Rice University Athletics
Rice Memories: Shelby Livingstone
4/30/2020 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball, Blog
Being a volleyball player at Rice was one of the most exciting, challenging, fun, encouraging, and memorable experiences I've ever had. From the long bus rides and even longer hours in the gym, and (honestly) the training room, the memories that come to mind bring happy tears because of the people I was able to experience them with and the coaches that brought us all together.
While choosing a favorite memory is tough, I would have to say the weekend of the 2018 Conference USA Tournament in Huntington, West Virginia brings the biggest smile to my face.
Every year going into two-a-days in August was exciting, and sometimes nerve-wracking knowing a conditioning test was in our very near future, but there was something different about this last double-days. Our team was closer than we had ever been before. Being in my last year, there was an added sense of urgency to get it done because there would not be another chance. I had torn my ACL in March of 2017, redshirted my true senior year, and now I was cleared and back out on the court to play a year I had not been promised when I first walked on campus.
Going into the conference tournament, we were the No. 1 seed, having already secured the regular season championship. Looking back, it should have seemed like there was more pressure on us to win the entire tournament. But the pressure seemed to slide off everyone on the team. I attribute this to our team chemistry. We knew each other well. We had each other's backs no matter what and had been through a lot together, bonding us in ways that I am so thankful for today.
While we ended up coming out of the conference tournament with a championship, a trophy, and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, my favorite memory from that weekend was not the dogpile at the end of the match (although that was fun!), but it was the night before the championship. On Saturday, we came together in one room and wrote encouraging notes to one another, sang songs (some singing better than others), and took a step back from the tournament to hang out with our best friends for one of the last travel nights of the season. The night ended with lots of hugs and full hearts, ready to win a championship the next morning.
While the weekend was capped off in the best way possible, that Saturday night stands out to me because it captured the essence of Rice Volleyball and Rice Athletics. Rice Athletics is a family, a support system, and a home. The relationships I formed at Rice have shaped me into the person I am today, and I am so thankful for the wonderful women I was given the opportunity to play with because they are what makes Rice athletics memorable and a place I will always hold dear to my heart.
Where Are They Now
Since graduating from Rice in December 2018 I have started graduate school at Baylor University's Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas where I am pursuing my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) with a concentration in sports ministry while also working as the volunteer assistant coach for the Baylor Women's Volleyball team. After graduation, I want to become a sports chaplain at a university where I will be able to help minister to student athletes to help them grow in their faith similar to how I was challenged and grew in my own faith during my time at Rice.
While choosing a favorite memory is tough, I would have to say the weekend of the 2018 Conference USA Tournament in Huntington, West Virginia brings the biggest smile to my face.
Every year going into two-a-days in August was exciting, and sometimes nerve-wracking knowing a conditioning test was in our very near future, but there was something different about this last double-days. Our team was closer than we had ever been before. Being in my last year, there was an added sense of urgency to get it done because there would not be another chance. I had torn my ACL in March of 2017, redshirted my true senior year, and now I was cleared and back out on the court to play a year I had not been promised when I first walked on campus.
Going into the conference tournament, we were the No. 1 seed, having already secured the regular season championship. Looking back, it should have seemed like there was more pressure on us to win the entire tournament. But the pressure seemed to slide off everyone on the team. I attribute this to our team chemistry. We knew each other well. We had each other's backs no matter what and had been through a lot together, bonding us in ways that I am so thankful for today.
While we ended up coming out of the conference tournament with a championship, a trophy, and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, my favorite memory from that weekend was not the dogpile at the end of the match (although that was fun!), but it was the night before the championship. On Saturday, we came together in one room and wrote encouraging notes to one another, sang songs (some singing better than others), and took a step back from the tournament to hang out with our best friends for one of the last travel nights of the season. The night ended with lots of hugs and full hearts, ready to win a championship the next morning.
While the weekend was capped off in the best way possible, that Saturday night stands out to me because it captured the essence of Rice Volleyball and Rice Athletics. Rice Athletics is a family, a support system, and a home. The relationships I formed at Rice have shaped me into the person I am today, and I am so thankful for the wonderful women I was given the opportunity to play with because they are what makes Rice athletics memorable and a place I will always hold dear to my heart.
Where Are They Now
Since graduating from Rice in December 2018 I have started graduate school at Baylor University's Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas where I am pursuing my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) with a concentration in sports ministry while also working as the volunteer assistant coach for the Baylor Women's Volleyball team. After graduation, I want to become a sports chaplain at a university where I will be able to help minister to student athletes to help them grow in their faith similar to how I was challenged and grew in my own faith during my time at Rice.
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