UK volleyball has started the 2017 season off right, largely because of the impact the highest ranked recruiting class in UK history has made.

Among the new players is Gabby Curry, a two-time Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. However, Curry didn’t start her athletic career out as a volleyball player.

“I started out playing softball,” Curry said.

Throughout her childhood, Curry swam, played basketball, ran track and cheered competitively, but she found what her true calling was during middle school.

Originally, Curry’s dad, she said, was hesitant to let her play volleyball because of the “sassy uniforms,” but he eventually saw how inspired she was when they attended a local match together. The transition from basketball shorts, cheer skirts and softball gloves to kneepads and spandex shorts came natural for Curry.

“The environment of a volleyball match fit my personality more than any other sport I’ve done,” Curry said.

Curry’s volleyball career took off, eventually leading to her Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. Disbelief or shock are only two of the many emotions that Curry felt when the news was announced to her that she won the awards, according to Curry.

The news fell upon her in her first class of an ordinary day as a junior in high school; she wasn’t even expecting to win the title.

“I had no clue that I was even in the running,” Curry said. “The next year, I, of course, made it my goal to earn it again.”

Curry explained how her high school, Buford, was full of athletes with D-1 potential, so, she always remained humble despite her impressive accolades.

Athletic ability is not the only talent Curry has. The freshman also obtains academic excellence, as she was a member of the National Honors Society and The Beta Club during high school.

“My freshman year of high school I vowed to myself that I would earn a 4.0,” Curry said.

Fans may not realize that college athletes have to do homework and study just as the students who aren’t athletes do.

Curry says that high school was more hectic than college because she would have four hours total of sports practice on top of homework, while at UK there are cat’s hours and plenty of tutors to make time management easier. Each athletic organization has academic expectations to help athletes focus.

“Coaches spend a lot of time emphasizing their academic goals for us and if we don’t meet them, it’s looked down upon,” Curry said.

The unlimited amount of resources that are offered to students at UK makes it hard to not succeed; therefore, Curry has yet again made it a goal for herself to earn a 4.0 while in college, she said.

Curry is also an excellent volleyball player and puts as much pressure on herself on the court as she does in the classroom. As a libero, Curry has the responsibility to reach balls in play that her teammates may not be able to get to, which can be a weighted situation to be in.

Curry said her experience in club volleyball helps her play under pressure.

“My old coach approached the game of volleyball as a pressure situation…you’d be up against running a mile if you lost a drill,” Curry said.

Curry has had even more experiences playing with big weights on her shoulders with championship games and filling in for injured teammates, so, it didn’t bother her when she had to fill in the libero position this season, unexpectedly.

Family has always kept Curry confident in her ability to deliver on the volleyball court, she said. Coming from a home of athletes, Curry has an endless support system.

With a father who played for the Atlanta Falcons and a grandfather who played basketball for UK, it seems that the love of sports and the athletic talent runs in Curry’s blood.

Although Curry has had the honor of joining the Olympic training team, she is not putting a pause on her life to become an Olympian. Curry expressed how building a family and a career are her number one long term goals, but if her life does lead her to the Olympics to play volleyball, she’d be infinitely grateful.

Curry can be described as a kind, humble, family-oriented athlete who has her whole life in front of her. She’s been an asset to the Wildcat volleyball team so far and her future seems very bright here on campus.