It was almost a basketball that ended up in the collegiate hands of one of Iowa State’s most talented and versatile volleyball players.

Senior Brittany Dalager’s passion for basketball as well as volleyball almost had her packing for a Division II school to play both until she started to doubt herself.

“I decided I had to go to a Division I because I didn’t want to be left with any regrets,” she said.

Coach Linda Crum is thankful for her indecisiveness.

“Brittany has been a four-year starter for us, and I think when she goes, the team will go a bit too,” Crum said. “She is like the glue that the team sticks around, and she creates a lot of chemistry.”

Dalager began her journey to Cyclone success in Minneota, Minn., where she began her volleyball career in fifth grade in the Junior Olympics.

An early growth spurt and emerging talent allowed Dalager to climb the high school ranks, placing her on her school’s B team in seventh grade. By eighth grade, she was playing varsity ball and finished high school as a four-year starter.

Fond memories for Dalager were high school days competing with her sister.

The two were highly competitive, even one-on-one in basketball, but it was always for the improvement of the other.

“She said she’d always try to make younger people feel comfortable, and she’s given me an example to live by,” Dalager said of her sister.

As the recruiting process started, Dalager was a late prospect and had all but committed to a small school in Indiana until she received a recommendation from a familiar face.

“Trent [Herman, ISU assistant coach] used to be the club director up in Minnesota, and he told Linda about me,” Dalager said.

“They started pursuing me, and after meeting the girls and coaches, I made my choice.”

It was a choice that threw Dalager into play immediately her freshman year, where she started every match and led the team in digs.

Dalager said the team has improved a lot during the last three years, even if the record doesn’t show it.

“We take a team to five games now, and we have the players to do it,” she said.

Dalager pushes constant communication on the team and knows that, despite her share of mistakes, she can learn and show others how to overcome it.

“I don’t dwell on it because I can’t change it,” she said.

As a captain of the team, Dalager seems secure with her role of vocal leader. She was also voted as a captain for her sophomore campaign.

Dalager said former Cyclone Sara Stribe was the one who got her through the first year. With her guidance, Dalager was able to make the transition to Iowa from her family, who live five hours away.

“In four years, my parents have missed two games, and it’s such a long way up and back for them,” she said. “That has helped so much having them there.”

Crum knows Dalager’s skills won’t be easily replaced.

“She’s such a smart court player and a great communicator,” she said. “The team looks to her in critical situations.”

At the conclusion of the season, Dalager will continue her studies in child and family services and also plans to remain part of the Cyclone tradition.

“I wouldn’t mind being a student assistant, to stay part of the program,” she said. “Ultimately, I want to coach volleyball, and to do that at Division I or II, you have to have a master’s, so that’s something I’ll be looking into, too.”