SAN ANTONIO -- As the University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team competes in its spring season, uiwcardinals.com caught up with a few of its student-athletes.
 
Autumn Lockley | Junior | OH | Leander, Texas
 
Q: Why did you choose to attend UIW?
A: I chose UIW because it was really the only university in this conference that decided to give me a chance as a front row attacker. Other schools thought that I was too "small". Also, when I visited the campus I immediately fell in love. I thought that it was so beautiful and I enjoyed that it was a small campus.
 
Q: What has been your favorite part about the spring season so far?
A: My favorite part of the spring season is that we practice every week day. I feel like spring is the time that everyone develops and finds their voice/roll on the team. I feel like individually, and as a team, we get so much more out of practicing every day and constantly doing activities in practice and getting constant reps.
 
Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned in the spring season so far?
A: I've learned how vital communication is to click as a unit. This is something we have lacked for many years and it shows how much we have grown and how much we will continue to grow as a team.
 
Q: What are you most looking forward to for the 2018 fall season?
A: I am looking forward to making my last season the best one yet. The team culture has completely changed and we really are a family. This year is the year that I will never forget no matter where we go during the season. I'm most excited to play alongside my best friends and see all that we can accomplish now that we're all on the same page.
 
Emily Waller | Sophomore | OH/RS | Houston, Texas
 
Q: Why did you choose to attend UIW?
A: I chose UIW for many reasons. I loved the feel of a small campus and how it was so easy to get to all of my classes. Also, the location of the campus is amazing! It is so close to so many things, and San Antonio itself is awesome. The sizes of all my classes are, on average, 20 people, which is great because it's really easy to make friends and your professors actually know who you are.
 
Q: What has been your favorite part about the spring season so far?
A: My favorite part of the spring so far has definitely been the new coaching staff. I feel like I have improved so much in just a short amount of time and I'm getting a lot of great, and much needed, support. I feel like the new coaches really care a lot about us and genuinely want us to succeed.
 
Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned in the spring season so far?
A: The biggest thing I've learned this spring is to pay attention to detail, on and off the court. The little things make the biggest difference. It doesn't matter if it has to do with volleyball or if it has to do with school, it's all about taking pride in your work.
 
Q: What are you most looking forward to for the 2018 fall season?
A: I'm really looking forward to seeing how the team as a whole performs. I know we all have really high expectation and are really excited to see what the future holds for us. I think if we keep working hard and keep improving at the rate we are right now, we will be conference champ material.
 
Alyssa Carlin | Freshman | DS | Pflugerville, Texas
 
Q: Why did you choose to attend UIW?
A: I chose to attend UIW for many reasons. Not only did the university meet everything on my wish-list for a university to be a student at, but also to be a student-athlete. UIW has a great academic reputation, and the alumni from UIW are always set for bright and successful futures. UIW also has such a strong, family atmosphere, and when I was on the campus for the first time, I knew I could see myself here for some of the most important years of my life. Looking from a student-athlete perspective, I chose UIW because I was able to live out my dream of playing Division I volleyball without being overwhelmed or overlooked in a huge university. UIW definitely felt like the best fit for me and my future as a Division I student-athlete.
 
Q: What has been your favorite part about the spring season so far?
A: My favorite part about the spring season so far has been attending spring tournaments. Although it is great being able to scrimmage each other in practice, having another team to play against allows us to show everything we have learned in the spring thus far. Showing off our talents and everything we are capable of in the spring gets the team especially excited for the upcoming season, and it makes us even more anxious to keep working hard and to get better.
 
Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned in the spring season so far?
A: I have learned so much about the game of volleyball, both in my skills and how I am as a player on and off the court, but the main thing I have learned is that our team has so much fight and grit to be the best that we can be - there are no limits to the goals that we can achieve. We have been pushed to limits we did not know were possible, yet we've conquered them with our determination and passion for the sport that we play. I think the biggest thing I have learned is that our team has no end point; our performance as a team has increased tremendously and we will only continue to grow to be the most successful that we can in order to leave a legacy for UIW volleyball.
 
Q: What are you most looking forward to for the 2018 fall season?
A: Personally, I am looking forward to showing how much we have worked in the spring for this upcoming fall season and leaving it all on the court. I truly think we can leave a legacy as a team and prove many people wrong. I am excited for using this upcoming season as a way to prove that UIW volleyball is a team that has the passion and fight to make history.
 
Imani Stewart | Freshman | MB/RS | Mansfield, Texas
 
Q: Why did you choose to attend UIW?
A: I chose UIW because of the proximity to my hometown. Incarnate Word is close enough to home, but still far enough away. My aunt also attended UIW when UIW was ICC!
 
Q: What has been your favorite part about the spring season so far?
A: My favorite part of the spring has definitely been getting our new coach. She has brought in a new vision and has even hooked us up with some awesome new gear.
 
Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned in the spring season so far?
A: Better time management because our schedules demand so much. It is important to be proactive.
 
Q: What are you most looking forward to for the 2018 fall season?
A: I am looking forward to continued hard work with our team and to be in contention for a conference championship!