Off the court with JuliAnne Chisholm

JuliAnne Chisholm is a junior outside hitter on the K-State volleyball team. The native of Hillsboro, Kan., leads the team in kills with 190 on the season. She recently discussed a variety of topics, including her high school athletic career and her plans for after college.


Q: You've played quite a bit since your freshman season. How has it been being able to contribute to the team since you first arrived on campus?

A: It's been wonderful. It's been a huge learning experience over the last two-and-a-half years. You know, I wasn't very good when I came. I was just taking in so much information. Now I feel like I'm putting that to good use, and I'm helping my team out now. It has been great to get court experience.


Q: How does it feel to take on a larger role this season as a starter?

A: It's been great. It feels kind of like the good old times when you had just a couple of us big fish in a little pond, like in high school. Now I feel like I'm getting back to that point. I love being a leader, and I love helping the girls get better.


Q: Going back one year, what was it like to play behind an All-American in Nataly Korobkova and another solid outside hitter in Rita Liliom?

A: You learn a lot. You see the decisions they make and you say, "Now that I've seen that situation, I should be doing that." You just learn a ton, and you take some notes, and that's how you get better watching them.


Q: Especially with the way things have gone recently, do you consider yourself a leader on this year's team?

A: I do. I feel like I'm one of a core group of leaders. I don't feel like I'm the only one by any means. I do feel like I'm somewhat of a vocal leader.


Q: Growing up with four siblings, are you from a sports family?

A: Yes, definitely. All of my brothers and sisters played something somewhere after high school. Not necessarily any one certain thing, but just whatever.


Q: After being a three-sport athlete in high school, when did you decide to narrow your primary focus to volleyball?

A: Well, I made a decision to come here and play volleyball, but I was in love with all the sports I was in. It was fun. When you come from a small school, you play everything. We had a great group of girls when I was in high school. We were pretty dominant, and we won lots of games. The more you win, the more confident you get.


Q: When did you decide to continue your athletic career at K-State?

A: I decided to play for K-State when I was a junior after basketball season. It's not too far from home. I had some other offers a little farther away, but I didn't want to break my parents' backs because I know they're going to come to every game, no matter what. Suzie [Fritz] is awesome. She's the reason I'm here. The whole coaching staff is just amazing.


Q: Do you have any best friends on the team?

A: We all are just a tight group of girls. You don't find that often where everybody just loves each other. My roommate is Lauren [Mathewson]. She's my best friend here, and we're together 24/7.


Q: What do you like to do when you're not on the court?

A: I like to bake. I love baking anything, any time. Cookie dough is the favorite. It hardly ever gets baked though. We usually end up eating it at home. I also am working on a sewing project. I'm kind of the down-home Kansas girl that does all of the crafty stuff.


Q: Any idea what you'd like to do after college?

A: Yes. I'm going to go to grad school. I'm not sure where yet, but the plan is to go there and to someday be a doctor.