Do you have a specific routine before each game?
I do. Just before a match, I run through a checklist of everything I need – hat, sunscreen, glasses – and then I get onto the court and do certain shoulder and leg stretches, footwork (exercises), and then April and I pepper before we warm up (for the match). We do it before every match, so at the end of the year, you’re thinking, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I have to do this again, but it’s very structured and very good.”
What goals did you set for yourself as a young volleyball player?
The first goal that I can remember was to make the team in eighth grade, and I made the third team. At the end of my sophomore year in high school, I realized that I could be decent and could maybe get a (college) scholarship. I set a goal to play volleyball in college and get my education paid for, and I made that happen.
What are your biggest distractions? Well, when I’m at home, it’s probably
my friends. And food that I shouldn’t be eating. It’s very difficult sometimes not to eat four slices of pizza. April and I aren’t quite as regimented about nutrition as some other teams. We give ourselves a slice of pizza here and there or some chocolate. But it’s in moderation. Another distraction for me is TV. I just gave up TV for lent, which is really hard. (Laughs) But I’m so productive now, so that’s nice. And, of course, boys. My boyfriend (Andy Ces) can be a distrac- tion because I like to watch his matches and I’m worried about him when I really should be just thinking about myself. But I think it’s good to have distrac- tions. Without them, life would be a little boring.
Have you ever been dumped by your partner? If so, how did you react?
I have been dumped, and it is a busi- ness, especially when you’re a professional player. You try not to be emotional about it; women for sure are more emotional than men. When it comes to partnerships and be- ing dumped, women take it very personally, and it’s difficult not to. Rachel (Wacholder) dumped me after we got into, like, two finals in five tournaments, and the next year she said she wanted to play with Tyra (Turner), and I thought Tyra was a great player, but I thought I was a better fit for Rachel. I was
Do you play right side, left side or both? I started my career playing indoor. I was a left-side hitter, and then I moved over to the right side. On the beach, I started on the left, then went to the right, switched back to the left and then went back to the right for April. To be honest, I don’t really want to go back to the left side. I would like to stay on the right side. I think I’m a better right-side player.
left?
How about you? Do you play right or I play both. I think it’s better to be both so you
mad for a little bit, and then I got over it. I could have let it ruin my next season (in 2007), but as it turned out, I got to play with April and I won my first international tournament, so you have to turn it into a positive.
How do you take criticism from your partner? I think my partner takes more criticism from me than I do from her since I’m the older player. (Laughs) But actually, April and I have a unique partnership. We don’t fight too often; it’s very rare. I think we’ve only gotten into an argument twice in six years, which is huge. With other teams, it sometimes happens weekly and every game. So I think we’re really lucky. I criticize myself harder than anybody else does, and she does the exact same. So I don’t have to say anything because she’s so tough on herself that she already knows if she messed up. Really, what I do is say, “Oh, I could have set that better,” or “I could have dug that higher.” I think about what I can do to help her out rather than saying, “Oh, you’re messing up.” If you don’t play the blame game, then there’s not a lot of criticizing.
Do you have a saying that you live your life by? “Live, laugh, love” is probably the one that best describes my mantra in life. I love to goof around. I love to laugh. I love to be in love. I love my family. And I love to live and travel and experience new things.
can be more flexible with your partners. That’s true. Very wise.
Which do you like better, indoor or beach? I think you should answer that first.
Which do you like better? Beach.
That’s my answer obviously, too. It’s just more peaceful outside. One thing I do love about indoor vol- leyball is the team aspect of it. I loved the girls on my team. But I was to a point where I wanted to be my own boss. On the beach, I get to pick my partner. I get to pick my coach. I get to travel around the world. I’m the one who has to make sure I get in the gym, and I’m the one who has to make sure I practice. I really love that responsibility after being told what to do for 20 years.
What’s the best advice you were ever given by
a coach? Well, the best advice was given to me by Jerritt Elliott, who is now the head coach at the University of Texas. He was a graduate assistant coach when I was at USC, and he said, “You have to play beach volleyball. You have the style for it.” Each year he would push me and make sure I was playing in the summer, and he would do two-on-two drills in practice, and I would always win. I think him having that confidence in me pushed me even more into the beach.
What’s one thing you currently do that makes you successful in vol- leyball?
BIG TIME DEFENSE: Kessy won the 2009 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship.
The first thing that makes me success- ful in volleyball is the amount of time I put in and what I do with my time. My practices are two to two-and-a- half hours, and I make sure during that time that I’m trying one 100 percent and that I don’t have a bad attitude, regardless of what may have happened before practice. And then I go right to lunch – I have
a very healthy lunch – and then April and I go work out in the same gym. We both push each other really hard, so that hour that we’re in there, I feel like I’m dying half the time. I really try to be as productive as pos- sible each day.
And what’s something that makes you suc- cessful in life?
In life, I try not to take things too seri-
ously. You’ve gotta be serious sometimes, but you also have to be able to laugh at yourself and have fun.
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 35
PHOTOS: PETER BROUILLET
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