Anderson, Gardiner Get Most Out Of Year As Dawgs

The one whirlwind year as Huskies is coming to a close soon for Kimmy Gardiner and Jordan Anderson. Both native Texans, the two took very different paths to the top of Washington's beach volleyball lineup this spring. Anderson started her collegiate career at West Virginia before transferring to UCLA where she was a standout both indoors and on the beach. Gardiner had a stellar indoor career for Oklahoma but had little experience in the sand. The two then both found themselves in Seattle for fifth seasons, to pursue a Master's in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership, while on scholarship just for beach volleyball.

The two trained in the fall with UW's two other beach-only players, Anna Crabtree and Chloe Newton, while finding spots within the department. Gardiner worked with the Tyee Department and fundraising, while Anderson worked with social media and event management. When the beach season began, the two found themselves teaming up together at the No. 1 spot for the Huskies, and they have gone 13-10 on the year against some of the best teams in the NCAA. The two will lead Washington into the Pac-12 Championships starting this Thursday at Stanford.

GoHuskies: How did you first hear about the IAL program and how did you learn more about it?
Kimmy Gardiner: Once I had decided I wanted to play a fifth year of beach volleyball, I had gotten in contact with (former beach head coach) Jonathan (Winder) about the UW program and that is who gave me more information about the IAL program. It sounded like a perfect fit for what I wanted to do and a great opportunity to earn my masters in one year.

Jordan Anderson: I first emailed Jonathan to see if they even had a spot for a fifth year before I started looking at the majors that they had, and he said he had a spot and that actually two of the girls were doing this program, so I thought sweet, that's what I want to do, a sports management and sports administration type of thing. Then after that he put me in touch with Jess who is in charge of admissions for IAL.

GoHuskies: How did you come to choose your specific area within the department?
Kimmy Gardiner: I applied for areas around UW that I thought I would gain the most experience and learn the most. This department stood out to me because I did not know as much about donor relations or the fundraising parts of athletics so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to learn. I also have had a really great time doing special events and gaining experience in that realm.

Jordan Anderson: I met with Jimmy Bowen, who did IAL and used to work with the volleyball program so he knew my name and he walked around and introduced me to probably twenty people in the office. Social media was the one that I didn't know anything about, so I chose that because I knew I'd have the most growth. That's a field that is growing with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, and so that's why I chose that, but I also wanted to work in event management because I love basically throwing parties. So I wanted to work with Heidi Bush (Assistant Director of Events & Big W Club Engagement) and Karen Baebler (Assistant AD for Sport Operatiosn) to make this trifecta dynamic work. I've been so busy and I think I've grown so much at all these different aspects and feel pretty well-rounded now.

GoHuskies: What has been the most fun part of the IAL program?
Kimmy Gardiner: My favorite part of the IAL program has been my cohort and the network I have gained from being in it. I have gotten to know so many different people and have learned so much from my classmates (especially when we are together 6 hours a day for 8 weeks in the summer). It has been a really great experience to go through this whole year with this group.

Jordan Anderson: Just the events that I've gotten to go to. The football and basketball games. My days have been extended because I would have so much stuff; I would do pregame parties, in-game social media, then post-game interviews and stuff, so just being around sports has just been the best part of this program.

GoHuskies: Is working in athletics something you think you'll pursue after this?
Kimmy Gardiner: Ideally, yes I would love to say in the area of athletics (whether it be college or professional). I have been surrounded by sports most of my life and enjoy being a fan, working and competing so it only makes sense that I continue after graduating. I also have had such a special experience as a student-athlete at two great universities, and want the opportunity to give that same experience to athletes after me.

Jordan Anderson: Definitely. I don't know if I want to do collegiate or professional. I love throwing parties so if I had to go outside of athletics and just dabble in that I would be interested, and I'm also super interested in wine. I love learning about the process of how it's made and everything. So those are three areas I'm looking into.

GoHuskies: Talk about getting to know each other over the year and building chemistry with each other on the court.
Kimmy Gardiner: Our chemistry was pretty automatic on and off the court. It was super helpful to be able to play and practice together all of fall season. She is also one of my close friends here in Seattle and because of that we have been able to transfer that into volleyball. It has been an interesting transition from indoor to beach when it comes to building chemistry with your teammates because it is so important to be on the same page as your partner in beach since it is only the two of you.

Jordan Anderson: Kimmy and I outside the court just bonded immediately. On the court it's been more just helping her get up to speed on the beach. I've only played for two more years, but beach is a game of experience, so two years over someone is a lot of touches and a lot more experience. On the first day of practice, she told her friend Marion Hazelwood that there's no way she'd ever be able to play with me, and now obviously we're partners, so she's worked really hard to get up to speed. Now it's just communicating with each other and working with each other.

GoHuskies: What impressed each of you about the other's game?
Kimmy Gardiner: Jordan's knowledge of the game is something that really stands out to me. She sees the court extremely well and then can execute almost every shot in the book. She has been a huge help in improving my game because of how well she communicates what is going on.

Jordan Anderson: I was very impressed with Kimmy. From the first practice where she was passing balls super tight, because she was used to indoor and using her hands, I wish she had another year of eligibility because I'd love to see how much she grows over time.

GoHuskies: Are you looking to play professionally overseas at all?
Kimmy Gardiner: As of now, I am not planning to play professionally. I have been so thankful for everything volleyball has allowed me to do (travel, receive an education, gain friendships), but am ready to see what the next step is.

Jordan Anderson: Probably not. I don't know, I think I'm done. I'd like to play, but I'm going into an industry that's so competitive and I don't want to get behind. I can't play volleyball my whole life so I probably will just focus on getting a job and just playing a bit when I can.

GoHuskies: Do you think you guys are ready to make a run at Pac-12s?
Kimmy Gardiner: I definitely think we are ready to make a run next weekend at Pac-12s. We have only kept improving as a team and we know we are capable of doing good things at the tournament. UW volleyball has a way of peaking at the end and I am confident we will compete well next weekend.

Jordan Anderson: This is a perfect little bit of weather to get us prepared, a little windy. Last year, Washington went in and nobody even really knew they had a beach program, and they shocked everybody. This year we've had a few more upsets, and we're a little more on the map, so people are expecting us to be good, but I think we're still going in as an underdog as a No. 6 seed. I think we can still do some damage on these teams.

GoHuskies: How much Husky gear will get mixed in with your Sooner and Bruin and Mountaineer stuff?
Kimmy Gardiner: As for my post-collegiate wardrobe, I think I will mix in lots of Dawg gear with my Sooner stuff!

Jordan Anderson: My family loves West Virginia basketball, that's our team. Honestly, UCLA athletics I support everything, but I'm more into the Olympic sports, like gymnastics just won NCAAs. But UW Football is probably going to be my main team from now on, for sure! A little bit of a mix of all three teams.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Jordan Anderson

Anna Crabtree

Kimmy Gardiner

Chloe Newton

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