Carolyn Steger started playing basketball as a kid and had dreamed of playing in college. It never crossed her mind that one day she would be playing volleyball for Eastern Michigan University.
Now a sophomore middle blocker for the Eagles, Steger still remembers why she chose volleyball instead of basketball.
“Whenever I was younger, I played basketball a lot, and I wanted to play basketball in college,” Steger said. “But then, as I went into high school and all that I really started to like volleyball better, and I liked that it’s more of a team sport.”
What was it about volleyball that made Steger drop basketball? The fact that it gives everyone a chance to get involved.
“I like the energy that our team has when we play volleyball a lot and I like that it’s a team sport and that everyone’s included in every play.” Steger said when asked what her favorite thing about volleyball is.
The Wexford, Pa. native graduated from Pine Richland High School where she was a three-year letter winner. Steger was voted the team captain and MVP her senior season after leading her team to a seventh-place finish in the 2008 state finals.
Upon completion of her senior season, she was named first-team All-Section, first-team All-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League and to the All-Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
state team.
Steger considered schools like Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Jacksonville and East Tennessee State before settling on EMU.
“I really liked the team and the coaches here,” Steger said when asked why she chose EMU. “I liked the volleyball atmosphere and I liked the campus and the atmosphere that was on campus.”
In her freshman season with the Eagles, Steger played in 14 matches. She put up a season-best six kills against DePaul University on Sept. 18, 2009 following it the next day against Sacramento State with anothersix kills and three blocks.
“She brings a positive attitude, a big block and she helps in the back row; she’s very encouraging,” teammate Cassie Sowers said of Steger. “She does what she wants and she doesn’t try to put on a front, which allows for her chemistry to flow easier on the court.”
Steger was red-shirted her sophomore season. However, she has already played in 10 matches, making six starts this season. She has put up 22 kills and holds a .246 hitting percentage. Steger has also had eight blocks.
Steger, of course, loves to play volleyball under any circumstances. But the fact she can play with her teammates makes everything from practice to game day to road trips, more enjoyable.
“Probably all the players,” Steger said of her favorite thing about this Eagles squad. “Everyone gets along really well; it’s kind of like having 13 sisters. I just like that everyone gets along, everyone’s always there for each other.”
In her spare time, Steger enjoys reading, hanging out with her friends and shopping, especially at American Eagle. Sowers said Steger “owns every article of clothing at American Eagle.”
She also enjoys keeping up with her favorite NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers — very fitting as she is a product of the state of Pennsylvania.
If you’re driving on the roads of Ypsilanti you might want to watch out for Steger, seeing how she admits to never taking driver’s education. Pennsylvania does not require its citizens to take the course, just pass your road test and you have your license, so maybe there’s not too much to worry about.
