Tera Lobdell didn’t think she had an accent. But when the tall, soft-spoken Minnesota native came to NIU her freshman year, she found out otherwise.

“I didn’t think I had one, but everyone makes fun of me because I talk really slow, I guess,” Lobdell said, laughing.

But when the 21-year-old senior steps onto the volleyball court this season, no one is making fun of the fact she is about to become the most prolific scorer in NIU volleyball history.

Tera Lynn Lobdell began her volleyball career in the fifth grade in Plymouth, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities.

“Volleyball is pretty much the only sport I can play besides badminton,” Lobdell said. “In 5th grade, I was tall and really skinny, so I had the volleyball frame.”

The 6-foot-1 outside hitter quickly put any insecurity behind her and established herself as a force in prep volleyball. As a senior at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, she racked up 479 kills, 394 digs, and led her team to a 32-0 record and a state championship.

After a stellar prep career, playing Division-I college volleyball was the next logical step for Lobdell. But it was not that easy.

“I was always close with my mom and leaving home was not easy for me,” Lobdell said. “So I wanted to go somewhere close to home and where I would play right away.”

Since coming to NIU Lobdell has led the team in kills every year, including an NIU season record of 492 her junior season. Along the way, she earned MAC Freshman of the Year and three selections to the All-MAC team. Lobdell, who has 1,194 career kills, is 290 away from breaking Amber Howard’s 1998 school record. However, records have not been forefront in her mind.

“I really haven’t thought about it,” Lobdell admits. “I hope I can accomplish that. I personally don’t think about it, but my grandpa tells me how many I need left and he follows up on it.”

NIU coach Ray Gooden said the accolades are well deserved.

“Tera is a great attacker and she’s shown that from year to year,” Gooden said. “It will be a great moment when she does break it.”

Now in her senior year, Lobdell sees herself as the leader of this year’s squad.

“She leads by example,” said junior setter Marie Zidek. “She isn’t the most vocal person, but speaks with actions. Tera is intense in her own way.”

Lobdell plans to graduate next fall and move to Arizona with her parents and get a job. Her departure will not go unnoticed.

“I will thank Tera for letting me coach her,” Gooden said. “I didn’t recruit her, so she could have very easily turned off to me. But she’s accepted a lot and she’s had a successful career. It would be nice for her to cap it off with another MAC championship and a first round NCAA win as well.”

“She will be hugely missed, on and off the court,” Zidek said. “The friendships we’ve all developed, it’ll last a lifetime.”