KUTZTOWN, PA (October 15, 2010) – Megan O'Connell is a human phonebook and social butterfly. Lindsay Confer tells a great story about picking corn. Nora Alexander can't keep a secret. Jamie Celia is the rock of the group. Kelsey Nester is quiet.
Kutztown University women's volleyball head coach John Gump will celebrate the memorable careers of O'Connell, Confer, Alexander, Celia and Nester Saturday afternoon before KU battles East Stroudsburg at 2 p.m. in Keystone Arena. The Golden Bears host Lock Haven this evening at 6 p.m.
During preseason camp, the KU volleyball seniors sat down with Sports Information Director Rob Knox over lunch at the South Dining Hall. It was a great time as every member arrived on time. Once the story telling started, the tidal wave of memories and the flood of emotions came rushing through like a river during the 30-minute lunch over chicken sandwiches, French fries, salads and pizza.
They have spent more time around each other the last four years than they have with their own families. One finishes another's sentences, they can communicate with just a look, and they are the leaders of the KU volleyball team. They also have built spotless reputations and are role models.
Of course, the group had one special request and that was to remove all of the plates of food off the table before taking any pictures. They were just getting warmed up. What follows is a transcript, edited for length and clarity, of their conversation: a celebration of their careers, their successes, their memories, but mostly their friendship.
Throughout this stroll down memory lane, Gump shares his thoughts about each senior.
GUMP ON CELIA
“When I recruited Jamie, the intention was to have her take over as a setter eventually. It became apparent rather quickly that she was most valuable to us as a libero. She is one of the best ball handlers in serve receive I have ever coached and she is a real weapon for us behind the service line. There are nights when you can see players on the other team want no part of trying to receive her serve. Her ace record will most likely stand for a long time. Jamie's a local kid I have known since she was about 12. I've had the pleasure of watching her develop in the sport and it's been great to have a front-row seat to see her become such a talented player and see all she has accomplished.”
What do you all remember about meeting each other for the first time?
Lindsay Confer (Wingate, PA/Bald Eagle): Some of us knew of each other and we played against each other a lot in clubs and winter tournaments. I hit Jamie in the face and that's how we met.
Jamie Celia (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone): I don't remember where it was at.
LC: It was the York Expo. I hit her in the face because she was playing defense and she was setting. And then another one of my teammates hit her in the face after that. Then I asked her to come to Kutztown.
Nora Alexander (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh): I didn't know Jamie until we met during preseason and the second I met her, I made the decision I was going to hate her. I immediately made the decision that this is somebody I am not going to get along with. Now, here we are; we've roomed together three years in a row and we're rooming together this year again.
Megan O'Connell (Horsham, PA/Hatboro- Horsham): Lindsay and I live across from each other. We're very different. She used to stare at me. I'd be doing a teammates' hair and Lindsay would be sitting over there giving me dirty looks.
LC: I would be so mad because I wanted to shower first because I was so sweaty and Megan wanted to shower so that she could get all dolled up and go out and hang with the football players. We didn't hit it off but now we get along great.
NA: Kelsey was mute during practices and didn't say a word.
MO: I never really knew Kelsey was coming here and I always heard this guy screaming in the bleachers. It was Kelsey's dad.
Kelsey Nester (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua): I didn't know anybody plus I was 17 at the time. But once I started to get know the girls, I became really comfortable.
GUMP ON ALEXANDER
“Nora came to Kutztown as a walk-on. Her club coach recommended her highly and said she was a 'great kid' and I wouldn't regret giving her a spot on my team. True and true. Nora worked very hard to improve her skills and ended up earning a good deal of playing time as a sophomore. We made a change in our offense the following year that resulted in fewer opportunities for defensive players. To her credit, she continued to give the same effort at practice every day even though her chances to compete during matches were greatly reduced. Most kids would have quit. I have a great deal of admiration for Nora for staying committed to the program and finding other ways to contribute. She has become a leader and her experience has been beneficial to our younger players.”
Describe each other's personalities
JC: Nora has diarrhea of the mouth and word vomit.
NA: I am outgoing. When people first meet me, they think I am mean. I don't know why.
LC: You come off really intimidating.
NA: That's funny because once you hear me talk, hear my nasally voice and see me tripping on the court over nothing, I am not that bad. Kelsey used to be the quiet one and now around us she's very open.
KN: I am not quiet on the court though. I yell a lot.
LC: When Kelsey gets a kill, you know she did, but Megan is definitely the most social of the group.
JC: Megan knows everybody. If you can get to a famous person through six people then that's Megan.
MO: If anybody wants to know anything about somebody, then give me three phone numbers, a Facebook message, a friend request and 15 minutes. Then I will know what you need to know.
