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Outside Hitter
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gopher Spotlight: Adanna Rollins
10/7/2019 9:08:00 AM | Volleyball
With her freshman year behind her, outside hitter Adanna Rollins is entering her sophomore year with more experience and composure.
As a freshman, Rollins was able to make her mark with the Golden Gophers. She was an All-America honorable mention and was named Second Team All-Big Ten. As a team, the Gophers were Big Ten Champions and Rollins got to experience playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time.
Now in her second season with the Gophers, Rollins is embracing a new role within the team.
"I feel like I have more of a leadership role just because I can help the freshman out because I went through the same things they went through so it feels more comfortable," Rollins said.
Having already experienced a college volleyball season made the transition into her second year easier. She also had the help of the upperclassmen, who Rollins says helped her grow as a person.Â
Various opportunities over the offseason furthered Rollins' growth, including the Gopher volleyball team's trip to Japan in March. They played against the All-Japan Team that competed at the World University Games. Rollins says that the Japanese players had great skills and a different style of play, which allowed the Gophers to improve their play as well.
"It was just hard to get comfortable with how they play so we kind of had to really dial into what we do and really go back to the basics and then present that on the court," she said.Â
Rollins then traveled to Italy in July to compete with the U.S. National Collegiate Team at the World University Games.Â
"In Italy, I just really learned that every point matters," Rollins said. "These teams are so good. They have a lot of people that are older, probably going to play professional."
Playing volleyball in different parts of the world allowed Rollins to learn more about the game and herself as a player.
"Over the offseason it was just cool to get to experience that cultural difference and seeing how other people play volleyball and how much it means to them," she said.Â
Besides having more experience this year, Rollins also believes having new people on the team will differentiate them from last year.
"It's a different dynamic and I just think the connections are different and how we carry ourselves as a team," Rollins said.Â
Rollins is excited with what they've done so far as a team. The Gophers have remained ranked in the top 10 throughout the start of the season and have beaten other top-ranked teams.
"We've gotten some good wins and I'm excited to see where we're going to go."
The Gophers are now entering Big Ten play, and are sure to bring what they've learned from their nonconference wins and losses with them.
"I think this is a really good group so I'm just excited to see our growth throughout the season because I know that we haven't reached our peak yet," Rollins said. "There's just so much more that we have to give."
Feature written by Emma Henzi
Athletic Communications Student Assistant
As a freshman, Rollins was able to make her mark with the Golden Gophers. She was an All-America honorable mention and was named Second Team All-Big Ten. As a team, the Gophers were Big Ten Champions and Rollins got to experience playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time.
Now in her second season with the Gophers, Rollins is embracing a new role within the team.
"I feel like I have more of a leadership role just because I can help the freshman out because I went through the same things they went through so it feels more comfortable," Rollins said.
Having already experienced a college volleyball season made the transition into her second year easier. She also had the help of the upperclassmen, who Rollins says helped her grow as a person.Â
Various opportunities over the offseason furthered Rollins' growth, including the Gopher volleyball team's trip to Japan in March. They played against the All-Japan Team that competed at the World University Games. Rollins says that the Japanese players had great skills and a different style of play, which allowed the Gophers to improve their play as well.
"It was just hard to get comfortable with how they play so we kind of had to really dial into what we do and really go back to the basics and then present that on the court," she said.Â
Rollins then traveled to Italy in July to compete with the U.S. National Collegiate Team at the World University Games.Â
"In Italy, I just really learned that every point matters," Rollins said. "These teams are so good. They have a lot of people that are older, probably going to play professional."
Playing volleyball in different parts of the world allowed Rollins to learn more about the game and herself as a player.
"Over the offseason it was just cool to get to experience that cultural difference and seeing how other people play volleyball and how much it means to them," she said.Â
Besides having more experience this year, Rollins also believes having new people on the team will differentiate them from last year.
"It's a different dynamic and I just think the connections are different and how we carry ourselves as a team," Rollins said.Â
Rollins is excited with what they've done so far as a team. The Gophers have remained ranked in the top 10 throughout the start of the season and have beaten other top-ranked teams.
"We've gotten some good wins and I'm excited to see where we're going to go."
The Gophers are now entering Big Ten play, and are sure to bring what they've learned from their nonconference wins and losses with them.
"I think this is a really good group so I'm just excited to see our growth throughout the season because I know that we haven't reached our peak yet," Rollins said. "There's just so much more that we have to give."
Feature written by Emma Henzi
Athletic Communications Student Assistant
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