Freshman outside hitter Melissa Evans, who recently received ACC Freshman of the Week honors, hopes she can score ACC Freshman of the Year. But more importantly, she wants to give to her team.
“I just want to keep giving to my team as much as I possibly can,” Evans said. “No matter what aspect I’m doing. If I’m on the bench I still want to be a great person and a great teammate.”
Evans has always been around team players. When asked who her inspiration is, her answer came quickly.
“I would say my mom is, also my dad,” Evans said. “He used to play football and basketball and he’s always been on a part of a team and he’s always saying ‘You know the team will be with you no matter what. No matter whatever happens in your life, you will always have your team.’”
While living in California, her mom, who played on the Turkish national volleyball team, introduced Evans to the sport. Her love for volleyball came when she lived in Colorado, when Evans was deciding between softball and volleyball.
The fateful decision rested on which one she liked more, and the verdict was volleyball. Evans has kept playing ever since and her devotion towards the sport continues.
“I just love playing it,” Evans said. “I love the attention that we get as a team. I love feeling if I get a kill like ‘I did it for y’all.’ In the end it feels good, it feels really good.”
Evans describes her team as her family and that the support and teamwork that everyone gives to one another is great. Head coach Linda Hampton-Keith confirmed that Evans is “surrounded by the support that she needs to do her job and do it well.”
One of her family members is always with Evans — her sister Jasmine Evans, who is also in her first year at State. The two have always played with each other, with the exception of two years after Jasmine Evans finished high school in 2015. Melissa Evans describes not having her sister as a different experience but is never truly without a piece of her family.
“I FaceTimed her every single night,” Melissa Evans said of her years apart from her sister. “I’m never really without her [now] so it’s really good and I just love being at the same college.”
As a starting freshman, Evans said she was nervous in the beginning, especially in their first game against Kansas. However, after the game started, the nervous feeling went away.
“When I was finally playing I was like ‘Oh I can do this,” Evans said.
While Hampton-Keith offered her praise for Evans’ fast start, she said the freshman is trying to figure things out still and that the team wants to keep the pressure off of her. Hampton-Keith also complimented Evans for her ability to compartmentalize things.
“She’s obviously coming off a fantastic week where she got Freshman of the Week so that’s awesome, but we don’t necessarily wanna put that kind of pressure on her,” Hampton-Keith said. “I think she does a really good job at just taking things day by day and just trying to get better at little things every day. So that is credit to her for doing that.”
Junior setter Kylie Pickrell believes Evans has done a great job so far this season as a freshman, and has been a clutch member of the Pack when matches get close.
“She stays really consistent,” Pickrell said. “Really steady especially when games get tight and we’re neck and neck with a team.”
Hampton-Keith agreed with what Pickrell had to say, while also adding how valuable Evans’ offensive abilities are to the team and its balance. The team is not getting ahead of itself following a successful weekend that saw Evans win weekly honors, but with Evans in the lineup the offense is better.
“Offensively, she’s done a really nice job. Getting lots of kills,” Hampton-Keith said. “But what she’s done is she’s allowed us to be really, really balanced in our offense.”
