One-on-One With Volleyball's Kayla Fitterer
10/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 18, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama outside hitter Kayla Fitterer continues to put up impressive numbers for the Crimson Tide volleyball program. This season, Fitterer leads the team in kills with 284 to average 4.24 kills per set, which ranks third in the SEC and 28th in the country. The Edwardsville, Ill., native has 868 kills in her three years at the Capstone. Recently, Fitterer took the time to talk about this season, her Alabama experience, and a little more about herself.
Talk about this season and how it is going for you.
"The beginning of the season went pretty well, we have some growing up, we have had a struggle the past couple of weekends. We still are working on and learning how to win, it will take some time. Hopefully everyone will stay positive and keeps a good attitude in practice, and works hard we will pull out some more wins this season."
What is the transition from the old to the new coaching staff been like for you and this team?
"I think our mind set needed to be different, and that is the first step in changing our record and getting better. I think that is the biggest thing right now, our mindset, coming everyday to practice and games. As a team it has been tough, and it is definitely a work in progress and we are learning how to do that."
Talk about Foster and what a home game like?
"Awesome. I love the CAVE. Game day is my favorite. Walking into the CAVE, even without fans and it [Foster] is even better and I didn't think that it could get much better. I know that it is funny; I was talking to my parents and my dad was so sad to leave the CAVE because it was such an awesome atmosphere, but I think that Foster is a lot better, it's awesome to have the fans right on top of us."
What stands out to you on game day about Foster?
"Our fans' being on top of us is a huge one. And I know that in the CAVE they were close to us, but it is so loud and I think that it is so hard for other teams to play at Foster. I can barely hear the coaches sometimes, so I think that it is intimidating when other teams come in here and all they hear are Alabama fans screaming."
What are you majoring in and why?
"I'm marketing major. I chose business, when I came into school not knowing what I wanted to do, and went to business thinking that it was broad and I could figure things out from there. Now, I am focusing on marketing. I am still not positive at what I might do. I might go down fashion merchandising, buying, and the business side of fashion. Or I am thinking about working with a pro sports team in marketing and promotions side of things, so it's still up in the air."
Why Alabama?
"I went on 15 different visits, which is a lot. My mom and I just drove around the country. This was the last visit I went on, and the first night I got here, I told my mom that I think I am going to come here. I love the campus. It was one of those things you know everyone says that you will just know when you get there. I went to 15 and was not getting that feeling, but when I came to Alabama I was like ok I think this is it. Then I met the team the next day, and I loved all of the girls, loved the coaches, everything just fit into place. Academics were a huge factor as well, and I knew that I would be going into the business school. Everything just fell into place."
What was the biggest adjustment in moving to Alabama from Illinois?
"Definitely the small town. Food is different, shopping is different, and people are different. People are a lot nicer down here. I grew up in Seattle and lived there most of my life, and then spent four years in Illinois, and now here. It has been a lot different. I think that it has been a gradual change. Seattle was totally different from here, and then Illinois was a small town, and now an even smaller town down here. But I like it."
Who's your favorite professional team to follow?
"Bulls. For sure. I started watching a few years ago when we moved to Chicago, and I don't know, I watch all of their games. I love Derrick Rose. I'm a big Derrick Rose fan. I went to a couple of games this year when I went home."
What do you do before a match?
"I always pray during the National Anthem, I think that is a big one. I have done that in every game since high school, basketball or volleyball. Before the season Andrea tape recorded a pump up speech for me. It is like a five minute long speech with background music and everything, I listen to that before games sometimes so that is kind of a before game thing that I will do. I don't really have something that I do every game."
What is it about volleyball that made you choose it?
"Volleyball is a fun sport. I played basketball in high school along with volleyball, and I decided to play volleyball. During high school it was the group of girls that I was with. But I loved basketball, they are both fun sports. My favorite part is the competition and the game of it itself. Everyone asks me why and I guess I just don't know, I mean I think that basketball is more fun, which is weird. I wasn't better at volleyball; I think that I actually could have been better at basketball. I really think it was the group of girls that I was with in high school and I was playing club volleyball at the time. When I moved from Seattle I was playing AAU basketball and club volleyball, then I was going to play high school basketball, but didn't end up playing on an AAU basketball team, but I played club volleyball because I already had connections. So I just kind of put basketball on the back page and focused on volleyball. I played basketball both my freshman and sophomore years and I got hurt both years and had to have surgery. I guess that was another reason why, because I was getting hurt a lot in basketball and I hadn't had injuries in volleyball. I knew that I wanted to play one of them in college so I focused on volleyball."
What did you want to be when you grew up?
"I wanted to be a singer. I always kind of wanted to be an actor or a singer and be famous. I told my mom one time, I had to have been really little, and they laughed at me because I had a horrible voice so for me to be a singer was impossible. That is what I always wanted to be. And a basketball player. A singer and a basketball player because that is all I did when I was little, so that was all I knew. Then I would sing in the car and sing in my room, and listen to Brittany Spears. So one of those."
Who's your Role Model?
"My dad. He has gone through a lot in his life. He is definitely one of the hardest workers that I know. He is always the one that when I am down, both of my parents do this but, he will send me the motivational texts. If I am down I will talk to him for hours and he can always help me get through stuff. What he has gone through is definitely something for me to live up too."
Favorite place that you have been?
"This is a hard one. I am going to say downtown Chicago, whenever I didn't live there. When we lived in St. Louis we would go there to visit a lot, for vacation. It was always my favorite, I would always beg my parents to go and go shopping and the food is the best. It was always shopping trips with the girls, when my dad said that he had a job offer in Chicago and we could live in the city or outside. We decided to live in the city and it is my favorite place to be right now. It is my favorite place that I have been so it is awesome that I got to live there."
What's the best advice you have received?
"Everything happens for a reason. So don't focus on things that you can't change and focus on the things that you can. God has a plan for you, so don't stress about the little things."
What do you do when you are not playing volleyball?
"Shopping, movies, being a girl, getting my nails done, I like to just hang out and watch movies. I have two favorite movies. Love and Basketball and the Holiday, I am a total chick flick girl, the romance. The girls make fun of me because I will watch The Holiday weeks in a row every other night. I could watch that movie all the time, same with Love and Basketball. Growing up it was Love and Basketball because it was a sporty chick flick."
