DeKALB | Meg Wolowicz, sophomore volleyball middle blocker, said sports have always played an integral role in her life as she grew up playing basketball, volleyball and threw shotput in track and field.

Wolowicz began playing for the Huskie volleyball team in 2015 and is from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The team just won its third consecutive Mid-American Conference Division title.

Atlee Hargis: You’re a multi-sport athlete. Have sports always been a huge part of your life?

Meg Wolowicz: Pretty much. Ever since we were very young. My parents just put my sisters and me into sports; something to keep us very involved with each other and keep us active.

We did literally everything from ice skating and golf to tennis and swimming. We really did try it all, and I think that really has helped me to become the person I am.

Hargis: With all those different sports you’ve experienced, have you been able to take something from them and apply it toward your play in volleyball?

Wolowicz: I think each sport really brought something different. The sports added on a new character and trait. You really have to be very open-minded when you try a bunch of different sports.

As much as sports in general are similar, they are very different as well. I learned patience from some and that really helps in volleyball. I think that playing sports makes you very well rounded.

Hargis: I’m sure you had a lot of school choices with how many sports you played. How did you settle on NIU?

Wolowicz: I had to pick what sport I wanted to do first, and volleyball just found its way into my life, and I stuck with that. NIU really became like another family.

I really saw that through the recruiting, which is a really stressful time. I went to a string of camps in the summer of my junior year. I was home four days in July because I was going everywhere to experience the coaching staff and what they’re like.

NIU was my first camp, and every single camp I went to I was like “oh, but NIU has nice facilities. NIU has a great coaching staff. NIU makes me feel like I belong.”

Hargis: You’re majoring in rehabilitation services. What drew you to that field of study?

Wolowicz: I chose NIU because it has a lot of different majors. I was wishy-washy coming in; I didn’t really know what I wanted. I just knew I wanted to help people.

I want to go into rehab services to help people with hearing impairments and people who are deaf and that’s a really good way to go into working as an occupational therapist.

I was in a sign language group for a number of years and really enjoyed that. Senior outside hitter Mary Grace Kelly has a brother who is deaf. Meeting him and doing some research really clicked in how interested I was in the field. No matter what I’m doing, I want to be able to help someone in some way.

Hargis: What about volleyball beyond graduation?

Wolowicz: I hope to play overseas first and get into coaching.

Hargis: What are the opportunities available overseas?

Wolowicz: A lot of different countries in Europe have different levels you can play at, just like in the United States. Going overseas and playing is a good way to get yourself exposed to what else is out there.

You can bounce around from team to team. It looks very good when you’re trying to come back and get a coaching position. Playing in college and overseas shows you have experience.

Hargis: You came in as a freshman, started every game and made a huge impact leading the team in blocks. Were you expecting that kind of a breakout season?

Wolowicz: No. I didn’t expect I was going to be playing at all. I honestly had no idea.

You go through practices and work very hard. I thought, “wow! senior middle blocker Jenna Radtke is very good; I can’t compete at that level.”

That’s definitely how I felt last year. You go through preseason thinking, “this is tough.”

College volleyball is very different from high school. The first three weeks are very eye-opening.

We’re here on campus alone with just volleyball. Assistant coach Matt Sprague told me there was a 95 percent chance I was starting.

It didn’t sink in because I was thinking, “I’m still just a little freshman right now.”

It took a long time to get adjusted to the team because they’re very experienced and compete at such a high level.

It was really an honor to play as a freshman. I really didn’t expect to get the playing time that I did. Each opportunity was a new experience and it was amazing.

Hargis: What was the most shocking thing about transitioning from high school to the collegiate level?

Wolowicz: The hardest part was understanding how much faster the game is, because in high school, the sets are very high or inside. If you’re late, you can get to them, stuff like that. It’s very, very fast here and we try to run a quick tempo. Practicing against the other half of the team, running drills, I felt so overwhelmed. Learning Ray’s type of communication is very different. Sometimes he doesn’t talk and just whistles, and I won’t even know what he’s saying. It took a really long time for me to know that it was all right to ask for help and tell him I didn’t know what was going on. He was really good with working you in, making the transition smooth.

Hargis: What is the difference between an outside hitter and a middle blocker?

