More Court Time, Same Attitude For Senior Condie
November 08, 2015 | Volleyball
By Allyson Ahern
SEATTLE - Stories abound in college sports of the fifth-year walk-on finally getting in for the last play of the final game, getting a moment of glory for all their hard work behind the scenes. Fifth-year senior defensive specialist Kim Condie may have thought she'd be destined for a version of that, having appeared in just 18 sets over four years backing up All-America honorable mention Jenna Orlandini for three years and then 2014 Pac-12 Libero of the Year Cassie Strickland last season.
Happily for Condie, this fall has given her much more than just a token serve here or a late substation in a Husky win there. Coming out of Moraga, Calif. in 2011, Condie redshirted her first season to save a year of eligibility. In the three following years, her role was mainly checking in to serve and helping close out wins, along with doing everything she could to make the Huskies better every day in practice, of course.
But this season, Condie has played an integral role in the third-ranked Huskies' on-court success, appearing in 58 out of a possible 77 sets so far (and 22 of 23 matches), and recording 64 digs and six aces when her career totals entering the season were eight digs, and no aces.
“It's nice to be given the opportunity finally,” she said. “It's obviously great to be out there and know that what you're doing in practice is really important, but it's also nice to have that hard work pay off and get to play in games.”
Condie even got to start a pair of big home matches this season against the Oregon schools, hearing her name shouted out in front of several thousand Husky faithful. However, being in the starting lineup and running onto the court at the beginning of the match wasn't what was important for her. Instead, Condie focused on how she was impacting the team.
“It's really based off of what our coaches are trying to do as far as the matchups,” says Condie. “It's not really so much about who is starting but the reason why. So it's awesome and it's fun but in the end it's whatever is best for the team.”
With so many returners on the team, Condie didn't know what to expect going into the season, but she knew she would be ready for her opportunity when it came. Not having played in many high-pressure matches, she still felt prepared to step in. Condie was already well adjusted to playing at such a high level because of her five years with the program.
“I'm kind of at a point where I go in and I'm just trying to make plays for my team,” she explained. “It's not about you and what people think you're doing. I think just having that maturity as an older player makes it a lot easier.”
The culture of the Washington volleyball team is another element that prepared Condie for success. The coaches preach that every practice mirrors a game-like environment. That way, everything she does in practice translates to the way she wants to play on the court.
“It's not really so much about who is starting but the reason why. So it's awesome and it's fun but in the end it's whatever is best for the team.”
Head coach Keegan Cook, who has known and coached Kim since she was a 13-year-old club player in the Bay Area, was quick to bring up how far she has come as a player and the kind of impact she has made.
“Kim has grown quite a bit,” says Cook. “I think she is easily the most mature student-athlete I know in terms of just taking care of every aspect of her life. It's like having another coach on your team. She's phenomenal.”
Condie's impact as a leader is also something Cook said was clear this year. In the past few seasons, she has been someone her teammates could rely on in that leadership position. Her steady role as a defensive specialist this year has only made that grow stronger.
The increase in playing time has “given Kim a lot of confidence,” says Cook, “but most of all I think Kim plays hard. A great quality to have is that people like playing with you. And that's the way Kim is.”
As she approaches the end of her last year in college, her future career is clear. An accounting major in The Foster School of Business, she earned an internship this summer with Ernst and Young, and worked at their firm in downtown Seattle. This internship led her to a job offer at the firm, which she will start next year.
Right now, volleyball isn't in her future plans. But playing for so long means it isn't something she can easily let go. At the moment, she hopes to keep it in her life as long as possible by helping the Huskies make a run towards a national championship.
