Growing up in Southern California, Fresno State volleyball player Zana Bowens wanted to continue playing collegiate sports somewhere that was close to home.
Bowens’ first sport was basketball. Growing up basketball was her love, but then she realized at a young age that volleyball was going to be her sport.
“Every sport I’ve ever played growing up, I mimicked my sister. She played basketball; I played basketball,” Bowens said. “Then I saw her playing volleyball and saw how fun it was, so I decided to start playing it. I started playing volleyball at 10 and just kept with it, and it led me here.
Bowens graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School where she lettered four years in volleyball leading the Jackrabbits to a final team record of 39-3. The two-time captain led her high school to the 2011 CIF Championship her senior year.
Bowens received an offer from Fresno State to play volleyball and knew it was the right fit.
“Fresno is really close to home, and I really enjoyed the coaching staff,” Bowens said. “The community and the vibe that everybody has and the support we get from the community here is huge.”
The senior outside hitter really broke out last season a part of her junior year. Playing in all 32 matches, 119 sets of action, she finished the year leading the team in kills with 356, service aces (41), points (413) and double-doubles (15).
“She has done a lot for us in the last two years,” head coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell said.
As for this year, Netherby-Sewell is expecting big things from Bowens and knows her leadership is key to the Bulldogs’ success this year.
“She has to step up. She is a very confident player. She knows the system really, really well,” Netherby-Sewell said. “She just likes to kind of just do her thing and be confident in what she does, so she’ll make a big impact.”
So far in her senior season, Bowens is once again at the top in kills and knows that her play is important.
“Everybody looks up to us as seniors because we’ve been through it,” Bowens said. “My goal this year is to get better every day, keep working hard and enjoying the moment. It’s my last season so I’ve just got to take it all in.”
Tuesday night was Bowens’ last home opener as a Bulldog. Excited to be back on the home floor for one last opener, Bowens knew that she couldn’t let that moment slip away.
“I was just trying to embrace every moment and just live in the moment,” she said. “It was good, exciting, and I was just playing hard and working hard for my team.”
The senior will look to lead her teammates en route to a Mountain West Conference championship this year. She plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in sports administration and possibly a fourth Academic All-MW honor. Bowens hopes to one day work in community relations for a basketball team.
