Carey leaves court with 1,000 digs and lasting impression

Carey leaves court with 1,000 digs and lasting impression

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Web Editor

Courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

When the Quinnipiac volleyball team hit the road for its last two games of the season against Robert Morris and St. Francis (Pa) on Nov. 12 and 13, there was more on the line than a couple end-of-the-season NEC games.  At the beginning of the road trip, senior Kelby Carey (Surfside Colony, Calif.) was only two digs away from reaching a career milestone of 1,000.  With her five digs in the game against Robert Morris, Carey surpassed this goal, ending her college volleyball career with a whopping total of 1,003 digs.

Despite the hype that comes along with any individual achievement, Carey managed to keep her mind on the game at hand, not even realizing her record until the final point was recorded.

“After the game, a couple of my teammates congratulated me, and I felt such a sense of accomplishment,” said Carey.  “I didn’t realize I had reached a 1,000 until after the game because I was so focused.”

Carey finished this season fourth on the team in digs, scoring 165 in 29 matches played, averaging 1.74 digs per set.  With that, coming into her final season, she was well aware that such a feat was within reach.

“At the beginning of the season I made it one of my goals to reach 1,000 because I knew it was definitely possible,” said Carey.

In spite of this statistical goal in the back of her mind, it is clear that this season has been more than just boosting numbers.  Carey is well aware of the relationships that volleyball has provided her with, particularly the ones with her teammates and head coach Robin Lamott Sparks.  Sparks has been at the helm every year that Carey has been at Quinnipiac, having just finished her fifth season coaching the Bobcats.

“These past four years have meant a great deal to me.  It has been a pleasure to work with both Robin and Ron [Sparks], and it seems like just yesterday I was just a freshman,” said Carey.  “I am going to miss all of my teammates immensely because they are like a second family to me.” 

Even though it’ll be hard to leave after a successful run, Carey could not have done it on a better note. 

“It was a great way to end the season knowing that I had accomplished one of my goals for this year,” she said.  “As a senior, you want to be remembered for all of your hard work, and I feel like I have achieved that.”