Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: Sydney Gholson
8/19/2021 1:54:00 PM | Volleyball
Libero/Defensive Specialist – Keller, Texas
On her start in volleyball
"I was a gymnast when I was younger. I did that pretty competitively until I was about 10 and then my sister started playing volleyball. I wanted to do everything she did so I got burned out with gymnastics and started volleyball after watching her do it for a year and then I fell in love with it."
On volleyball as her favorite sport
"I definitely fell in love right away. As soon as my sister started playing and I watched her, there was no going back. I ran track in the relay races in middle school but other than that, volleyball was it."
On playing in college as a goal
"Whenever I started playing, a lot of college girls would coach at the club I was at. My sister wanted to play in college and my parents and I always talked about it so it was a goal of mine as well."
On the turning point in the goal becoming reality
"There were always smaller schools that would reach out and send questionnaires but then my 15s season was the first time I emailed a power five conference team and that made me realize I could play at that level."
On what she was looking for in a college
"I definitely wanted to play power five and wanted to go to a school where sports were a big part of the experience. I didn't want to go somewhere super cold since I'm from Texas and didn't' think I'd be able to handle walking to class in the snow."
On Alabama coming into the picture
"When I decommited from the school I was originally going to, Alabama was one of the first to reach out to me. After the first conversation I had with the coaches I was already leaning towards Alabama. I loved the coaching staff and loved how they make me feel. It didn't take me long after that first conversation to commit here. Decomitting was one of the biggest decisions I've had to make but ending up at Alabama has made me feel so much better about that decision."
On enrolling early
"I had already decided that I wanted to graduate early. I knew that coming in as a defensive specialist with a lot of competition, I wanted to be able to get a head start in the gym but also in the classroom. I was able to get some credits and settle in before I had to play. I got a feel for the whole team, the coaches and how college classes worked since it was a heavier load than what I had in high school."
On the adjustment from high school to college
"Enrolling early helped a lot. Being able to see how practices were run and how the entire team worked together, I was able to build a stronger bond with them ahead of time. That bond will help the team on and off the court going forward"
On her value as a teammate
"I am consistently one of the loudest in the gym. There's never a day where I go into the gym and I'm not talking or not bringing a lot of energy to the court. That can only help the entire team. If we're down and aren't talking, then we won't play well. Bringing a lot of energy and talking to my hitters can only help us."
On her personal and team goals for 2021
"Whatever my role is, I just want to be able to do it to the best of my abilities. Whether it's playing or being everybody's hype person, I want to help my team reach our end goal and make the tournament this year by doing that."
