Barely Backrow To Pro: DeGeest Is Inspiration To All
Playing two rotations of backrow in middle school, not even a speck on the college radar or even making the top club team as a 13 year old, but fast forward to moving from Freshman to JV to Varsity (all in one season), to becoming an All American, and now a professional overseas player Krista DeGeest of Spencer, Iowa is a story for all to hear. Taking a leap of faith, persevering when others tell you “No”, and give something all you have to become the best you can be is just part of her story. Here is a little Q & A with Krista DeGeest who is currently playing in Aachen, Germany in her sixth year as a professional volleyball player.
Q: What was it like for you first getting into volleyball? Was it natural or how did everything come together for you?
I grew up in a volleyball family. I was always in the gym watching my older sister play and I knew that I wanted to be like her when I got older and play volleyball too, but it definitely was not an easy transition. I was a VERY late developer and although I knew all of the skills and what I was “supposed” to do, my body was telling a different story. To put it in volleyball terms, I only played 2 rotations in the BACKROW through my 8th grade year because I wasn’t strong enough to serve the ball overhand consistently or attack the ball with strength.
There were so many naysayers through those years. Many people who said that I should quit or didn’t believe that I would even be able to play in high school, but I had an amazing support system in my family and friends who encouraged me to stick with it. Without them, who knows where I would be today. After middle school I started to grow into my 6’2” body and my coordination started to come together. I was finally allowed to play in the front row and soon took my position as a middle blocker. My freshman year I started the season on the freshman team; got moved up to JV 2 weeks into season because a couple other girls quit; and by the end of the year I was moved up to varsity where I got to play in one game with my older sister! For the rest of my high school days I was the starting middle blocker for the Spencer Tigers, but my real volleyball development came from playing USA club volleyball in the off season.
I played for the University of Okoboji volleyball club under the direction of Doug Van Hofwegen, one of my biggest supporters from day one. His philosophy was that in order to get better, you must play the best. So for my entire club experience, we played at the 18’s level. Yes, we got killed for the first two years, but eventually we could hold our own and made it to nationals our senior season!
Q: What was the recruiting process like for you? What all went into your decision going to UNI?
DeGeest #18 redshirted her first year at UNI and was an All American by the time she graduated.The recruiting process was actually a little overwhelming for me. On September 1st of my Junior year my mailbox was filled with letters from various universities and I was instantly stressed. I just wanted to go and hang out with my friends and since they didn’t have to decide on a university yet, I didn’t want to either, but this isn’t how the process worked. Slow, but surely we started narrowing my top choices down. My mom actually wrote most of my emails to the coaches because I didn’t want to “deal” with it. When it was time to start going on college visits I had to shrink the pool again! I decided that I wanted to go somewhere that was within a few hours of family, so I would have support in case of an emergency.
In Iowa, I had it narrowed down to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). I loved their coaching staff, amazing volleyball tradition, community support, and size of the school. On my 1st visit, I watched them play in the historic West Gym. It was a crazy atmosphere unlike anything I had ever seen before. However, it wasn’t until my 2nd visit that I started to get the feeling that this could be my new home. The university had been building a new auditorium, the McLeod Center, and the volleyball team got to play in it first. So on Saturday, November 18, 2006, my mom and I drove over to cheer on the Panthers as they defeated the Braves for the Missouri Valley Conference title. It was insane! Watching the Panthers run out onto this brand new court and play in front of close to 6000 people gave my goosebumps and a little part of me knew that I wanted to do that someday!
My other option for location was all the way on the east coast where there wasn’t any snow. 🙂 So over Thanksgiving break of my junior year, I flew out there with my parents and we went on three other college visits to University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, and Georgia Tech. They showed me the royal treatment and the weather was just icing on the cake, but when I got home and my little sister, Tessa, ran up to me and said, “Don’t go that far away from me again!” That’s when reality set in of what I would be sacrificing if I went to a school on the east coast. I would miss watching my little sisters grow up. It didn’t take long after that for me to call Bobbi and commit to UNI and it was the best decision of my life. I didn’t realize then, that not only was I committing to a university and a volleyball team, but I was committing to a family that will forever be a part of my life.
Q: What was the transition like from high school to the college game?
Transitioning from high school to college was a bit of a challenge for me. I was told when I signed at UNI that I would redshirt my freshman year (only practice and not play in order to keep 4 years of eligibility) in order to get used to the speed of the game and the UNI system. Boy, did I need that year! I had never participated in so many ball-control and defensive drills in my life and it took a little time to get used to that. However, following a long first season and staying after practice every-day in spring to work on my transition footwork with Coach Kalani Mahi, they had whipped me into shape! Every year I got physically and, more importantly, mentally stronger and eventually went on to become All-American Honorable Mention. I am so grateful that I chose a university with coaching staff and teammates who never gave up on me and pushed me to be the best I could be. If not for them I never would have made it as far as I did.
Q: How did you get connected to playing professionally overseas? What was that like with a new culture, country, teammates, language barrier, etc?
My start into playing professionally was pretty unique. After I graduated from UNI, I had my shoulder surgery and decided that I would be done with volleyball and move into a marketing career, but God had another plan. No jobs seemed to line up for me until I received an email from Luke Reynolds, a coach for a team in Svedala, Sweden. He had come across video of me playing while watching film on someone else and asked if I would be interested in playing for his team. It was the greatest leap of faith that I have done in my life.
Once I got to Sweden and started my professional career I fell in love with the sport all over again. I was very fortunate that I went to Svedala for my first season. Everyone welcomed me in with open arms and made the transition so smooth for me. I made friends that will last a lifetime and caught the bug for exploring and experiencing life in another country.
Halfway into the season, I made the decision to continue my volleyball career. I got hooked up with an agent and started working on possibilities for the following season. After that, I haven’t looked back. I played in Lugoj, Romania from 2014-2017 and then in Suhl, Germany for the ‘17/’18 season and am currently in Aachen, Germany for my 6th professional season.
I have met so many amazing people and seen 18 countries now in my lifetime. I never would have dreamt of that before I became a professional athlete. It has broadened my horizons to other cultures and lifestyles and truly has opened my eyes to view the world in a different way. I can definitely say that it hasn’t always been easy. For example, I was the first American my Romanian team had ever had and most of the girls and coaching staff spoke minimal English. Through all of the challenges I have come out a stronger person. I can now understand and speak pretty good Romanian (if you ask me) and know some key phrases in Swedish and German. I can confidently navigate the public transportation in most countries and I have gotten a lot better at mastering foreign grocery stores. Each day is truly an adventure and that’s what makes it so exciting!
Q: What would be your best advice for athletes wanting to play college volleyball?
You can do it, but you need to put in the work. Playing volleyball, or any sport, in college is not a cake walk. You eat, sleep, (study), play volleyball and then repeat. If you’re not going to take it seriously and do it 100% then, I believe, it’s not worth doing because it will become a job. However, if you take your responsibility to heart and remember why you fell in love with this amazing game to begin with, then it will be the most incredible experience of your life. You will make friends that will become family and memories that will last a lifetime.
If anyone would like to ask any specific questions, needs additional advice, or is interested in following my professional career, you can follow me on facebook @kristadegeestvb