Krista Dill

Caught in the everyday swirl of her volleyball swan song, as well as

the demands of being a student-athlete at one of the nation’s

preeminent academic institutions, Duke University senior Krista Dill

is thankful not to have much time to ponder hypotheticals.

But, with just five regular-season matches remaining in a 10-year

career that began as a reluctant seventh-grader, Dill, the Blue

Devils’ 6-foot-3 middle blocker and co-captain, is quite sure that

the imminent end to her playing days will change her life in ways she

has not yet begun to fathom.

Similarly, the former Newport Harbor High star admitted she could

not have imagined life without the on-court commitment that has

consumed her ever sine she stopped dreading and began relishing club

volleyball practice.

“I have mixed emotions [about the season, and her career winding

down],” Dill said by phone from Durham, N.C., where the Blue Devils

have fashioned an 8-15 record, 4-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“Volleyball has been an integral part of my life for 10 years. It’s a part of who I am.”

Dill, as well as those who knew her before her parents dragged her

to her first club practices, believe volleyball -- and a notable prep

track and field career -- have mined personal attributes that have

hastened her transition to adulthood.

Dill calls the process a total metamorphosis.

“I was really shy and I was one of those kids who very much liked

my alone time,’ Dill recalled. “I never was one to put myself out

there, but volleyball forced me to do that. Once I saw I enjoyed the

sport and that I had potential to be good, if I worked hard, I felt

like it was definitely something for me.”

Dill began focusing the competitive drive that has always helped

her excel in the classroom to the volleyball court. And, driven by

demanding coaches, such as Newport Harbor’s Dan Glenn, it wasn’t long

before the seeds of her budding athletic success flowered into

confidence, both on and off the court.

“My true nature is to be introverted,” she said. “But volleyball

changed that.”

As her athletic skills and coordination caught up to her tall

frame, Dill, along with fellow senior April Ross, helped lead Newport

Harbor to a CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title, as well as the

CIF State Division I crown in the fall of 1999.

As a senior, she was first-team All-CIF Division I and the MVP of

the Division I state tournament.

In the spring of 2000, she repeated as Sea View League champion in

the shot put and discus, then went off to Duke to face yet another

challenge.

And while there was an adjustment, both to campus life and the

faster pace of major-college volleyball, Dill said she was very well

prepared to immediately join the fray.

“Coming from the programs I had come from, I was used to going all

out and I was used to coaches pushing me,” she said. “I knew being a

freshman, it would be difficult to get playing time. But I tried to

play confidently and aggressively and just hoped things worked out.”

Things worked out fine. She was named ACC Rookie of the Year,

All-East Region and led the team in attack percentage and blocks

(146).

She continued to sparkle as a sophomore, helping Duke win the

conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament, where it

was eliminated by USC, featuring Ross, in the opening round. Once

again, she led Duke in attack percentage and blocks and was named

All-East Region and second-team All-ACC.

As a junior, she was second-team All-ACC, led the team in hitting

percentage and was second on the team in blocks.

This season, she leads the team in blocks (137) and hitting percentage (.289), and her 243 kills rank second on the squad.

And while she would love to have seen more victories, she said a

stronger schedule -- a reflection of the program’s growth under

fifth-year coach Jolene Nagel -- she is proud to have been a part of

Duke’s improvement.

“I think it has been a steady upward climb from my freshman year

to my senior year,” she said.

A psychology major, Dill said she is on schedule to graduate in

the spring and she plans to use her markets and management

certificate (the equivalent of a business minor) to find a position

in the business world.

She also sees volleyball somewhere in her future, whether merely

as a recreational activity, or as a coach on some level.

“[Volleyball] has given me an awesome opportunity,” she said. “It

has been such a privilege to be an athlete here at Duke.”