Alabama Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: Dru Kuck
8/16/2021 3:14:00 PM | Volleyball
Libero/Defensive Specialist – Sheboygan, Wisc.
On her start in volleyball
"I played a lot of sports, basically anything I could. My main ones growing up were volleyball, gymnastics and basketball. My mom and dad played and coached volleyball, so I was always around at practice. I would get in and help where I could, so I was in elementary school watching high schoolers practice. When I was younger, I enjoyed volleyball but also really like gymnastics, so it was a tough pick between the two. I felt volleyball fit me more and I eventually focused on that exclusively in middle school."
On playing in college as a goal
"I always talked about it with my dad. We would watch as much college volleyball as we could. He helped at a smaller college so we could get into those games for free. Watching all those matches, it looked like so much fun. I'm a really competitive person, so I was driven to compete at the highest level possible."
On the turning point in the goal becoming reality
"It sounds really early, but my coach my 12s year played college volleyball and played overseas. She always talked about it and we had a special connection. She was the person who really opened me up to it and brought out that strong drive in me. She showed me it was possible and that I had every capability of doing it and to not stop until I'm where I want to be and always be working towards that next goal."
On what she was looking for in a college
"I'm sure a lot of players say it, but I wanted to play at a power-five school where I could compete at the highest level. I didn't want any easy games, I wanted somewhere that would make me work and the rest of my teammates would have that all-in mentality too. I have to be in an atmosphere where everyone is all-in, working and having the grit to try and win and be the best."
On the process of transferring
"Being in college for two years and knowing what I liked to learn, I asked every school I talked to about a criminology program and criminal justice program. I really dove deep into that because I can find a competitive gym but not a lot of places have the strong all-around experience. I really focused in on that because I found something I enjoyed learning about and want to get the most out of my academic experience.
"I also paid more attention to how I felt talking with the coaches. Every coaching staff is going to be friendly when you talk with them and they'll tell you all the good things, but I appreciated a coach that could be honest with me and tell me about areas that they want to improve and places where I could potentially have an impact on. One thing Lindsey [Devine] was really open about was that she was pushing to strengthen the volleyball program here and you can tell by the way she talks about it that she's honest about it and is determined to do it. I felt like I would really be able to make an impact in that regard."
On Alabama coming into the picture
"When I was younger, I could reach out to coaches and make myself uncomfortable in that regard but you can feel vulnerable if you send an email and they don't respond, you feel like they don't want you or aren't interested. This time around, I sent out emails right away and I wasn't as worried about who got back to me and who didn't. I sent Alabama an email early on and we kept in touch. Each time I talked with the coaches they were comforting but very professional as well. When I was in virtual meetings with them, it wasn't just me and Lindsey but Megan [Ailshie] and Ladislav [Lelkes] and Emily [Orrick] would be in together on some calls so I got to see how they all interacted with each other and see what the connection would be like with everyone."
On choosing Alabama sight unseen
"I could have set it up to look at Alabama or other schools, but I really ended up being set on Alabama. Lindsey sent me a virtual tour and I looked online at a lot of things about campus. Even just seeing online, you can tell Alabama has a beautiful campus. Everything happened pretty fast between us starting to talk and me deciding to come here, but even after that being able to talk with the girls about campus and the facilities made me even more excited to come here."
On the acclimation process
"It's been really nice. I don't feel like I'm a new person. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms and have genuinely wanted to get to know me. I've connected with the girls right away. A lot of times on teams there's cliques and people have to pick sides but here it's a whole group and we understand each other very well. It makes it feel like these girls have been my best friends for a long time."
On her value as a teammate
"I'm a very level-headed person. If I make a mistake in practice or in a game, I have a short memory so I always have the next-ball mentality. Between plays in the huddle, I'm able to help everyone take a deep breath and focus on the next play and next goal. At the same time I have a lot of grit and am feisty, so I bring that fire."
On her personal and team goals for 2021
"I'm just trying to get out there, compete and help us win all the games we can. When you look at our team, anyone can come in at any time and we trust each other. We're going to be a hard team to beat. We're going to work and people are going to have to work against us for every point. It's a personal goal and a team goal to make the NCAA Tournament and I think we have every possibility to."
