University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Senior Spotlight: Volleyball's Angela Hlavaty and Maia Ivanova
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2009
By Meghan Graham
 Maia Ivanova  | |
However, the only two seniors on the team remember when winning did not come with such ease. Senior libero, Maia Ivanova, says the journey has been overwhelming.
"It's been a crazy journey," Ivanova said. "I would never think we would be able to even win five games in a row. We didn't win any when we were freshman. Our sophomore season, we were supposed to be really good, but we didn't do that well. Last year we did better but this year has just been like, `wow'. It is just overwhelming and I never would have expected it."
Outside hitter and fellow senior Angela Hlavaty says being conference champions didn't seem attainable their freshman year.
"Freshman year was rough," Hlavaty said. "We didn't win and we had a really bad record. We got used to losing a lot but each year, with new players that came in and everyone working better as a team, we got better."
Their expectations have always been the same they say, but this year is different because they have fulfilled them.
"I feel like we were always supposed to be really, really good but never lived up to our expectations." Hlavaty said. "This year we were supposed to be really good and we've lived up to those expectations and we have the record to show it."
With a mixture of up and down seasons, this team has been on a roller coaster ride of rankings. In a span of four years, the team has finished ninth, eleventh, seventh and now first in the conference.
Ivanova and Hlavaty have played major rolls on this championship team. Maia Ivanova has played in every single set since she has been a part of the team and became the all-time digs leader earlier this season.
"You just go out there on the court and play," Ivanova said. "You're not thinking how many digs am I going to make this game, you're just thinking, `I want to win'."
Ivanova says that the meaning of winning has changed for her. The word has a more powerful connotation now.
"Before I would always say I want to win but, now it's like I really want to win." Ivanova said with excitement. "We have a good team and we`ve been working hard. We know we can and that's why we want it even more."
Hlavaty has impacted this team in an extreme way. She is now one of only thirteen players in Southern Miss volleyball history to record 1,000 kills. Hlavaty has grown with this team. Recovering from a shoulder injury in her sophomore year and returning with record setting numbers, she shows us just how much experience she has gained.
Coming so far in their careers, Hlavaty and Ivanova can actually see where the change took place. They can point out the moment this season when they just knew without a doubt that they would be conference champions.
"The feeling was amazing." Hlavaty said. "The time that we beat Tulane, I knew that we were going to win everything. Tulane is a great team, and when we beat them at Tulane in five I knew."
But the moment is different for both of them, Ivanova said, "I was looking at game after game. We were going out on the court and we were winning. After we lost to Marshall it was a tough period but afterward we went in to win each game. You think about it point by point and before every game I kind of knew we were going to win. We are confident that we have a good team and we don't give up."
These players are leaving Southern Miss as history makers and feel as though they have done their job.
"I feel great about leaving after this." Hlavaty said. "We finally did what we have been looking to do for that last few years, which is winning. I'm really happy about leaving on such a high note."
Ivanova echoes the same sentiments.
"We did our job and should enjoy our time." Ivanova said. "In five years we are going to look back and say yeah we made it!"
Completing their journey as champions has been a dream come true. They stayed determined and their hard work is seen in the numbers they put on the court. Hlavaty and Ivanova want to leave their teammates, with whom they have grown so close to, with the simple words, "Don't give up."
"There are going to be hard moments for sure, but they will go so fast," Ivanova said.
"We didn't give up and it got us to the top," Hlavaty said.
Don't give up. These three words to some may only appear to be black and white, but to Angela Hlavaty and Maia Ivanova, along with the 2009 Southern Miss volleyball team they are Golden.
