In the U.S., there is a great appreciation for athletes. The appreciation is for their hard work, their special skills and their ability to entertain. Blackburn College has been home to an athlete who has been a leader since she arrived to play volleyball. Senior Marlee Lindstrom demonstrates excellence on and off the court. She is entering her final year as a collegiate volleyball player, but is leaving a legacy behind worth noting. Lindstrom now has over 1,000 career digs and counting.
Lindstrom’s position on the court is a libero, meaning she is running all around the court digging spikes, setting her hitters and keeping rallies alive. According to Lindstrom, prior to her arrival at Blackburn, she was used to winning often. However, the Blackburn Volleyball team has had losing seasons every year she has been attending the school. Every year she has had a new head coach and understands that it is tough to have consistency with a program. Enduring tough seasons at Blackburn, Lindstrom learned to lead a team that needed guidance when the team was always in transition. “I took it upon myself to make offseason conditioning schedules, make girls go to open gym and skill training,” said Lindstrom. She wanted to make sure her team was always ready to play, no matter what kind of adversity they may have faced. “I want my teammates to get better and we did not have a coach all the time, so I never wanted any team to out-work us,” she said.
Her work ethic and passion to excel have been felt by many of her teammates. Junior Kirsten Buzzard has played with Lindstrom for three seasons. “As an athlete, she is someone you can trust. She is our leader without it being discussed,” said Buzzard. According to several of her teammates, Lindstrom always has their backs and accomplishes her goals no matter what it takes. Every athlete generally has a team that cheers them on, no matter the outcome. “It is a blessing that my parents were there every step of the way,” said Lindstrom.
As for her legacy at Blackburn College, Lindstrom says that she wants to set the bar for women’s athletics because she wants women to always push themselves to be better than she is. Blackburn volleyball has had a great example of a player on and off the court and that is how she will be remembered.