Traveling all the way into the middle of the country, at William Woods University in Missouri, Koloa’s Heather Roberts wanted to make a name for herself by distancing herself from the Hawai‘i contingent and although she accomplished that, her volleyball
Traveling all the way into the middle of the country, at William Woods University in Missouri, Koloa’s Heather Roberts wanted to make a name for herself by distancing herself from the Hawai‘i contingent and although she accomplished that, her volleyball teammates won’t let her forget where she’s from.
“My nickname from my teammates is “Hawai‘i” and they always ask to come home with me,” Roberts said.
The senior setter has been starting for the Owls since her freshman year, where luck became her greatest ally.
“I came into my freshman year not knowing where I would fit in and then our starting setter got injured and I was there to fill the spot and the rest is history,” Roberts said.
The former Kaua‘i High School standout in volleyball, basketball, and tennis garnered a plethora of honors while at William Woods, which is in the American Midwest conference (AMC).
Roberts was named to the AMC Acadmenic All-Conference team, AMC Setter of the week (3 times), 2002, AMC All-Conference First Team, 2002 AMC Academic All-Conference Team, Region V Setter of the Week (2 times), and 2001 AMC All-Conference Honorable Mention.
As in high school, Roberts credits prioritizing academics over athletics as a key to her success.
The Communication/Sports Management major wants to further her career in graduate school with the goal of becoming a volleyball coach at the collegiate level.
Academics isn’t where the buck stops for Roberts, as she has the experience from U.S.A. Volleyball to back up her high academic skills.
For two straight summers (2003, 2004) Roberts worked with the U.S.A. national squads, setting up interviews, taking photographs, writing for U.S.A. Volleyball’s, Rotations magazine, and writing various feature stories.
“It’s a cool gig because I get to hang out with some of the best volleyball player’s in the world,” Roberts said.
With the attributes that would make any parent proud, Roberts remains humble and gives the credit to her parents (Rich and Peggy) for helping her through every step of the way.
For Roberts, the potential meter has no limits and with her hard work and determination, the sky’s the limit for this Red Raider-turned-Owl.