KN: She's definitely the social butterfly.
LC: Jamie is a little silly and pretty happy.
NA: Not to sound all sentimental, but Jamie's a good friend and a rock.
JC: Aww, thanks guys.
LC: Jamie's definitely emotional.
NA: I said 'I love you' to Jamie one night and she came in my room balling her eyes out. I was like what is wrong with you?
JC: I was going through problems.
NA: Which, I didn't know at the time and I just said I love and she just comes over and she just had all these tears.
GUMP ON NESTER
“One of my best memories of Kelsey is her as a 5'6 middle hitter during her first year in the program. What she gave up in size she more than made up for with speed and it was fun to watch her frustrate bigger players who were unable to keep up with her. She's battled injuries throughout her career and while she plays with pain almost every day, she never complains or uses the injuries as an excuse. Kelsey is very quiet away from the court. It's such a contrast to her on-court demeanor, which is intense and she plays with a great deal of passion. She leads by example.”
How would describe your bond in one word?
MO: If you took our personalities a part, then you probably think we wouldn't be friends. If we weren't members of the volleyball team, then we probably wouldn't have picked each other as friends.
LC: Meg's not the type of person that I would be like 'I got to go meet her friends.'
JC: Kelsey, Lindsay and I were in my car going to my house and we were having a conversation about Megan and Nora and they were like I wouldn't be friends with either one of them. It was just honest and hilarious.
LC: We've seen each other at our most vulnerable points and we all understand things about each other that nobody else does.
NA: We've been through a lot since we've been here. There were 11 of us who came in together, now it's just us five as the remaining survivors.
KN: It's unique.
JC: An everlasting bond.
NA: The name of the article should be “The Survivors”
GUMP ON CONFER
“Lindsay has exceeded what I expected she would give us when she came into the program. She has become one of the best all-around hitters we have ever had. She is strong enough to overpower people and can play at any tempo, but she also has an array of shots that allows her to find open spots in the defense. Lindsay has also worked very hard on her ball handling and defense and has become a reliable player in both areas. She is an extremely focused and determined student and has high expectations for herself. It's been nice to watch her open up quite a bit over the past few years and let people see her personality. I really think she is enjoying herself more this year than during any other season in her career.”
What are you going miss about each other?
JC: Here come the tears.
LC: I am going to miss Megan's stories. She is definitely a storyteller.
MO: I didn't know what a corn picker was and they had to explain that to me.
LC: I was raised completely different than anybody here.
KN: I am going to miss nail-painting parties. We had them when we lived in Golden Bear South.
LC: I am going to miss Megan. Her life is so easy to keep up with. It's like culture without having to go anywhere.
MO: Lindsay would give us fun facts every morning at 6 am and it would be the most useless information.
JC: I am going to miss Nora. I know we'll always talk. She's a friend that I know I'll have for a really long time. If I need a shoulder to cry on, I know she'd be there for me.
NA: Please don't make me cry.
KN: I'll miss Nora because she's like the entertainment of our team.
MO: We all have different things going in our life. I met Drake this summer through my internship at Wired 96.5 in Philadelphia and I was always out on the scene.
LC: I don't know who Drake is. What does he sing?
MO: “You're the Best I've Ever Had.”
GUMP ON O'CONNELL
“Meg also made our team as a walk-on, learned our system, worked hard and played a significant amount her second season. She also saw her opportunities to compete drastically reduced after our system change. Meg has made her commitment to our program a higher priority than her commitment to having her personal needs met. That attitude is rare and I greatly appreciate Meg's willingness to continue to work hard and contribute in other ways. I have seen Meg demonstrate a great deal of personal growth during her four years here. She has found her niche academically and has become an excellent student.”
Gump sent O'Connell a nice text message after she made the Dean's List.
The quintet have an unbreakable bond that was forged by the 5:30 a.m. practices, the intense battles with Shippensburg, the hilarious nail-painting parties, the delicious meals they've shared with each other through four memorable years.
There are plenty of matches remaining following this weekend. The Golden Bears want to earn a home game and reach the 20-win plateau. It'll be a perfect finish to their memorable time at Kutztown. The future holds plenty of promise for each student-athlete.
Confer wants to attend medical school. Celia wants to teach. O'Connell is looking forward to becoming a publicist. Nester eventually wants to open her own spa after completing massage school. Alexander would like to be a detective or work for the FBI.
“It's been an amazing experience being here at Kutztown and I wouldn't trade it for anything,” Celia said. “We've had our ups and downs, but they've made us stronger. I know we'll continue to stay in touch with each other even after we leave here.”
Confer added: “We all have a lot of friends outside of volleyball, but when it comes down to it, we definitely value each other's opinion more than anybody else.”
--KU--
