Oct. 1, 2002
On Thursday, Georgia Tech junior volleyball player Kele Eveland, this week’s ACC Player of the Week, dropped by to take questions as the 23rd-ranked Yellow Jacket volleyball team prepares for some key home conference matches this weekend against No. 11 North Carolina and Florida State.
For a list of upcoming ESPN.com chat guests, visit the Community section.
Larry Jones: My daughter is 2004 and looking at G Tech as a potential school. What are the 3 best things about the program.
Kele Eveland: (11:28 AM ET ) 1. The coaching staff collecticely is the best I’ve played under. 2. The team: we share a mutual goal to have fun and work hard 3. We revieve amazing support by our athletic department
swarmee (Atlanta): What’s your favorite play as a setter: the setter’s option, quick set to the middle, or slide to the outside hitter?
Kele Eveland: (11:30 AM ET ) My favorite play is to jump set and make the blockers on the otherside jump, and then I set my middle really quick so they can pound a ball with no block!
swarmee (Atlanta): Has the new libero position (with skillful play by Marisa Aston) enabled you to get better passes for which to route to the outside hitters?
Kele Eveland: (11:31 AM ET ) The libero position is a great addition to the college sport. Marisa has done a great job this year leading our defensive system.
hometownfan: what gives your team and you the motivation to keep focused to win? Do you think the athletic department supports you and other female athletes?
Kele Eveland: (11:35 AM ET ) Regardless of the opponent, our team continues to show a passion for the game. On the court, you can feel a desire to work hard for your teammates and our coaching staff. Our athletic department is extremely supportive toward our team and other female athletics here at GT. It is so great to see so many staff memebers attending our games.
Marysville, Washington: I am seriously considering playing D-1 volleyball in two years and am hoping you could answer two questions: 1) What do you like best about the coaching staff and players at Georgia Tech? 2) Given the hard work and time it takes to play D-1 sports, if you had to do it all over again would you? Thanks for your time and gook luck this week!!
Kele Eveland: (11:38 AM ET ) Our coaching staff are first respectable people which makes it easy to want to work hard for them. They ae great teachers of the game and really know how to motivate. The Team is a family and you can really feel the sisterhood among the bunch. We laugh and joke, but come game-time, we know how to get down to business. As far as playing a D1 sport again, I would do it ALL over again in an heartbeat!
Kelly from Honolulu: Hey Kele, good luck this weekend. What team do you see as being your hardest competition this year?
Kele Eveland: (11:41 AM ET ) One neat thing about the ACC is that every team is competitive, so you cannot overlook any teeam in our conference. I think our biggest challenge will be staying focused every point of each game and maintaining the passion we have. As far as teams we’ve played, Northern Iowa had a very solid system and was a tough opponent for us.
Troy Baker (Atlanta): Kele, I caught my first match this year tailgating for the BYU football game. You guys had an incredible come from behind win over Alabama. How confident is the team towards winning the ACC and eventually becoming a National Power? Thanks and good luck the rest of the way!
Kele Eveland: (11:45 AM ET ) I think it’s great for our team and conference to recieve national recognition. Our team is confident in our ability to play well and our coaching staff does an excellent job of keeping the team focused on the journey and not the outcomes. Our coach stresses that if we have fun and work hard, the success will come.
Mike (Michigan): with so much volleyball and schoolwork to do, do you ever have time for anything social, like going on date?
Kele Eveland: (11:48 AM ET ) Hey Mike,
During season I don’t have time for much of a social life because volleyball and school are a big focus.
Bill (Atlanta): Which team do you most want to beat?
Kele Eveland: (11:51 AM ET ) For a Michigan girl like myself, beating Michigan State already this season felt great. I’m looking forward to playing UNC and Duke this year as well.
ID: Is volleyball is much fun as people say it is? It looks kinda boring to me.
Kele Eveland: (11:52 AM ET ) If you ahve a chance to come see a GT home game in Okeefe gym then you will see how fun volleyball can be.
Jessica (Atlanta): Hey Kele. What do you think are going to be the most important factors in beating a team like UNC. Last year, I think you guys split games, both winning at home and this year both teams are nationally ranked. What are going to be the differences and how are you going to prepare for them?
Kele Eveland: (11:53 AM ET ) UNC is a tough team. I think the outcome will cme down to who can pass the best and who can play the best defense. This year we are taking more of a focus on our side of the court rather than worrying about what they are doing. This weekend should be fun!
Michelle (Atlanta): How much time does the team put into practicing per day and what are your average practices/workouts like?
Kele Eveland: (11:56 AM ET ) We practice for three hours a day when we do not have a match. In the weight room we lift twice a week for about an hour a session. Our workouts are fun this year because we’ve been doing a lot of circuit training.
Joe Connell (GT): Is there anything else we (your fans) can do at games to make O’keaf a bigger home court advantage? Go Jackets!!
Kele Eveland: (11:58 AM ET ) Joe~
Our fans are great!…best in the ACC hands down. We love the support! Keep it up!
Leslie(Douglasville): I’m a setter and I was wondering what are some good drill to help me with my sets?
Kele Eveland: (12:01 PM ET ) Consistancy is huge for setting. I recommend taking a ball and doing little sets against the wall. By doing this, you can try and aim for the same spot on the wall. Wall sets gives you instant feedback.
Michael: Is there one impact player on your team that you know you can’t win without?
Kele Eveland: (12:04 PM ET ) What’s great about our team is that everyone has a role and understands their impact to the team. We need everyone to be successful at thier job and our team will have success.
Aileen (Oakland, CA): For all the high school players out there who might be interested in Georgia Tech, what are your favorite things about the Georgia Tech volleyball program and what makes it stand out from other programs around the country.
Kele Eveland: (12:09 PM ET ) I tell all of our freshmen that are here and new girls that ae comming here next year that if I had to do it all over again, I would come to GT in an heartbeat. Our coaches are great, honest people and they know about the game. It makes it so easy and fun to work in the gym because you have a desire to work for the coaches.
Chris (Atlanta): Are you looking forward to breaking the school record for assists?
Kele Eveland: (12:12 PM ET ) My goal this year is for my hitters to be successful. If they excel that makes me feel good. Adrea Nachtrieb had a great career here and her record will be hard to beat. But as long as our team is having fun and my hitters keep doing well, then I’ll be happy.
Boiling Springs,S.C.: How much of a factor was Tech’s location when you made your college choice ? Looking forward to another ACC Championship . My young daughters really look up to the women at Tech as role models .
Kele Eveland: (12:14 PM ET ) Being from Michigan, I wanted to get away from the cold and I’ve always loved big cities as well. Georigia Tech was an easy choice to make as far as location because it offered both….warm weather year round and a city where there is always something to do
Steve: You are one of the most intense competitors I’ve ever watched. How do you prepare for matches and maintain your level of intensity?
Kele Eveland: (12:18 PM ET ) I refresh my memeory with plays that will be successfull prior to the match and visualize myself setting the correct ball. As far my intense playing, there is just something about competition that I turn into a different person…it’s fun.
Kele Eveland: (12:20 PM ET ) Hey guys – I have to run to get ready for our practice this afternoon……thanks so much for all the great questions – i had fun chatting with you all.
Make sure you come out and watch us play No. 11 north carolina on saturday at 8 p.m. and then fsu on sunday at 3 p.m. this weekend!
look forward to seeing our great fans this weekend!
Bye!
Go Jackets!
