SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Courtney Gay

Big Things Really Do Come In Small Packages

Big things come in small packages with senior libero Courtney Gay. She is usually the smallest player on the court, yet the loudest one at the same time. And she is one of the most successful Bulldogs on the 2008 roster.

Let’s list a few of Gay’s accomplishments: Broke the school record for digs in a match twice in 2007 and continues to hold that record at 46; owns the school record for digs in a season with 574 in 2007; is Samford’s all-time digs leader with 1,358 digs in her career and there are still at least seven more matches left to play; inducted into the AVCA’s 30-Digs Club after her first record-breaking performance last season; named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week in the second week of voting last season.

Sounds like a pretty good resume to me, but what does she think?

“Being number one, all-time? That’s something that I never thought that I could actually do,” Gay said. “Thinking back on last year, and realizing what I actually did, it’s just weird to see how successful I was. Even though I’m not getting the numbers I did last year, that’s okay because with what we are doing, I’m pretty much doing all that I can right now and we have such a good offense and our serve-receive percentage is so high, that it’s still such a success.”

With Gay as a captain this year, the Bulldogs have broken even more records as a team. Samford surpassed the longest win streak by four wins this season as it won 12 consecutive matches. The Bulldogs still have the longest home win streak with 10 wins in the Pete Hanna Center, and are enjoying the best record the program has seen in its 21 years.

“I’m really excited that I’m a part of the team that has actually made a huge change in the program,” says Gay. “I’m glad that I’ve been a part of it all, from freshman year and not being very good to progressing to the first winning record last year to the success of my senior year. I just think if we win the conference, it will be the ultimate finish for all of us.”

The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the North division of the Southern Conference and now lead the division in first place. They have the best overall record of all the teams in the conference and are tied for first place with College of Charleston.

Gay came into a freshman class of six, one of the largest classes the Bulldog program has seen in recent years. Of those six, four remain and one transfer has been added. The six-pack of youngsters joined a struggling team led by a coach starting her second year as a head coach and one senior, two juniors and two sophomores. The freshmen were automatically thrown into the mix and became immediate contributors in their first year of collegiate volleyball. Gay saw action in every match of her freshman year and has only missed one match since then.

“My freshman year was probably the biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome or the biggest adjustment I’ve had to make,” Gay said. “Just jumping right into college volleyball and it being such a big transition already. All six of us freshmen were pretty much the entire team, and we were leading the way while knowing that there was a lot of pressure there already. We didn’t really have a big group of seniors to look up to and we had to really direct ourselves. That was really hard.”

Gay and her fellow classmen endured two long losing seasons. In her sophomore year, she was thrust into another foreign situation when setter Jackie Jaszcz was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. The sophomore soon took on the role as setter for the first time and finished the season with 571 assists.

The challenge of taking on a new role seemed to expand Gay’s perspective of the game as well as her volleyball I.Q. The next season would be the record-breaking one for her and the most successful of her career so far, individually and as a team. The Bulldogs tabbed their first winning season in 2007 with a 16-13 record.

“I think it is why I’ve been a lot more successful the last two years,” Gay said. “I think now I fully understand why things happen and how each system works. Being on the other side of the ball, in that position, is a lot different. It’s still the same role, ultimately, you are still a huge part of the game and a huge leader but you are putting yourself in a different situation. I think it really did expand my knowledge of volleyball.”

The senior libero attributes most of her success to the support of her parents, Richard and Melinda. The pair travels large distances from Sarasota, Fla., to be present at almost every match and the two are some of the team’s biggest, and loudest, cheerleaders.

“I love that they come and see all my games,” says Gay. “I don’t know what they are going to do when I’m done playing. It helps a lot, knowing that they are always there to support me, even in my bad matches.”

Gay also says her teammates have been a huge part of her support system, especially this season.

“Everyone really gets along,” says Gay. “We have a completely different mentality this season and everyone supports each other. We are all legitimately friends, we hang out all the time, and I’m surprised that we haven’t gotten sick of each other already. We are literally always together and I think that is a part of our success too. No one is mad about not playing. Everyone gives their all in practice and is supportive about winning, and everyone is just as much a part of everything as everyone else.”

When all is said and done, Gay says she will miss her teammates the most. She also said she will miss playing.

“I’ve just been playing volleyball for so long that it’s just going to be weird to no have to go to practices and workouts and matches.”

Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said that Gay has become an emotional leader for the Bulldogs and in that role can be a part of leading this team to great things. Gay has her sights set on leading this team to great things as well. She has declared that she will not stop until her team has won a conference championship.

When asked was her greatest accomplishment at Samford was, she answered: “I don’t really want to answer that question until after the season is finally over. There is still a lot of volleyball to be played, but I think my greatest achievement will be when there is a ring on my finger in December after we win the conference championship.”