. Were you already starting at that point?
CF: No, actually I wasn’t. The first tournament (at the Sheraton Four Points Wildcat Classic in Tucson, Ariz.) I got a chance to play. I started in the third tournament (at the Golden Bear Invitational) against Cal – Berkeley.
I knew I’d get a shot. When I came in for practices, I knew what my competition was and the setters are really good here, so I didn’t know how it was going to work out.
FL: What are some of the aspects of your game that coach Grayson DuBose told you to work on?
CF: Whenever you get a new coach, there’s always new things that he’ll want you to work on.
One of the biggest things I needed to work on was pivoting when I was setting. Instead of just jumping off two feet, you jump off your right foot and then you bring your left leg up while pivoting off your right foot. It helps with location. It actually made it a lot better and I really like it.
It takes a while (to accomplish). It takes a lot of reps, just working over and over on it.
FL: How difficult was the transition for you, from California to Utah, and from high school to college?
CF: It’s so much different between the states. The weather here is ridiculous. It snowed here last week.
But the girls are so much better (in college). You go to being the best from your little town to everyone being the best in college. Everyone is just as good as you are in college. There is not as much of a range of talent.
FL: And how are you dealing with that?
CF: It’s a lot harder than people think – from classes to practices to weights.
FL: What’s your schedule like?
CF: On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I have class from 8:30am to 12:30pm, and then practice from 2pm to 5:30pm. On Mondays, we have 6am weights, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have weights after practice. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have classes from 9:30am to 11:45 am. Study hall is from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.
FL: What have been some of the obstacles so far, aside from your hectic schedule?
CF: Adjusting to college is always hard. There’s so much you have to be thinking about – classes, competing for a spot, thinking about changing what (the coaches) want you to change – so that’s the biggest obstacle, by far.
FL: What have you seen to be the main difference from high school volleyball to college volleyball?
CF: In high school, you’re playing with your friends. In college, you learn that your team is your family. They’re who you spend your time with and you learn to get along with all of them.
In college, you know everyone is experienced. You have to work with so much talent and utilize it to be the best.
FL: What about the differences you see in the game itself?
CF: In college, girls hit harder. The game is so much faster, so much more exciting. In college, there’s so much energy when you play.
FL: In college, you certainly travel more than at the high school level. How’s that been for you?
CF: Road wins are definitely the most important wins you can get. It’s such a hard thing to go through.
We recently flew to Texas, then drove to New Mexico, played New Mexico State the next day on Thursday night, traveled to Louisiana on Friday, played Louisiana State on Saturday, then flew back to Logan on Sunday morning.
It’s always really hard to be able to perform in an environment that you’re not familiar with.
FL: How do you feel your performance has been to date?
CF: There are so many things I’m trying to focus on. I’m real excited I’m performing like this, but I know there’s a lot to improve upon – swing blocking, digging really tall girls, and just making sure that I’m serving well.
FL: What’s been the highlight of the season so far?
CF: I think that we’re doing really, really good in the WAC so far. If we had beaten (No. 22) New Mexico State (on Thursday), that would have been the highlight so far. But the team is doing a lot better than last year and everyone on the court is performing so well.
FL: What are your goals for this season?
CF: We want to beat New Mexico State in the WAC Tournament and get at least second in the WAC, and I know we can do it. It’s a big goal for the team.
FL: What about your goals for your time at Utah State?
CF: I want to be in first in the WAC by the time I’m a senior.
FL: What about individual goals?
CF: I don’t really know. Just improve as much as I can … I try not to focus on those things because I know we’re going to be so much better as a team.
