In seventh grade she could walk under the net without ducking, and could not serve from behind the 10 foot line.

In high school she was told that she would be lucky to play at a division three school.

Now, Jen Lansink, Iowa State’s senior setter for the volleyball team, has surpassed all expectations except her own.

Lansink came to Iowa State from Cedar Falls on a volleyball scholarship. “I was looking at smaller schools in Florida and North Carolina,” she said. “Then Iowa State got a hold of me.”

“I really liked the tradition of Iowa State,” Lansink said. “I knew people knew the conference and I knew that I could hold my head high and say that I am going to Iowa State on a volleyball scholarship. There is a lot of pride in the Big 8,” she said.

Once at Iowa State, Lansink used athletics as a springboard to campus and community involvement. “Athletics opened doors for a lot of opportunity,” she said.

Lansink is currently the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), an organization that she says is the “voice of the athletes.” Lansink also serves as a representative on the Athletic Council. “It’s hard to find free time; I have to study a lot,” she said. “Having a balanced life is really good and I think it will carry me beyond athletics.”

After this season Jen Lansink will no longer be a volleyball player. “It will be the first time since seventh grade that I won’t be playing,” she said.

“I really want to give something back, whether it is directly with the sport or in the community. God’s given me a great talent; not everyone gets this opportunity,” she said. I do plan on getting my coaching certificate. I am not going to rely on that but it is something to fall back on or do in my spare time.”

Jen is definitely not looking past this season though. “I think our main goal is to make it back into the NCAA tournament and hopefully into the sweet 16,” she said. “I am really excited about playing in the Big 12. I think that the competition will improve everyone’s level of play,” Lansink said. She went on to say that the team is looking to make a statement this season.

As the setter, Jen touches the ball every play and makes decisions that control the outcome of the game. “I like having the control. I like to be in that position and know that I was responsible for a good play as well as a bad one,” she said.

Jen says that she thinks that she is prepared to say goodbye to the game. “I would like to be able to know that I used everything that God’s given me,” she said. Lansink said that she would always stay close to the game. She spent the summer coaching junior high to high school age kids.

“I love seeing them improve,” she said. “I love watching their faces light up when they finally do something they thought they couldn’t.” Jen is a big believer in a positive attitude.

“It was attitude that got me on the team in seventh grade. They told me that I wasn’t the best player but I had a great attitude and showed potential. I carried a motivational folder around all summer for the kids, and always tell the story about being able to walk under the net.”

Jen plans to graduate with a degree in psychology and would like to work in the Florida Keys doing dolphin therapy with children.

The team opens competition in Utah this weekend and will return to Hilton Coliseum for the Iowa State Invitational on September 6-7.