Over the past four years, Demi Muses been a key player to the volleyball team’s success. She has accolated impressive awards such as AE Player of the Year, AVCA All-East Region Honorable Mention, and most importantly winning the AE Conference Championship for three consecutive years. Not only is she an incredible athlete, but also a highly motivated driven woman.
The Basics
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: Business Marketing & Communication
Hometown: Orangevale, California
What made you decide to go to UNH?
“At first I was only looking at schools on the west coast, but when I came out to New Hampshire it was just jaw droppping. The campus is beautiful, pristine, and there aren’t any New England looking buildings back at home. When I came to the east coast, I knew if I didn’t like it I could always go back home. This was going to be the only time in my life where I could be on the east coast and get a feel for it. Also most importantly I pictured myself, if I didn’t have volleyball would I be able to survive here and I definitely could. “
How do you balance school, friends, and being a division one student- athlete?
“It’s tough, but my volleyball team takes the part as my best friends, family, and tutors. I do rely on them a lot. We are here for school, so when I’m not at practice I am always in the library. It’s important to have time management and organization, especially being a student-athlete these are two major priorities you need to have . Over time I have really just learned about how life is all about balance. You need sacrifice for yourself and your sport that you are here for because ultimately this is why I’m here.”
As a senior, what expectations and goals do you have for this team?
“Every year we are always working hard to win an American East Conference Championship. Winning a fourth AE championships in a row is something that hasn’t happened in program history. We’ve been working hard in the gym since pre-season to strive to win another championship. Other than that, I want to be make sure I’m setting a good example for the incoming players and making UNH volleyball better then I started. “
Do you have a routine before games?
“I am very supersitious with everything. In warmups I always have the same partner, who is my co-captain Keelin Severtson. I have the same hair style in every single game, if we lose I change it, and then I wear it until we lose again. I don’t plan on losing, so my hair will be in double braids for the rest of the season. I listen to the same exact song on repeat over and over before a game, which is Beez in the Trap by Nicki Minaj. Also once we start conference play, on game days I always post a video on Instagram of my teammates getting ready and being goofy while listening to music. “
Has there been anyone at UNH that has made a huge impact on your life? How?
“I would say there are several people who have made an impact on my life. Madison Lightfoot who was the senior libero last year and my best friend. She was a huge impact on my life of being a good example and really opening up my eyes to the world in the sense of the LGBQT community. She is a bystander, so I started getting invovled with bystander organizations such as SHARPP, Sexual Assualt Awareness, and ect. Over the past 4 years my coaches have played a huge impact on my life. They have very high expectations of me and it only makes me better in the end. Lastly Ben Sturgill, who is the campus chaplain and a resource on campus to help you with life. He works a lot with faith and god and has been a huge factor in helping with my personal growth.”
What is the biggest challenge your team will face this season?
“Consistency! This is a challenge we’ve been overcoming since day one and we are going to continue overcoming it. When games are tight people get nervous, so we tend to over think things. As a team, we have to work on cosistency and when things aren’t going our way we have trust ourselves that we know how to do this . Another big challenge will be the time when we play against Albany. For the past two years, we have played Albany in the AE Conference finals. They only graduated one senior from last season and overall they have a strong program with great players and coaches. It’s going to be good volleyball when we play them. “
What are your plans after graduation?
” After gradation I will be working at SilverCloud in downtown Portsmouth. I’m a city girl, so Portsmouth is going to be a good first step out of college. Ultimately someday I would love to be in Boston or New York. I am really excited to move my life out here. I would have never thought of moving from California to New Hampshire. The next step for me is to really start my career.”