Indiana University Athletics
You Are Not Alone: Kari Zumach
10/10/2020 1:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
By Jared Rigdon
When Kari Zumach wants to express her emotions, she will sometimes turn to poetry. Whatever comes to her mind, she will write it. For her, it's a productive and efficient way to express how she is feeling.
Other times, she will listen to music. Whether it be while doing homework or after games, Zumach always has her earbuds with her. Her playlist includes tracks from favorite artists such as Meek Mill and Billie Eilish. Her love for rap and hip-hop is something that she and IU head volleyball coach Steve Aird quickly bonded over.
She's always been looking for productive methods to help express her emotions, especially when the words just aren't there. There are times when dealing with mental health can get too overwhelming so she just shuts off her brain and goes to sleep for a little.
Volleyball has been a driving force in the Indiana junior outside hitter's life for some time now. In between the lines on the court of Wilkinson Hall, the rest of the world is a blur to her. It's just her, the net and the ball. She's at peace there. It's a safe place where she can release stress and uncertainty that's been built up for over five years.
"Volleyball is something where I can be aggressive in a healthy manner," Zumach said. "It also happens to be something that I'm pretty good at. When you're successful, it brings a little bit of peace and mind. It's a comfortable activity for me and it takes my mind off of everything in the outside world and I can just focus on the gym."
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When Zumach was in high school, she noticed that something didn't feel right. She had constant mental fatigue. There were things that just didn't make sense to her. But she felt alone. She felt that there was nowhere to turn.
Zumach would often keep her emotions and feelings bottled up inside. She would go through the daily flow of life. There was school, volleyball and home.
But everything she was feeling inside, none of it made sense.
"At that time I didn't describe it as anxious because I didn't know what anxiety was but I felt myself constantly worrying about everything that could possibly go wrong," Zumach said. "I kept experiencing super high highs and super low lows. I thought it was normal because no one ever told me it wasn't. But then I realized that no one else was going through what I was going through."
When she came out of high school, she was an extremely coveted recruit. During her senior year at Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Minn, Zumach hit .300 with 461 kills. She was named a member of the First Team All-State squad by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association. Zumach was also a four-time letter winner in track and field and set the school's high jump record.
Zumach settled on Creighton University out of high school, a school with a storied volleyball pedigree, but one that was also six hours away from her home back in Minnesota.
When things continued to get worse surrounding her mental health, she decided to take things into her own hands. She started to open up about the problems she was dealing with and look into the issues that she couldn't answer.
"The older I got and the more severe these things got, the more I realized I needed to ask questions, do research and educate myself on it," Zumach said.
After one season at Creighton, where she was twice named Big East Freshman of the Week, Zumach entered the NCAA's Transfer Portal. Any athlete will attest to the difficulty of transferring schools, especially at such a high level.
Steve Aird's still in the process of building his program here in Bloomington. IU broke onto the scene in 2018 under Aird, a season that included a win over No. 13 Michigan. Zumach jumped on the chance to build something at IU and transferred into the program before the 2019 season.
In her first season in Bloomington, Zumach was limited in action, but she still appeared in 13 matches for IU, recording 49 kills, 23 blocks and 21 digs.
If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, IU would be into the conference season right now with Zumach as one of the key cogs in the Hoosier lineup.
Her transition to Bloomington was as smooth as it could possibly be. IU had a lot of moving pieces in and out of the program last season but everyone has started to buy into Aird's culture.
"Everyone was amazing and I know that sounds cliche but that's really how it was. Transferring is difficult and everyone knows that. Everyone here made me feel like this was my home," Zumach said. "Breanna Edwards is my best friend and we are attached at the hip. When we got really close, I knew I was going to be happy here."
She and the junior outside hitter Edwards became best friends. Edwards is from Oregon and Zumach is from Minnesota but have both found a home here in Indiana. The two play virtually the same position and have bonded immensely since Zumach transferred into Bloomington.
The two bring balance to each other. When one talks, the other listens.
"Ever since I have met her she has been very passionate about spreading awareness about mental health," Edwards said. "What I respect most about her is that if you don't agree or have the same opinions as her, she doesn't argue but instead she will listen and try to understand why you hold that opinion. A lot of people can't do that, which shows her maturity. She is so strong and so confident in who she is."
Zumach has been much more open about her mental health since getting to college, especially at IU. She talks with her parents and her friends constantly. She's accepted that it's something she deals with and tries to find the positives in it all.
Part of that has to do with communication. It's something she's tried to readily improve as she got older. Communicating with her parents, her teammates and most importantly, herself. It's part of what made the transition to IU go so smooth.
"Kari is one of the most genuine people I've ever met," teammate Haley Armstrong said. "She is authentically herself and I'm so proud to be her teammate. Mental health is a very important part of being a student-athlete and Kari has done everything to make sure she's made an impact on the people around her regarding this topic. I learn so much from her every day and she teaches all of us about how to take care of what's going on internally."
