Nov. 2, 2005
By the senior year, the life of a college student suddenly changes from a rigorous campaign of studies and internships into a final movement of freedom before the real world begins.
The core classes needed to graduate quickly shifts towards a year chalk full of electives. The Medical Microbiology class that was once dreaded becomes an Introduction to the Movies course. The Calculus III course suddenly becomes General Astronomy, and Development of Bilingualism takes a sharp turn towards the Theory of Baseball.
For UTPA women's volleyball student-athlete Stephanie Redd (Seguin, TX/Seguin H.S.), the final year of her college tenure has been anything, but an amusement park full of electives and free rides.
Between the rigors of being a student-athlete where time management becomes more of a necessity as opposed to a luxury, Redd is in the midst of her most challenging campaign of her college career. Along with the time constraints of practices and the difficulty of her studies, Redd also spends a pair of days between the McAllen Medical Center and South Texas Behavioral Center.
"With all of the time factors that go into this year, it's been the most difficult time that I've had since I've been here," said Redd. "I'm up at 6:45 in the morning and work eight hours then I go straight to practice at 4:00 that afternoon. I'm averaging a solid four to five hours of sleep a night."
By the time most college seniors are waking up at the sun's highest peak, Redd has ready put in a solid day of meeting with patients from the littlest to the oldest registering vital signs, IVs and the daily doses of medication.
"I pretty much do whatever the nurses tell me. We rotate units at the hospital so one day I'm with pediatrics then the next day I could be with the adults or geriatrics. It really just depends on the day. I really prefer being with the pediatrics because there is a fulfillment in helping sick children," the Lady Broncs' senior added.
UTPA head women's volleyball coach Dave Thorn realized early on about the passion for nursing that Redd possessed, remembering back to her recruiting visit over four years ago.
"She told me on her recruiting visit that she wanted to be a nurse and that was going to be a main factor in her decision about coming here. When you have a person who is that goal-oriented and is focused and knows what she wants then you don't worry because you know that they are going to do whatever it takes to succeed. I knew from the beginning that she was a living example of what you can do when you put your mind towards a goal," said Thorn.
One of the main reasons why Redd chose the path of a nurse was to make a difference in the life of a person who was going through a rough period and needed to be cared for. That passion for helping others doesn't end with the patients that she cares for during the course of a day, but extends onto the volleyball court where she has served a mentor and team captain for the Lady Broncs for the last two seasons.
"I think that it goes hand-in-hand for me because if somebody makes a mistake on the court, you need to help them out. You need to show them the right way of doing things and give them the encouragement that things are going to work out. The same applies in a hospital because you have to give patients encouragement and reassurance that everything is going to be fine" Redd said.
When it comes to getting the most out of one's ability both on and off the field of competition, Redd would certainly be the epitome of a true student-athlete.
"Stephanie came in focused, and she knew what she wanted to accomplish in the classroom and on the court. Those are the type of student-athletes that you want to have on your team. She is an extremely goal-oriented student-athlete, and she's works very hard in every area of her life," Thorn added.
In the classroom, Redd has been awarded with Bronc Pride 3.0 Club laurels in six semesters, including a trio of trips to the Dean's List Honor Roll. Selected to the Who's Who Among American College and Universities Students last spring, the Lady Broncs middle hitter has been nominated for the NCAA Top VIII Award for her commitment to academics, athletics and community services.
On the court, Redd has been nothing, but stellar during her four years with the Lady Broncs. She is the first person in program history to record 2,500 total attacks, 1,000 kills, 250 total blocks and 90 service aces in her career.
"I really don't know how all of this happened. I was able to start as a freshman and learned a lot in that first season so I've really grown as a player. It really motivated me to work harder and get better not only on the court, but in the classroom. I wanted to make the most of my opportunity," Redd said.
In the record books, Redd is ranked second in total blocks (295) and block assists (226), third in kills (1,018), total attacks (2,784) and block solos (69), fifth in games played (418), seventh in hitting percentage (.198) and ninth in service aces (90). Along with her partner-in-crime in the middle for four years in Danielle Holthe (Covina, CA/Amat Memorial Bishop), the duo has combined for over 5,000 attacks, 1,800 kills, 800 games played and 500 total blocks.
"Any time you play with somebody for four seasons, you know their tendencies as well as strengths and weaknesses. I know what she is going to do, and she knows what I'm going to do so there is that trust and confidence in one another," Redd said.
This season, the Lady Broncs have seen their share of obstacles in their 8-14 season, but have really picked up momentum during the month of October where UTPA holds a 6-4 record. Redd currently ranks first on the squad in block solos (15), second in service aces (25), third in total attacks (547), total blocks (55) and block assists (40) and fourth in kills (180) and kills per game (2.22).
"We're coming together more as a team, but we are still not where we should be in the season right now. I look at the future of the program, and I see that they have the majority of the team returning next season, except Danielle and myself. So as long as they work hard and continue to improve then I really think that they'll have a good season," stated Redd.
When the ball hits the court for the final time at the Independent National Championships in Greeley, CO, in two weeks, Redd will not only leave the program as one of the its most dominating talents, but also as one of its finest examples of the true character of a student-athlete.
"I really haven't thought about the end of my career yet, but it's been a great experience so I'll have a lot of memories from here," said Redd.
"It's always hard to see a senior go, but Stephanie has left her mark with the program. She has been a big part of this program and has had a tremendous career. That's the good and bad of coaching because you want to have a great student-athlete like Stephanie on the team, but you know that in four years she'll be gone. Stephanie has been a tremendous role model for this program," Thorn concluded.
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