MARYVILLE, Mo. - Kirsten Hudgens' four-year career as a setter and defensive specialist concludes for Northwest Missouri State volleyball team sometime around 4 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.
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The Bearcats will attempt to sweep Lindenwood this season. Northwest won a five-set thriller in Maryville on Sept. 16.
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More than likely, Hudgens will see her parents, Jeff and Melanie Hudgens and her sister, Kelli in the stands. Through the years, they have watched her move from setter to defensive specialist.
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Hudgens appreciates their support.
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"My parents are great," Hudgens said. "They try to make it to as many matches as they can whether it is five hours away or here at home.
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"Honestly, I try not to look at them. If I do catch a glimpse, I am just proud they are there because they are proud of me."
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Hudgens feels the same love for her younger sister, who is a senior in high school. She was born with Down Syndrome.
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"She is my best friend," Hudgens said. "She is very high functioning. She loves life more than any human on this earth. I am very protective of her."
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The smile that crosses Hudgens face as she talks about her family, her college teammates and her future as an elementary school teacher tells the story that her time at Northwest has been rewarding.
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She arrived in Maryville in the fall of 2011 from Papillion La Vista High School in Nebraska. Jessica Rinehart recruited her. She played for Rinehart the first season. The last three years head coach Amy Woerth and assistant coach Alana Wittenburg have coached Hudgens.
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"They really make it a fun, family environment," Hudgens said. "That is why I was sold on this school. I just love that feeling of having 17 sisters or however many people are on your team."
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As the daughter of a military family, Hudgens grew accustomed to moving around. She was born in San Diego and moved before she was 3.
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"I went to high school in Nebraska, but my parents live in Kansas City now," Hudgens said.
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Her dad is retired from the Navy. For any young adult who grew up with a parent in the military, this week always means a lot. On Tuesday, the country honored veterans for Veterans Day.
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"I just really respect those who serve," Hudgens said Tuesday. "Growing up with my dad in random countries, I didn't know where he was at. I am just thankful he is here with us now.
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"Today is the day to keep those who don't have their loved ones here; you have to keep them in your memories."
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Those words reflect Hudgens' caring nature on and off the volleyball court.
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"She has played various roles and has been very selfless when it comes to moving around," Woerth said. "In her first two years, she was primarily a setter and her last two years she has really gotten on the court by being a defensive specialist.
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"She is a very hard worker. I think it is always a positive when you see your senior working hard. When you are a setter, you want to be the hardest worker on the court. Even though she is not setting, she still has that about her. It hasn't just been on the court. It has been in the weight room, too."
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Hudgens has enjoyed the process of the entire athletic year, from the matches in the fall to weight lifting.
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"Thinking back on the last four years, fall to me is winning volleyball games, feeling the energy at football games and then you move into spring and that is the time to grind and work out and get prepared for that next season," she said. "Throughout that whole thing, you feel the family environment and the love of the town of Maryville."
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In her final match, it would be fitting for Hudgens to make a great dig that leads to a kill and she sneaks a peak at her parents.
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"Volleyball is something my dad and I have really bonded over," Hudgens said. "He is a very stern, military man. He sits up there straight face with a slight little clap, but I know he is excited on the inside."
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Hudgens has learned to embrace being a defensive specialist. She enters matches feeling less stress than years past.
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"As a senior, things click and you understand things," Hudgens said. "There is a lot of pressure on your shoulder as a DS. Defense wins games so if you are not on, the offense can't run without you.
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"In that sense, there is pressure. But when there is a 6-foot girl hitting a ball 40 miles at you and you dig that ball, that is the most rewarding feeling. It is even better when your team gets a kill off of it."
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Once the season ends for Hudgens on Saturday, all her focus will shift on becoming an elementary school teacher. She plans to spend a couple of years in Kansas City, gaining experience as a teacher and then she will head west to San Diego.
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Simply put, being a student-athlete at Northwest worked wonderfully for Hudgens. As a freshman, she was certain she was going to be a marine biologist. She enjoyed the classes and taking notes. Hudgens still enjoys math and science.
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But early in her academic career at Northwest, Hudgens realized becoming a teacher was what she was meant to do.
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"My mom and other relatives are teachers," Hudgens said. "I always had it in the back of my mind. When I started taking the classes in marine biology, I could sit in class and enjoy it. I loved taking notes and hearing everything, but I could not take the tests so passing classes were very hard for me.
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"So that is when I decided to start taking education classes and I just knew it was for me. I had that gut feeling. It just clicked."
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