Off the court with Vanessa Murray

Outside hitter Vanessa Murray is in her first Big 12 season after transferring from Pierce College in Los Angeles. She recently sat down with the Collegian to discuss a variety of topics. Q: What made you want to come to K-State? A: "Being from California, I've always watched Pac-10. I've seen UCLA and USC play against Texas and K-State, and I've always wanted to play at a high level. When Suzie [Fritz] came to California and talked to me about it, it was automatic. I knew K-State was the place for me. It's where I knew I would fit as a player." Q: What are some of your goals as an individual and a team? A: "As an individual, I would love to become the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. That would be awesome. But for right now, my goal as an individual is to get myself better and my team better, because right now we're kind of struggling." Q: Which teammate(s) are you most likely to hang out with off the court? A: "I have two. My roommate Soriana [Pacheco] and Sarah [Allison]. Those are my two buddies off the court." Q: Do you have any hobbies other than volleyball? A: "Well, I can't really do it here, but back home I enjoyed going to the beach. Obviously, Kansas doesn't have any beaches. I like listening to music, hanging out with my friends and sleep. I love sleep. Q: What are your plans for after college? A: "After college, I definitely want to continue playing. I would love to play in Europe and follow my sister. My sister plays in Europe right now. When I'm done playing volleyball, probably go back home and be a teacher or a high school coach at my old high school." Q: What's your favorite sport other than volleyball? A: "I would have to say basketball. I did play basketball for 12 years and it was the first sport I played before I started playing volleyball. Everyone in my family plays, and my dad is a basketball coach, so it would have to be basketball." Q: How was the transition from junior college to K-State? A: "The transition wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Of course, I had to learn a new system. D-1 volleyball and California junior college volleyball are different. That was a little bit harder, but I would say, other than that, learning the way the coaches set up their teams. I found the transition to be a lot better than I expected it to be." Q: What's the biggest difference between Los Angeles and Manhattan? A: "I would say the weather and the people. I find the people in Manhattan are awesome. They are very welcoming. The weather — I am used to the weather being really hot, and here it's kind of cold. Right now it's 110 degrees at home, and like 60 degrees today. But it's okay, I'm getting used to it."