She also wants to do a better job at communicating about mental health to the outside world. She's very active on social media. She will post things on her instagram story about mental health and she reaches out to others to help them.
"I just try to advocate as much as possible," Zumach said. "On social media platforms, I'm always posting stuff on my story trying to talk about mental illnesses and aspects of it. If anyone asks me about things I've gone through, I'm very open about it. That's everyone's choice but one that I made. Because if I can help someone and let them know they're not alone, I want to be able to help people."
The IU volleyball team is now back in practice. It has been start and stop for them since the beginning of the summer. The season will now be played in the Spring, with a likely start date around the end of January and the Final Four taking place at the end of April.
It's all a part of the new normal that everyone has to deal with. IU will likely spend their entire season playing a majority conference opponent. The NCAA Tournament is down to just 48 teams this season, meaning only 16 teams will get at-large bids.
IU hopes to be one of the 48 teams that gets to play in the NCAA Tournament this season. It won't be easy in a conference filled with powerhouses Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn State. But IU will be prepared for anything. They haven't stopped going since campus shut down in March.
"When we were in quarantine, we were on Zoom all the time," Zumach said. "We're always talking to coaches and we have multiple group chats going. One of our things is to over communicate. And it's not just about volleyball, if anyone needs anything, we're always there for them."
IU hasn't stopped going and neither has Zumach. She can't. There's too much on the line for her and everyone else. Mental Health is extremely common among teenagers and young adults, more than people realize. As young as middle school, she wishes that school would institute a curriculum that treats mental health as important as physical health.
As well, she wants to see an improved system to help males with their mental health. Zumach views that as another stigma that needs to be erased.
"The more I learn about mental health and the more I can share about mental health, hopefully someone else becomes more educated about it. Mental health is not talked about enough because people are uncomfortable towards the subject," Zumach said. "There's so many stigmas around it so hopefully the more I advocate for it, someone else won't have to go through it."
Kari Zumach is more than just a volleyball player and she will let people know that. She's a poet. She's an avid-enthusiast of music. She's a comedian.
But more important, she's a difference maker. And she's making a change, one poem, one post, one conversation at a time.
When Kari Zumach wants to express her emotions, she will sometimes turn to poetry. Whatever comes to her mind, she will write it. For her, it's a productive and efficient way to express how she is feeling.
Other times, she will listen to music. Whether it be while doing homework or after games, Zumach always has her earbuds with her. Her playlist includes tracks from favorite artists such as Meek Mill and Billie Eilish. Her love for rap and hip-hop is something that she and IU head volleyball coach Steve Aird quickly bonded over.
She's always been looking for productive methods to help express her emotions, especially when the words just aren't there. There are times when dealing with mental health can get too overwhelming so she just shuts off her brain and goes to sleep for a little.
Volleyball has been a driving force in the Indiana junior outside hitter's life for some time now. In between the lines on the court of Wilkinson Hall, the rest of the world is a blur to her. It's just her, the net and the ball. She's at peace there. It's a safe place where she can release stress and uncertainty that's been built up for over five years.
"Volleyball is something where I can be aggressive in a healthy manner," Zumach said. "It also happens to be something that I'm pretty good at. When you're successful, it brings a little bit of peace and mind. It's a comfortable activity for me and it takes my mind off of everything in the outside world and I can just focus on the gym."
Mental health is of the utmost importance 365 days a year, but today we bring awareness and break stigmas regarding the subject. Know that you are NEVER alone in your struggles, you are ALWAYS loved, and the world wouldn't be the same without you ?? #WorldMentalHealthDay pic.twitter.com/z5BGfNZOWY
— Karinthia (@kzumac18) October 10, 2020
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When Zumach was in high school, she noticed that something didn't feel right. She had constant mental fatigue. There were things that just didn't make sense to her. But she felt alone. She felt that there was nowhere to turn.
Zumach would often keep her emotions and feelings bottled up inside. She would go through the daily flow of life. There was school, volleyball and home.
But everything she was feeling inside, none of it made sense.
"At that time I didn't describe it as anxious because I didn't know what anxiety was but I felt myself constantly worrying about everything that could possibly go wrong," Zumach said. "I kept experiencing super high highs and super low lows. I thought it was normal because no one ever told me it wasn't. But then I realized that no one else was going through what I was going through."
When she came out of high school, she was an extremely coveted recruit. During her senior year at Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Minn, Zumach hit .300 with 461 kills. She was named a member of the First Team All-State squad by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association. Zumach was also a four-time letter winner in track and field and set the school's high jump record.
Zumach settled on Creighton University out of high school, a school with a storied volleyball pedigree, but one that was also six hours away from her home back in Minnesota.
