Courteney Steinhauser, who is a senior middle blocker from New Ulm, Minnesota has had a great career as a Maverick.  She finished second on the team last year in blocks with 97, and had 190 total kills.

With Courtneney being a senior I asked her coach Dennis Amundson what to expect out of her as a leader going further on into conference play. “We expect our leaders to lead on the court, in the locker room, and in the community,” said Coach Amundson. “Courteney has taken the leadership challenge head-on.  She leads by example. She practices hard and plays hard.  She is hungry to learn and willing to help younger players.”
 
 
 

1. What attracted you to Minnesota State, Mankato?

CS: What attracted me to Minnesota State was the team to begin with. I loved the girls, coaches and facilities. MSU is also 30 minutes away from my home, so that is nice to be close to my family. I really liked the size of the campus and the atmosphere. The major and minor that I wanted to pursue was offered here and had a good reputation.

2. What is your dream vacation?

CS: My dream vacation would be somewhere really warm, lots of sunshine, sand and water! Somewhere that is scenic, has hiking trails, animals and unique food! Where that is, I want to go!

3. What player in your sport do you idolize/try to imitate?

CS: Hmm, that’s a tough one. Can I take the body of Keri Walsh, athletic ability of Destiny Hooker and mind set of Michael Jordan?

4. Do you have any pregame rituals?

CS: I wouldn’t say I have any rituals, but I tend to do everything in the same order. Every time. I don’t do anything that is freaky weird though, it’s a downfall! Our team has a few rituals we do prior to games but that has to stay within the team!

5. Who would you say is the teammate that makes everyone laugh?

CS: Olivia! Somehow she always has something ridiculous to say! You’ve got to see her step dance. If you get a mix of Jill, Olivia, Kelli and Briel, it’s a hot mess!

6. What do you do with your time away from volleyball?

CS: My time away from volleyball is mostly filled spending time with my teammates. Otherwise, I love to go home and spend time with my family. I like to fish, wander around and find cool stuff. I like to travel, go to shops, eat new places.  I spend a lot of time playing with my Nephew, Tilken.

7. How did you start playing volleyball?

CS: I started playing with my mom and sister at their volleyball leagues when I was really young. I grew up watching my sister until I was old enough to play. I started competing in volleyball when I was in 7^th grade. I went to a private school and volleyball was not offered until middle school.

8. Do you play any instruments?

CS: I played the piano for a few years when I was younger, I could maybe still play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

9. What other sports, if any did you play in high school?

CS: I played basketball, softball and volleyball throughout high school.

10. Who is your favorite athlete?

CS: Keri Walsh and Destiny Hooker! They are both freak athletes!