Bobby Martinez – Sports Writer
NEW HAVEN — She was an all-state, All-Conference, All-Area selection at Cheshire High schools and helped her team win four division titles, two conference titles and two state semifinal appearances. Sophomore outside hitter, Kelly Gunneson, will be a key player for the next two years for Southern Connecticut’s women’s volleyball team.
As her time as Cheshire High School was coming to an end, Gunneson had accomplished numerous achievements under her resume where in fact drew numerous schools trying to recruit her. In addition to her volleyball achievements, Gunneson was a four-year selection to the All-Academic Team, a member of the National Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta National Honor Society. Not only was she dominate in sports, she also ran in track and field as well.
Gunneson said she had numerous schools wanting to recruit her but she chose Southern due to their academics
“The College of Saint Rose,” she said, “NYU, Central CT State University, and Quinnipiac were also recruiting me. I chose Southern because it has a strong education program and is close to home. I also had a great experience on my visit.”
Gunneson was born in New Haven, Conn. and currently resides in Cheshire, Conn. She is currently majoring in mathematics but she said she would also like to someday take up a coaching position.
“My current major is mathematics with a concentration in secondary education,” she said. “I want to help students develop their mathematical skills to their highest potential and would also like the opportunity to coach.”
It was the time she had started middle when she begun playing volleyball. Ever since, she said, she played in every league possible.
“I started playing volleyball in 6th grade,” she said, “through my town’s recreation department. I played on my middle school team and started playing on the varsity team as a freshman at Cheshire High School. Outside of my high school team, I played on a 17s and 18s junior national team through Connecticut Juniors in Woodbridge.”
In her freshman year, Gunneson played in a total of 68 sets and finished the season with 94 kills and 44 digs. Her team’s season ended in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament semifinals, where they lost 3-1 against the University of New Haven. She calculated five kills and two digs and her team finished the season with a record of 24-11.
Gunneson is a player who does a lot of the playing field. She said she tries as hard as she can to help her team win every game possible no matter what it takes to do so.
“I am,” she said, “a very versatile player being able to play all of the front row positions. I am also a team player who is willing to do whatever the team needs to be successful. This, along with my love of the game, helps my team to perform to its best level.”
Heading into her sophomore year, her team was facing the final year for seniors Jade Black, Lauren McVey and Sarah Beres. Gunneson had saw much more playing time where she was apart of 109 sets and finished sixth on the team with 89 kills. The team overall finished with a record of 17-13 and headed into the offseason with a mindset on getting better for next year seeing that their captains were gone.
Since the return from winter break, Gunneson said her team has already started training for next season in both the gym and off the playing field as well.
“We have already gotten back to work since first week back to school,” she said, “with lifting and conditioning practices. We will begin our spring season in the beginning of March where we can start to focus on improving as a team on the court. Through this and participating in team bonding and community service events, we will be fully prepared for next season.”
Recently, Gunneson was awarded a spot on the NE-10 All-Academic team. She said she is proud that all her hard work from juggling both volleyball and academics has been acknowledged.
“It is a great honor to be picked for the Northeast-10 All-Academic team. It is nice to be rewarded for all the hard work that I put into studies and volleyball.”
As a full-time student athlete, she said she has done a good job in balancing her studies and sports so far. She said she had already developed a routine when it comes to time management and that has helped her to be able to do so well.
“I,” she said, “have developed good time management skills that allow me to give 100% in both areas. So I am doing well with managing both school and volleyball.”
Even though she is fully committed on being a student athlete, Gunneson enjoys her free time to relax most of the time but she still tries to be a part of the game as much as she can.
“During my free time,” said Gunneson, “I like to hang out with my friends and watch movies. Also, I coach volleyball at Connecticut Juniors for freshman in high school. I enjoy doing it and find it a great way to give back to the sport and help to make others love the game as much as I do.”
It’ll be hard to keep a player such as Gunneson away from the sport of volleyball because she is always trying to find ways to get better. She said there are numerous reasons why she loves the game so much and to her it’s more than just physically playing, it’s also a mental game.
“I enjoy playing volleyball so much because it is a fun game,” she said, “You have to work together as a team to be successful. The elements of strategizing and working with your team make the game more enjoyable.”
