Bowling Green State University Athletics
Gothke is 'Glue' for Volleyball Team in its Race for MAC Title
October 18, 2006 | Volleyball
Oct. 13, 2006
By JESSICA AMELING, Sentinel Sports Writer - To Chrissy Gothke, it seems like ages since she walked into summer training as a hopeful freshman walk-on. Four seasons later the lone senior has led the BGSU volleyball team to a record-breaking start.
The Falcons have won 12 straight matches and are 16-2 overall and 6-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
An Anthony Wayne graduate, Gothke expected to walk on the team and be red-shirted her freshman year. Instead, her coach saw something special in the young player and decided to giver her a scholarship and let her play right away.
"When we got her in the gym, when we started doing our six-on-six competitions, her defensive play was like none that I had seen in years. She was just outstanding," BG head coach Denise Van De Walle said. "She's been playing since day one of her freshman year."
Her decision paid off in great dividends, as Gothke went on to set the school record for digs her freshman year with 497.
A natural athlete, Gothke has played every position on the court except middle hitter. She is currently setting and has become "the glue that holds the team together," according to her coach.
"If Chrissy's not on the floor we're in trouble," Van De Walle said. "She never comes out. Ever."
Gothke said it's hard to pick her favorite position, but she enjoys setting because she gets to touch the ball every possession and decide who gets the ball.
The 5-foot-10 finance and supply chain management major has put up some of her best performances in the games that count and is described as extremely competitive. She has been given the "competitor's award" by teammates every year she's been a Falcon. She attributes some of that to sibling rivalry, as she was constantly competing with her older sister while growing up.
Family is very important to Gothke, and is one of the reasons she decided to play close to home. Her dad's whole side of the family even lives on the same road in Whitehouse.
"My mom said she would go to every single one of my games if I was in Colorado or something like that," she said. "But it was just really nice to come here, and I have a huge family following to all our home games."
Although she also played on the Anthony Wayne state champion softball team in 2003, Gothke says volleyball has always been her "first true love." She never thought twice about playing in college.
"It never dawned on me," she said of making the decision to play. "It was just the next step."
And after finishing 18-14 last season and losing in the MAC tournament quarterfinals, Gothke said the next step for the team is to finish in the top three in the MAC and more specifically to beat rival Ohio University.
"Our team chemistry is unmatched by any other team," she said. "Some teams get on each other on the court and then hold grudges off the court, but our team definitely does not do that."
Individually, Gothke hopes to earn all-conference honors and average 12 assists a game. So far this season she's racking up the career milestones with more than 1,500 assists, 1,200 digs, 300 kills, 100 blocks and 50 serving aces. She ranks in the top 10 in kills and assists at BGSU.
Gothke said she is thriving on being the only senior on the squad and a captain for the second year in a row.
"I love it, it's definitely different," she said. "Last year I almost felt more pressure, it was a new role. I wasn't sure how to handle it and how the girls would take it, things I could say and couldn't say. This year it's kind of like old habit."
So old hat that it was hard for Gothke to think back to her freshman year when everything was new and intimidating.
"I feel like freshman year was so long ago, it was like a big blur. I felt like I was very quiet and kind of hesitant. College is so fast-paced from high school and so different."
But it's easy to see that Gothke made the adjustment without missing a beat.
"I've gotten more intense," she said. "I sweat uncontrollable. Playing more you go through so many mental games and ups and downs and I think it's definitely helped shape my character, seeing the big picture."