Wolowicz: As a middle blocker you tell people blocking schemes and you need to point out where the hitters are and see the court really well, as everyone does. That’s really hard to do coming in when you don’t know the calls. You have to be able to block all three positions which is pretty tough; you have to work very hard. Blocking is such a huge part of the game, it’s your first line of defense. Any touch we can get on the ball helps our back row players out. Blocking is not easy, I struggle with it still.

Hargis: Your stats suggest otherwise, but it’s good for an athlete to want to be better.

Wolowicz: As an outside hitter you get a lot of the balls that are out of system and you’re expected to be able to kill the ball even if its five feet off the net or even if it’s shot down. I give a lot of props to the outside hitters because they work very hard and have to play defense. Middle blockers, we block, but we don’t really play in the back row. Outside hitters are in the whole game, whether they’re hitting in the front row or the back row or playing defense or blocking. They’re both equally hard, I think.

Hargis: You, more than anyone else here, have perhaps the most emotional reactions when playing. Has that always been a part of your game?

Wolowciz: I think so. I saw what I could do to help my team with my reactions. My mom and dad talked to me, telling me that I can do something special with the way I react. So I decided to do something productive with it. I could see it a little more as I got older. If I’m very happy and upbeat, it helps people out and makes people enjoy the match. It’s very cool to see people be happy and it’s a way for me to relieve stress. I don’t think about it as doing something on purpose, but if I’m helping out in a positive way and making others happy, that’s all I want.

Hargis: I guess the only concern is knocking [senior libero] Paige [Dacanay] over.

Wolowicz: Paige is so fun. It’s so fun being on the court. She’ll come up and let you know it’s all right to celebrate a block or a kill. Playing and just being able to cheer is something I love.

Hargis: How much have your two upperclassmen middle blockers, [Radtke] and Lauren [Zielinski], been able to help you?

Wolowicz: I can’t put into words how much they’ve been able to help. Even senior right side Bri Horwath and Kelly too. The four of them have really made a big impact on my life. I play a couple of rotations with Radtke, she has so much advice to give. Even if it’s just asking her to do something again to see if I can put something she does into my game. She just knows so much and can see the court so well. Having Lauren there too, she’s a very witty person.

I’ll be on the court thinking I have no idea what to do and she’s like “we’re good, don’t worry about me, do your thing and we’ll be good.” We work very well together. It’s so awesome to have the four of them next to me and able to support me. I honestly couldn’t ask for better upperclassmen to be with us because they’re making such a difference.

Hargis: You guys travel to a lot of big schools. What’s it like to go from Wisconsin to all of these places?

Wolowicz: It’s a very eye-opening experience. I’ve never been to Hawaii, and we got to go this year. I watched the sunrise every morning because it was so pretty. I got to go to Washington D.C. I’ve always wanted to go to Washington D.C. The monuments were sweet; we got to go inside the Pentagon. I grew up in a decently small town in Wisconsin, and I’m getting to expand what I see and I couldn’t have done that without volleyball. I wouldn’t have it any other way and these girls are my second family. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

Hargis: With the MAC tournament being held in DeKalb this year, that’s got to be a nice advantage, right?

Wolowicz: What’s so special about playing here at NIU is how small the gym is and how close we play to our fans. If we play in the bowl it’s like all of the other arenas we play in. It makes a difference. The fans seem so far away in other arenas. When all of the bleachers here are full, it’s a very comforting feeling, being here in this gymnasium.

Hargis: You’ve only just begun your journey here, but have there been any moments that stuck out to you as being particularly memorable?

Wolowicz: Last year when we played Iowa, that was a great match for us. It’s not necessarily a specific match, but the feeling after we beat Bowling Green, it wasn’t a great match for us, but we won the conference. We were so happy and together. What’s really memorable to me is the feeling and interactions with the team.

Hargis: What are your hopes for your future here as a volleyball player?

Wolowicz: Winning the MAC tournament is a huge one. This year specifically, it would be really cool to win the regular season title again because we have such a great group of people to do it with. That would hopefully lead into winning the tournament. That would be one of the biggest highs I’ve ever had and that would mean going to the NCAA tournament and that’s my dream. In the future, I’d like to step into a leader spot, learning from our seniors now to do that.