Sept. 6, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - She readily admits she was a timid freshman, who didn't say too much and went about her role silently. Four years later, senior Allyson Powell is the now the captain of the Gonzaga University women's volleyball squad and timid is not in her personality.
"I am the opposite of how I was freshman year," stated Powell sitting in a hotel room in Boise, Idaho. "I have to be the ultimate communicator both on and off the court; letting players know where things are and what to do outside of volleyball. I try to lead by example now and really enjoy it."
It's been an amazing journey for the small town girl from Selah, Wash; a journey that started in the sixth grade at a volleyball camp with friends and has brought her to Gonzaga where she is now the starting libero.
"My first memory of volleyball was going to camp and being in this little circle of friends. We weren't very good actually. We would hit the ball and have to go run after it," chuckled Powell at the memory.
Powell actually was a softball star growing up and decided to put her athletic talents towards volleyball as well entering high school.
"We had a really good volleyball program at my high school (Selah High) and I played softball for a very long time and just wanted to try something different," explained Powell about her path into the sport she has found her ultimate passion for. "I liked it and played a lot and found out I was good at it. So from then on I played both volleyball and softball, as they were in different seasons."
Her decision to play collegiate volleyball, instead of softball, came easy to her but not as easy for her father Bryan.
"There were just more options for continuing to play volleyball in college and not as many opportunities for softball. I got more offers for volleyball and it seemed the right choice. My father's dream, since I was a baby, was for me to play collegiate softball. Volleyball came out in the cards though and my dad now couldn't be more excited or proud."
Her path to choosing Gonzaga to play at started before high school as she began going to Bulldog summer camps in the eighth grade. She got to know the then-coaching staff, get a feel for the Gonzaga campus and realized it was a good distance away from home but still had a small school community, which was a big sell from the girl whose graduating class was 200.
"I'm a small town girl. High school events and town events everybody went to; it made things so much fun. I loved it and thought it was a good experience. Gonzaga is pretty similar. The people here are friendly and always welcoming. The athletic department and administration makes you feel at home, so it wasn't a hard choice but just an adjustment," said Powell.
Powell was hit with another big adjustment after her sophomore season at Gonzaga as the Bulldogs went through a coaching change. Dave Gantt, now in his second season at the helm, along with Allen Allen began their Zag career's in the spring of 2009, with former Gonzaga star Abby Bennett.
"The coaching change has been great," explained Powell." I re-found a passion for volleyball that was dwindling before. I still loved volleyball before the change, but now I am hungry for it and excited to play every day. I never dread going to practice and the coaches' make it that we want to work hard for them. It is cool to have that fiery passion again. The only sad part is that I only have had two years with them."
Powell may be sad that she only has a short time left with her team and coaches but she knows, without a doubt, what she wants out of her final season.
"I talk to Coach Allen about this all the time," said Powell. "We want to start a legacy and we have to start somewhere. And with only a small amount of time left here, I am not going to be a part of what is going to be but I want to be the one to start it. That start would be becoming the No. 1 defensive team in the West Coast Conference, climbing the rankings; I want to start a snowball effect for the future of the program."
You just get a sense that Powell, whose timid words and actions are a distant memory; will work endlessly until these goals are hit.
