For its final NCAA D3 Week feature story, The Calvin Sports Information Office caught up with 2021 AVCA Division III National Player of the Year Heidi Westra. A native of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, Westra helped lead the Calvin women's volleyball team to the 2021 NCAA III Tournament Championship final this past November. A graduate of Timothy Christian High School, Westra paces the Knights from her right-side hitter position.
HEIDI WESTRA QUESTION AND ANSWER D3 WEEK FEATURE STORY
Q: How did you get involved with the game of volleyball and did you play any other sports growing up? At what point did volleyball become your lead sport?
Some people can say that they've been holding a volleyball or basketball from the moment they started walking or that they remember exactly when they started playing their sport. I can't remember the exact moment when I started playing volleyball, but I do have pictures of me playing when I was very young, probably starting around third game. My sister, Tracy, started playing in leagues when she was in second grade and I wanted to follow in her footsteps, so I started soon after and have been playing ever since. I grew up playing volleyball and basketball mainly, with a little bit of track and field in middle school, but volleyball didn't become my main sport until high school. I started playing club volleyball freshman year and continued to also play basketball up through my junior year and then solely focused on volleyball senior year.
Q: How did your path to Calvin and its women's volleyball program develop? What led you to becoming a Calvin Knight?
I went to Timothy Christian which always sends a lot of kids to Calvin, so I had always known about Calvin but never really thought I'd go there. After visiting a few times my junior and senior years and meeting with Coach Warners and the team, I knew Calvin would be a good fit but I was still a little unsure. I ended up choosing Calvin a little bit on a whim towards the end of my senior year, but I am so glad that I did.
Q: As a freshman, you were part of a team that advanced to the Elite Eight. This year your team took it a few steps further by advancing all the way to the national championship final. Looking back, how were those seasons different for you individually, the first coming as a freshman and the second tournament run coming as an upperclassmen?
I came in as a shy, quiet freshman so it's safe to say I've made quite a jump since then, but I accredit that to the upperclassmen leaders that I have had the past three years. My freshman year, I had the opportunity to be led by seniors Sarah DeVries, Ally Fea, Abby Gorter, and Gabi Allread who welcomed us freshmen with open arms and created a gym where we were free to make mistakes, try new things, and lead how we wanted to. Going to the Elite Eight that year was a very cool opportunity and exceeded my expectations coming in. Fast forward to this past year, I found myself stepping into a role as one of those upperclassmen leaders and was able to be part of a group that made the court a high-energy, comfortable, fun place to be. We found ourselves in a similar situation to my freshman year this year, playing Trinity in the Elite Eight again, but thankfully we were able to turn the tables this year and pull out the win and make it all the way to the national championship (final).
Q: Following up on that – what would you say were some of the keys to this year's success with the Calvin women's volleyball team?
I would say the main key to this year's success was our team dynamics. By this I mean communication on and off the court, team culture, trusting each other, etc. Volleyball is a lot more than just keeping the ball off the ground, and I think our team embraced that this year. I also think a big key to our success was that we played some of the best volleyball I've seen us play when we entered post-season. Everyone saved their best games for when it mattered most and that worked out really well for us.
Q: What is it like to play for head coach Amber Warners?
I am so blessed to be able to play for Coach Warners. She has a depth of knowledge about the game of volleyball and about how to develop her players as athletes, leaders, students, and sisters in Christ. It has been a very cool and unique experience to get to play for her, not to mention open access to the free M&M's that she has in her office :).
Q: Academically – what are you majoring in and what do you hope to do in the future vocationally?
I am double majoring in marketing and economics with a minor in data analytics. I am not totally sure what I want to do in the future but I hope to be in a profession where I am able to use the skills and knowledge I have gained from Calvin to be able to serve God and others in the workforce.
Q: Are there any professors that have really helped you along the way in your academic career at Calvin? Any in particular that stand out?
All of my professors at Calvin have been awesome. One that sticks out to me specifically is Professor Marilyn Stansbury. She was my professor for some of my introductory business courses and freshman year, I met with her multiple times when trying to figure out what I wanted to major in. Professor Stansbury was able to help me figure out a general idea of what I wanted to do and help develop a plan for me to get there.
Q: Last question: Why has Division III been a good fit for you with your career as a student-athlete?
I get to play pickleball on the weekends. I have professors that know me by name and will come watch my matches. I am free on Sunday mornings to go to church with my teammates. I have time during season to work an on-campus job. And I get to do it all while playing volleyball with my favorite people! These are just a few reasons why playing Division III has been such a blessing and a good fit for me.
