Indiana University Athletics
Being a Hoosier – What Volleyball Means to Me
10/16/2023 11:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Grae Gosnell
Senior Volleyball Player
BLOOMINGTON - Over the course of my college career, I have had some of the most unique opportunities that not many people get to experience.
Whether it be through sports, academics or in the outside world, being a Hoosier has provided me countless opportunities to become my best self.
15-year-old Grae was adamant on certain requirements when she was choosing a college. After seeing what Indiana had to offer, all of her boxes were checked and more. When I was younger, I always thought that I knew every single thing there was to volleyball and I thought I knew what having fun playing volleyball felt like.
My first year at IU was during the peak of COVID-19 and it really made me appreciate all of those things that I thought were good before I came to Indiana. When all of that ended, and the world was healthier and happier, I was finally able to start going to my first in person classes, meeting new people and traveling to play Big Ten volleyball. The sun started to shine just a little bit more.
I ended up realizing that all of the things I thought I knew to be good before becoming a Hoosier were just mediocre. Everyone always told me that college was perfect. That it was sunshine and rainbows. But there's so much more to it. College is learning how to be an adult, how to time manage, how to make and maintain relationships, etc. I would be lying if I said it was all easy.
But I could not be more lucky and grateful to be a part of a program with coaches and staff so proactive, loving, and selfless in their efforts to help me through these hardships, and whose faith in me to be successful on the court, in the classroom, and in life has never faltered.
This 2023 season, I hope to cherish every single moment. I hope to appreciate the good and the bad, and I plan to soak up all of the unconditional love that I am so blessed to receive as a Hoosier and can only receive as a Hoosier.
I am looking forward to making new memories with my teammates and to continue building and setting the standard of competitiveness in our gym that keeps us moving forward and gives meaning to being a Hoosier.
To me, being an Indiana Hoosier doesn't just mean coming to this school, it means playing world class volleyball in the Big Ten, playing in sold out arenas, battling the best of the best, being a student at an amazing university, traveling the world, training and putting in work day in and day out, meeting my best friends, making unforgettable memories from experiences only a few people in the world will ever get the chance to have and so much more.
Being a Hoosier is knowing that every last bit of hard work even on the hardest of days is worth it. I couldn't be prouder of the family we have built and the world better be looking out for what the Hoosiers have in store. To the future Hoosiers that are headed this way, it truly is the luck of the draw. If I was ever given the chance to go back, I'm picking the Hoosiers every time.
All Love,
#12 Grae Gosnell
Senior Volleyball Player
BLOOMINGTON - Over the course of my college career, I have had some of the most unique opportunities that not many people get to experience.
Whether it be through sports, academics or in the outside world, being a Hoosier has provided me countless opportunities to become my best self.
15-year-old Grae was adamant on certain requirements when she was choosing a college. After seeing what Indiana had to offer, all of her boxes were checked and more. When I was younger, I always thought that I knew every single thing there was to volleyball and I thought I knew what having fun playing volleyball felt like.
My first year at IU was during the peak of COVID-19 and it really made me appreciate all of those things that I thought were good before I came to Indiana. When all of that ended, and the world was healthier and happier, I was finally able to start going to my first in person classes, meeting new people and traveling to play Big Ten volleyball. The sun started to shine just a little bit more.
I ended up realizing that all of the things I thought I knew to be good before becoming a Hoosier were just mediocre. Everyone always told me that college was perfect. That it was sunshine and rainbows. But there's so much more to it. College is learning how to be an adult, how to time manage, how to make and maintain relationships, etc. I would be lying if I said it was all easy.
But I could not be more lucky and grateful to be a part of a program with coaches and staff so proactive, loving, and selfless in their efforts to help me through these hardships, and whose faith in me to be successful on the court, in the classroom, and in life has never faltered.
This 2023 season, I hope to cherish every single moment. I hope to appreciate the good and the bad, and I plan to soak up all of the unconditional love that I am so blessed to receive as a Hoosier and can only receive as a Hoosier.
I am looking forward to making new memories with my teammates and to continue building and setting the standard of competitiveness in our gym that keeps us moving forward and gives meaning to being a Hoosier.
To me, being an Indiana Hoosier doesn't just mean coming to this school, it means playing world class volleyball in the Big Ten, playing in sold out arenas, battling the best of the best, being a student at an amazing university, traveling the world, training and putting in work day in and day out, meeting my best friends, making unforgettable memories from experiences only a few people in the world will ever get the chance to have and so much more.
Being a Hoosier is knowing that every last bit of hard work even on the hardest of days is worth it. I couldn't be prouder of the family we have built and the world better be looking out for what the Hoosiers have in store. To the future Hoosiers that are headed this way, it truly is the luck of the draw. If I was ever given the chance to go back, I'm picking the Hoosiers every time.
All Love,
#12 Grae Gosnell
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