When things continued to get worse surrounding her mental health, she decided to take things into her own hands. She started to open up about the problems she was dealing with and look into the issues that she couldn't answer.
"The older I got and the more severe these things got, the more I realized I needed to ask questions, do research and educate myself on it," Zumach said.
After one season at Creighton, where she was twice named Big East Freshman of the Week, Zumach entered the NCAA's Transfer Portal. Any athlete will attest to the difficulty of transferring schools, especially at such a high level.
Steve Aird's still in the process of building his program here in Bloomington. IU broke onto the scene in 2018 under Aird, a season that included a win over No. 13 Michigan. Zumach jumped on the chance to build something at IU and transferred into the program before the 2019 season.
In her first season in Bloomington, Zumach was limited in action, but she still appeared in 13 matches for IU, recording 49 kills, 23 blocks and 21 digs.
If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, IU would be into the conference season right now with Zumach as one of the key cogs in the Hoosier lineup.
Her transition to Bloomington was as smooth as it could possibly be. IU had a lot of moving pieces in and out of the program last season but everyone has started to buy into Aird's culture.
"Everyone was amazing and I know that sounds cliche but that's really how it was. Transferring is difficult and everyone knows that. Everyone here made me feel like this was my home," Zumach said. "Breanna Edwards is my best friend and we are attached at the hip. When we got really close, I knew I was going to be happy here."
She and the junior outside hitter Edwards became best friends. Edwards is from Oregon and Zumach is from Minnesota but have both found a home here in Indiana. The two play virtually the same position and have bonded immensely since Zumach transferred into Bloomington.
The two bring balance to each other. When one talks, the other listens.
"Ever since I have met her she has been very passionate about spreading awareness about mental health," Edwards said. "What I respect most about her is that if you don't agree or have the same opinions as her, she doesn't argue but instead she will listen and try to understand why you hold that opinion. A lot of people can't do that, which shows her maturity. She is so strong and so confident in who she is."
Zumach has been much more open about her mental health since getting to college, especially at IU. She talks with her parents and her friends constantly. She's accepted that it's something she deals with and tries to find the positives in it all.
Part of that has to do with communication. It's something she's tried to readily improve as she got older. Communicating with her parents, her teammates and most importantly, herself. It's part of what made the transition to IU go so smooth.
"Kari is one of the most genuine people I've ever met," teammate Haley Armstrong said. "She is authentically herself and I'm so proud to be her teammate. Mental health is a very important part of being a student-athlete and Kari has done everything to make sure she's made an impact on the people around her regarding this topic. I learn so much from her every day and she teaches all of us about how to take care of what's going on internally."
She also wants to do a better job at communicating about mental health to the outside world. She's very active on social media. She will post things on her instagram story about mental health and she reaches out to others to help them.
"I just try to advocate as much as possible," Zumach said. "On social media platforms, I'm always posting stuff on my story trying to talk about mental illnesses and aspects of it. If anyone asks me about things I've gone through, I'm very open about it. That's everyone's choice but one that I made. Because if I can help someone and let them know they're not alone, I want to be able to help people."
The IU volleyball team is now back in practice. It has been start and stop for them since the beginning of the summer. The season will now be played in the Spring, with a likely start date around the end of January and the Final Four taking place at the end of April.
It's all a part of the new normal that everyone has to deal with. IU will likely spend their entire season playing a majority conference opponent. The NCAA Tournament is down to just 48 teams this season, meaning only 16 teams will get at-large bids.
IU hopes to be one of the 48 teams that gets to play in the NCAA Tournament this season. It won't be easy in a conference filled with powerhouses Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn State. But IU will be prepared for anything. They haven't stopped going since campus shut down in March.
"When we were in quarantine, we were on Zoom all the time," Zumach said. "We're always talking to coaches and we have multiple group chats going. One of our things is to over communicate. And it's not just about volleyball, if anyone needs anything, we're always there for them."
IU hasn't stopped going and neither has Zumach. She can't. There's too much on the line for her and everyone else. Mental Health is extremely common among teenagers and young adults, more than people realize. As young as middle school, she wishes that school would institute a curriculum that treats mental health as important as physical health.
As well, she wants to see an improved system to help males with their mental health. Zumach views that as another stigma that needs to be erased.
"The more I learn about mental health and the more I can share about mental health, hopefully someone else becomes more educated about it. Mental health is not talked about enough because people are uncomfortable towards the subject," Zumach said. "There's so many stigmas around it so hopefully the more I advocate for it, someone else won't have to go through it."
Kari Zumach is more than just a volleyball player and she will let people know that. She's a poet. She's an avid-enthusiast of music. She's a comedian.
But more important, she's a difference maker. And she's making a change, one poem, one post, one conversation at a time.
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside/Right Side Hitter
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