Oh, the difference a year makes.

Last season, Kalina Powell, a libero on the Golden Eagles volleyball team, only played in seven sets, primarily as a substitute server. This season, the redshirt freshman has been on the court for every match, anchoring the team's back row and providing defensive stability.

"We had a veteran senior libero and she was amazing, so my role was essentially practicing, getting good reps," Powell said of her first season at the collegiate level. "On the court, I was a serving sub. She [the senior libero] got hurt for a week, so I filled in for her for a game. Outside of that, it was just whenever my number was called."

"This year… [has] been a big transition, going from not getting as much playing time last year to playing every single match this year. It's been a lot of fun."

Coming out of high school, Powell realized she needed to "up her game" to be successful on the college court.

"For me, personally, the transition from high school to college was a lot more than I was expecting," she observed. "I went to a very small school [Brockway High School in northwestern Pennsylvania]. We never really played bigger squads. Coming here the pace was faster, everyone was hitting and serving the ball harder. I took a lot longer than I was expecting to make that adjustment."

"My teammates and my coaches were very patient with me and just allowing me to get rep-after-rep until it became muscle memory. I used every rep to my advantage and I worked really hard in the spring because I knew if I wanted to make this transition it wasn't going to be easy."

Noted head coach Jennifer Herron, "When she got to us, one of the goals was getting her more comfortable with the pace of the game and changing positions from outside hitter in high school.

"One of the big physical changes for her was we needed her to get stronger to withstand the level of training that we do here and to be more aggressive with her feet, how she pushed to the ball. She needed to get into the weight room and put on some muscle and increase her speed and body control.

"She's come a long way from [last] fall compared to where she was toward the end of the spring. She didn't have a lot of experience in the weight room, but it was a place she embraced. She's really put on a good amount of muscle. You can see [the results by] just the way she moves on the court. She's got way more control of her body and now she moves more aggressively."

A Biology major with a Pre-Medical Science concentration, Powell takes a fairly heavy courseload, balancing academics and athletics with the help of her professors.

"My professors have been great since day one of class," said the aspiring orthopedic physician's assistant. "I let them know that I'm on the volleyball team and what classes I'm going to miss [traveling for competitions]. A lot of professors will post their notes for anyone who's missing. If it's just me, they sometimes just send them, which is super helpful."

"During their consultation hours, they've been super helpful in allowing me to come in and ask lots of questions. It's really nice of them to allow me to come in and get the extra help when I miss."

Powell chose Clarion not just because it was relatively close to home (approximately 30 miles southeast of Brockway), but also for the team atmosphere.

"Our culture is amazing, the way our team interacts with each other, the way we're driving each other to be better," she relayed. "Our coaching staff is just incredible. I wanted a coaching staff and a team that I knew would be super supportive and yet still really competitive. Coach Jen [Herron] and [Assistant] Coach Jon [Strub] are just absolutely amazing."

Coach Herron elaborated, "While in our program, the goal is to provide each student-athlete with a path to grow as a person and leader. We allow them to solve problems and build around their personal and team goals while still working toward the greater good of the program.

"Kalina has embraced growth. She is always one of the first girls in the gym each morning to get extra reps" - the team practices at 6 a.m. – "and has really grasped that the true magic lies with the mundane reps that essentially lead to self-trust in the tasks that you are performing [passing and defending]."

Through the demands of being a student-athlete – the early morning practices, a full courseload and optional workouts throughout the day, and study sessions later in the evening – Powell strives to live in the moment. In team parlance, "to be where her feet are."

"Every morning the team gets together [before practice], no coaches, and it's just us talking about how we're going to practice. We say 'be where your feet are.' Mentally, we're 'don't escape the gym, don't think about later, try not to get in your head, don't spiral. Mentally, just be there and be present.'

"It's truly a great reminder. We say it a lot. I try to live by that. It's a great saying and I'm really glad that we have it."