Some athletes step onto the field or court knowing what sport they are ultimately passionate for.
For others, it takes a little longer.
Junior libero and setter Lauren Fensten of the volleyball team is no exception. Fensten grew up in Denver where snow and cold weather comes as frequent as the sun goes up. In her senior year of high school, she committed to Cal State Fullerton for soccer but had a change of heart and ended up in a climate similar to that of her hometown of Buffalo.
Oddly enough, Fensten wasn't coming to the northeast to play goalie as she had planned on the west coast. Instead, Fensten came to the University at Buffalo to pursue a different sport: volleyball.
"I had more drive and passion for volleyball," Fensten said. "We were going to the state cup for soccer but I was uneasy about missing practices for volleyball."
With a phone call to her coach, she made a decision that would send her to the other side of the country for four years to pursue her love for volleyball.
Most Division I athletes have been playing their sport for the majority of their lives, but Fensten only started playing volleyball when she was a freshman in high school at Smokey Hill.
The team's coach saw her playing soccer one day and asked her to try out for a sport that she knew nothing about. She had a natural talent for the game.
Fensten's bubbly personality is rooted from her family, who she describe as "fun and crazy." Her teammates say that she is exactly like her mother, who makes frequent trips across the country to watch her daughter play and to just hang out.
Fensten enjoys the comparison because she considers her mother to be her biggest role model.
"I want to be just like her because I think she makes good decisions and leads by example," she said.
On the court, Fensten is constantly encouraging her teammates and competing at the highest level possible. Her biggest fear is losing. In order to overcome the adversity, Fensten uses energy to get her over any obstacle.
"I consider myself loud with lots of energy," Fensten said. "You can see me on the court; I'm crazy, always cheering and really excited for everyone."
Like many college students, Fensten likes to relax and watch television. Her favorite show is Entourage and her favorite movies are Top Gun and Forrest Gump. When it comes to music, her two favorite genres are polar opposites: hip-hop and country. Like her wide array of skills on the court, her personal taste does not lack variety.
Fensten had to choose between two sports and two sides of the country, two major decisions.
At the end of the day, Fensten wouldn't change a thing.
"I don't have any regrets," she said. "I go one day at a time and I push through everything. I have struggles, but I get through them."
Not only is Fensten tough-minded, but she's physically tough too. Just before the team traveled to Albany this season, Fensten injured her ankle in practice. The doctors said she had a second-degree sprain and injured both fibers and ligaments in her ankle. She was supposed to be out for two weeks but only missed two days.
"I always have to be playing a sport," Fensten said. "That's who I am and that's what I am."
