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
Ryan Tubongbanua / The
Collegian
With a new coaching staff,
most of setter Robyn Keune’s teammates last year left the
team but Keune wanted to finish her career in Fresno. “I love
Fresno. I’m loyal to Fresno State.” During her career,
Keune has amassed enough assists to be the fifth all-time leader
in school history. |
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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