Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
MSU Volleyball’s Christensen Growing Into New Role On And Off Court
9/19/2018 1:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Transitioning from an offensive player to a defensive specialist this off season, Libby Christensen – a Vacaville, Cali., native – is set on having a big role her sophomore year
Transitioning from an offensive player to a defensive specialist this off season, Libby Christensen – a Vacaville, Cali., native – is set on having a big role her sophomore year.
One of the hardest parts that comes with changing positions is breaking old habits. The mentality an athlete has to have differs with every position. Each position is there to fill a specific role for the team. Christensen seems to enjoy taking on the challenge of branching out into new roles in volleyball as well as life outside volleyball.
"(Changing positions has) been really hard," said Christensen. "It's a mindset shift, which has been the hardest thing for me, but I'm working on it.".
Christensen has been spending a lot of time working with head coach Daniel Jones and assistant coaches Cole Aiazzi and Katie Hinrichs. The coaches see a lot of positives with Christensen's game, and see a lot of opportunities for her to have a big role this season and into the future.
"She's growing into the role," said Jones. "It's a different kind of pressure than what you experience as an offensive player. You don't have a chance to make up for some of your errors, at times. She's embracing it and getting after it, so we're really proud of how she's doing and we're really excited to see what she can do in the future."
Despite the challenges Christensen has faced during the transition, as non-conference tournaments come to an end and conference play starts this week, it is important to evaluate the progress she's made. Christensen is one of six Bobcats to play in every game this season. She's put in a lot of time and work in preparation for her sophomore season.
"She's doing really well," said Jones. "She's growing in confidence in her role when she steps on the court each time. We're seeing big production out of her. I think she had her breakout match against SMU where she picked up 15 digs."
Christensen hopes to use that momentum from the preseason to help carry the team into conference play.
Challenging situations aren't a foreign concept to Christensen. Her freshman year, she received her first official collegiate start in one of the Bobcats biggest games of the season, the Brawl of the Wild.
"The first game I officially started in was against Montana," said Christensen. "I had never played in front of a crowd that big and that's such a big deal in Montana."
Christensen's biggest jump into the unknown came this summer and had nothing to do with volleyball. She spent a portion of the summer overseas in Thailand, teaching English to kids and working to help sustain the education program.
"I went to Thailand," said Christensen. "It wasn't religion affiliated, it was a volunteer mission. I spent eight days in one village teaching English to kids who don't have the opportunity to learn from an English speaker. English can be very essential for them to get jobs. I also worked on a sustainable farm for the kids that go to the school, so they have food to eat because they can't go home during the week."
The trip was something Christensen always wanted to do and still wants to pursue further. The trip gave her an opportunity to travel and also help out kids in a foreign country. Spending time abroad last summer wasn't enough for the Big Sky all-academic honorable mention.
"When I graduate, I want to travel for around six months. All of South East Asia, Europe, Greece is number one right now."
Having an adventurous personality will certainly help Christensen's transition from offense to defense and into a successful volleyball conference schedule.
The Bobcats open up Big Sky play on Thursday, Sept. 20, against Portland State at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gymnasium on the Montana State campus. The team follows that up with another home matchup on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. against Sacramento State.
One of the hardest parts that comes with changing positions is breaking old habits. The mentality an athlete has to have differs with every position. Each position is there to fill a specific role for the team. Christensen seems to enjoy taking on the challenge of branching out into new roles in volleyball as well as life outside volleyball.
"(Changing positions has) been really hard," said Christensen. "It's a mindset shift, which has been the hardest thing for me, but I'm working on it.".
Christensen has been spending a lot of time working with head coach Daniel Jones and assistant coaches Cole Aiazzi and Katie Hinrichs. The coaches see a lot of positives with Christensen's game, and see a lot of opportunities for her to have a big role this season and into the future.
"She's growing into the role," said Jones. "It's a different kind of pressure than what you experience as an offensive player. You don't have a chance to make up for some of your errors, at times. She's embracing it and getting after it, so we're really proud of how she's doing and we're really excited to see what she can do in the future."
Despite the challenges Christensen has faced during the transition, as non-conference tournaments come to an end and conference play starts this week, it is important to evaluate the progress she's made. Christensen is one of six Bobcats to play in every game this season. She's put in a lot of time and work in preparation for her sophomore season.
"She's doing really well," said Jones. "She's growing in confidence in her role when she steps on the court each time. We're seeing big production out of her. I think she had her breakout match against SMU where she picked up 15 digs."
Christensen hopes to use that momentum from the preseason to help carry the team into conference play.
Challenging situations aren't a foreign concept to Christensen. Her freshman year, she received her first official collegiate start in one of the Bobcats biggest games of the season, the Brawl of the Wild.
"The first game I officially started in was against Montana," said Christensen. "I had never played in front of a crowd that big and that's such a big deal in Montana."
Christensen's biggest jump into the unknown came this summer and had nothing to do with volleyball. She spent a portion of the summer overseas in Thailand, teaching English to kids and working to help sustain the education program.
"I went to Thailand," said Christensen. "It wasn't religion affiliated, it was a volunteer mission. I spent eight days in one village teaching English to kids who don't have the opportunity to learn from an English speaker. English can be very essential for them to get jobs. I also worked on a sustainable farm for the kids that go to the school, so they have food to eat because they can't go home during the week."
The trip was something Christensen always wanted to do and still wants to pursue further. The trip gave her an opportunity to travel and also help out kids in a foreign country. Spending time abroad last summer wasn't enough for the Big Sky all-academic honorable mention.
"When I graduate, I want to travel for around six months. All of South East Asia, Europe, Greece is number one right now."
Having an adventurous personality will certainly help Christensen's transition from offense to defense and into a successful volleyball conference schedule.
The Bobcats open up Big Sky play on Thursday, Sept. 20, against Portland State at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gymnasium on the Montana State campus. The team follows that up with another home matchup on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. against Sacramento State.
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