A bundle of fun

Sometimes, decision-making can be tough.

Junior libero Ellen Robertson is no exception to this rule. The member of the volleyball team had to make a tough decision when she was 12 years old. Because both her parents worked late, she had to choose an after school activity to play. In the end, she chose something she thought she would take pleasure in doing - playing volleyball.

"I really enjoyed the fast pace game, and how competitive it could be," Robertson said.

Before volleyball became her main focus at Longwood High School in Middle Island, N.Y., her main activity of choice was dance. For 12 years, dance was an important part of her life, until she arrived at Buffalo.

Robertson had to stop dancing in order to fully devote her time to the volleyball program. The art of dance, however, never left her life as she integrated those techniques into learning volleyball skills and what she does on the court.

"Dancing and volleyball use some similar conditioning skills," she said. "You need to be able to learn the skills just as fast."

The decision to choose volleyball over dance did not come easily. Robertson considers her choice a shot in the dark because she felt she could go either way with her decision, having basically the same amount of time and commitment put into each activity. She ended up picking volleyball simply because she preferred the activeness involved.

"I just took a chance," Robertson said. "I started playing travel volleyball in 10th grade and it had to be dance or volleyball, and I chose volleyball."

At Longwood, Robertson was a four-year letter winner and two-year captain of the volleyball team. She was also named Team MVP as a senior. Robertson played two years of varsity softball her freshman and sophomore years in high school. She played third base and, as with dance, was forced to stop in order to stick with volleyball.

"When I was in junior high and high school, I wanted to do as much as I could," she said.

When the time came in high school to find the next step in her educational experience, Robertson said that Buffalo was at the top of her list. She knew before she came to visit Buffalo that she wanted to go to a school with a big student body, much like Longwood High School. Meeting the volleyball team and the people involved with it sealed the deal.

"I came from a big high school, so I learned to like being around a lot of people," Robertson said. "When I came to visit the school, I fell in love with the team and coaching staff and that was all I needed to finalize my decision."

Since coming to Buffalo, Robertson has made an immediate impact on the team. In her freshman year, Robertson played in 72 games, where she earned 23 service aces and 26 digs. In the 2007 campaign, her playtime increased to 83 games, where she earned 16 service aces and 13 assists.

Even though Robertson might be spiking on the court constantly, she says she tries to enjoy off-the-court life as much as possible.

I don't know, there is so much to say," Robertson said. "I'm just a bundle of fun."