Bringing the leadership

Coming into her senior season, Robyn Keune expected to finish how she started but with a new coach and team, her focus has changed

By Angelite Caudillo
The Collegian

Entering the 2005 volleyball season Robyn Keune has seen many changes in the game at Fresno State but has yet to change her positive attitude.

Keune entered her senior year as a setter on the team expecting things to be the same as in previous years.

“Coming in a senior you expect to have everything down,” Keune said. “You have a system and know what to expect,”

Instead the 2005 volleyball team had to adjust to a new coaching staff.

Ruben Nieves was hired as the new Bulldog volleyball team head coach in January 2005 and brought assistant coaches Matt Terra and Fernanda Habiger. As the former men’s head coach at Stanford from 1991-2001, Nieves has an impressive coaching record of accomplishments.

Nieves has been impressed by Keune’s work ethic.

“Robyn is a very reliable player,” Nieves said. “She’s going to fight and provide leadership. She’s a competitive and driven young lady. What team doensn’t want that?”

Her work ethic extends into her studies. During her career, she has been a three-time Fresno State Scholar Athlete.

As a liberal studies major, Keune said her senior year on the team has been a big adjustment and change to the new coaching staff.

“You’re a freshman all over again,” Keune said. “You don’t know what to expect and you don’t know what to do.”

The main adjustment was getting use to the new coaching staff’s strategies.

“It’s taken awhile but I think we’re all finally together,” Keune said. “We can’t really think about adjusting anymore, about adjusting one way or another, it’s time to go, it’s go time.”

The Bulldog team is seeing a lot of change with a large incoming group of 12 newcomers to the team. Two players from the 2004 team have transferred but the Bulldogs still have nine returning players.
“I really love Fresno,” Keune said, “I’m happy I stayed because I like the area.”

The fan base is one reason why Keune says she stayed in Fresno as well as her teammates.

“We have really good fan base here, and my team,” Keune said. “I just really admire their dedication to the sport,” Keune said.

Keune says the biggest change is adjusting to the new coaching styles and different things they emphasize on from the previous coaching staff. She said the new staff is not so time demanding and she likes the fact that they put emphasis on other things being important.

Having played volleyball for so long Keune hopes her senior year is everything she always thought it would be.

“I’ve worked my whole life for this year,” Keune said. “It was my dream for so long and now here I am at the end of it.”

Keune has learned many things from the changes in the volleyball team this season. She said she has learned a lot about having patience and about life as well.

“Unexpected things happen and you just have to make the best out of everything, and not always find fault in things,” Keune said. “I’ve learned that you have to try to stay positive, no matter how silly that sounds sometimes.”

In her hometown of Ventura, Keune was a four-year varsity starter for the volleyball team at Ventura High School. She was Who’s Who in American High School Sports as well as team captain and MVP her junior and senior years.

Keune has made her mark in the Bulldogs’ record book since her freshman year at Fresno State. In 2005 she will look to become the fourth Bulldog to eclipse the 3,000 assist plateau and will come into the year ranked No. 5 all time with 2,304 career assists.

Keuen is also ranked No. 4 all time in school history for assists per game and is six assists shy of No. 4 spot all time for career assists. “I’ve played volleyball for 8-9 years now,” Keune said. “And this is the finale.”

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