To my former volleyball coaches,

As I finish my collegiate volleyball career and look forward to my future in the sport of volleyball, I have had some time to reflect on the amazing coaches I have had.

Growing up with parents as coaches, I naturally wanted to play their respective sports, which were tennis and basketball. Looking back, I think that fact may have expedited the process in my choosing volleyball, a sport they knew virtually nothing about. I quickly realized my parents would be coaching me in the same thing for the rest of my life, and it had nothing to do with which sport I chose to play: work hard, be a good teammate, and be coachable athlete. My mom, a female college tennis coach in a field dominated by men, never let me believe myself incapable of anything.

To Heather Moskal, my former club coach and now great friend, who made me play six rotations and told me that I would be a six-rotation outside at a big university if I worked at it: When I was a kid who did not embrace failure in practice or games, you made me incredibly uncomfortable but you cared about your players so deeply that I trusted you. Thank you for believing in me.

To Ziva Blackmon, an upperclassman my freshman year and current high school coach: Thank you for playing over me. To me, before that experience, I had never found it difficult to be a good teammate or accept my role on a team. The way you coached me my freshman year, even if it meant I would play over you if I started to get it, was where I truly learned the meaning of team first. 

I will never forget a moment that happened during my freshman year in our Sweet Sixteen matchup with Illinois. We were being subbed in and out for each other all match. Every timeout and every opportunity we had we were coaching the other one on what shots could work or if there was any open area of the court. I learned so many different volleyball skills from you my freshman and sophomore year because I always considered you an amazing coach, but what I take away from my time playing with you was a selfless confidence that you had in yourself and in others.

To Caroline Knop, my current teammate and a future coach: You make everyone around you so much better. When you transferred from Michigan to Florida there was an increase in every stat I had from my sophomore to junior season. While a lot of that could be credited to another year in the college game, I know that so much of it was because I was playing next to you. You were everyone’s favorite person to be paired with in a spring individual because you were so good at demonstrating, but even better at making people understand why you were so good at something. 

I don’t know another libero who would come into the outside hitter individual just because I'd told her that I was frustrated and wanted to come in and work on something with her over the weekend. There is an endless list as to why I know you will be an incredible coach one day, and when you do have your first “official team," every person who has ever been on a team with you will understand how lucky they are.

Finally, to Mary Wise: I have no words for what it has meant to be coached by you and the rest of the staff at Florida. You led me to the University of Florida, which has been the greatest decision of my life. Since day one on campus you were there for us and made us a part of your family. Whether it was grabbing breakfast together or me wandering up to your office to ask a question, you always made time for your players and wanted us to all know the value we brought to the team. 

The word “mean” is used to describe coaches quite often. I've never felt that way about you (okay, maybe a few times my freshman year). Mary is tough, competitive, and strong. She’s also empathetic, caring, and a trailblazer. It is clear to me that she works to make sure that players who come through her program leave as capable, confident, and strong women. After all, we are led by an extremely empowering woman in Mary Wise — some pretty good footsteps to follow if you ask me. 

At the end of the season our seniors did quite a few press conferences, all talking about Mary and our group. People continuously told me, “Wow, it just seems like playing at Florida has been an absolute dream.” 

Well, of course it has. 

But what you don’t hear in those press conferences is the hard days, the days when you don’t feel confident or very strong, the days when you couldn’t do a single thing right and stop believing in yourself. Thank you, Mary, for believing in me on those days. Thank you for not allowing me to settle in anything I do. Thank you for the days where I left the gym mentally drained and exhausted. Thank you for slowly raising the hurdle from my freshman year in every aspect of life. What I appreciate most is how you allow everyone to grow into the best version of themselves, whatever that may be. There is no cookie-cutter Florida volleyball player. We come from all walks of life and embody the power of the woman next to us, just like our head coach.

To young athletes reading this: The reason I included former coaches and teammates is because whether you are playing with someone for one club season or for four years at the highest level, there is something to learn from every teammate and every coach you have. The moments I remember most from playing volleyball are not the easy days, but the days where I had to really work. Embrace those moments and embrace those who are there to make you the best possible version of yourself.

Sincerely,

Carli