The Alicia Kalik Story: Dealing with Life's Up's and Down's

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --   We've all heard the familiar saying "life is full of ups and downs."  It is a phrase that has different meaning for everyone and something that we all will go through from time to time throughout life.  But what happens when one of life's greatest "ups" is followed by one of the biggest "downs" a person can face.  For Defiance College volleyball senior setter Alicia Kalik and her family, that life quote, has a more significant meaning.

From the town of South Lyon, Mich. which is nearby Ann Arbor, Kalik has always enjoyed the game of volleyball and has competed in the sport throughout her life.  She comes from a bit of a volleyball family as her sisters have played the game, but she is the first member of her family to compete in the sport collegiately. 

In addition to her high school seasons, she competed on several club teams and became quite the talented player.  So much so, that her abilities drew the attention of some Division II programs, but Kalik was interested in something more.  As much as she valued the game, she also wanted to get the full college experience and be involved in more than just her sport which she might not get the chance to do if she pursued playing the game at a higher level. 

"I love the game of volleyball," said Kalik.  "But I was more drawn to being at a school that allowed me not to only compete athletically, but also be active in various organizations at school and just be active in the community."

Kalik knew she would have to dedicate a lot of her time to just volleyball if she attended a D-II program, which resulted in her wanting to pursue a playing career at a smaller Division III program where she could participate in both volleyball and get the full college experience.  Defiance College offered her that ability and so she decided to dawn the Purple and Gold. 

"Coming to Defiance was a great decision for me," said Kalik.  The bond that exists with my teammates, the parents of all the players on the team and the support from the students and college community is not something that I think I'd get to experience anywhere else."

Kalik entered her first year at Defiance in the fall of 2011 and made an impact for the Yellow Jacket volleyball team right from the start.  In her freshman year, Kalik played in 28 of 30 matches and led the team in assists with 776 averaging just over eight assists per set.  She also showed her overall skills as she added 85 kills, a team-leading 30 service aces, 141 digs and 39 total blocks (two solo and 37 assists).  Her 141 digs were sixth most on the team and her 39 blocks were fourth best.  Following the season, Kalik was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year as well as earning honorable mention All-HCAC honors and was tabbed to the All-Freshmen Team.

Kalik's volleyball career was off to fast start, but during the offseason between her freshman and sophomore seasons, Kalik and the Yellow Jackets would welcome a new head coach to the program in current Head Coach Brie Brenner.  As most athletes who've gone through a coaching change will tell you, it's never easy.  Everyone has learn about each other and Coach Brenner was an accomplished player in her own right.  Brenner started out her playing career at Ohio State University and then transferred to the University of Washington for her final three years of eligibility and was a member of two Huskie teams that advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament Final Four (2004-05), including winning a national title in 2005.  Like Kalik, Brenner quickly made an impact on her team as a coach at Defiance and took notice of the skills Kalik possessed as a setter. 

"She has such a great touch on the ball," said Brenner.  "You don't usually see that at the Division III level.  She also has a very high volleyball IQ and is very driven.  She is the complete package and that's what makes her a great player and a great teammate.  It has been a true privilege to coach her."

"There is a unique relationship between a coach and a setter," added Brenner.  "The setter position is like a quarterback in football.  They have to know their opponent, be able to improvise to different situations and be a leader.  Alicia has all those characteristics."

In only her second season, Kalik's playing and leadership abilities were rewarded again, this time before the season even started as she was named the team captain and has held that position ever since.  In her sophomore season, Kalik picked up right where she left off and led the team in assists with 961 (9.33 a/s) as well as tallying 76 kills, 28 aces, 259 digs (2.51 digs per set) and 50 blocks (22 solo and 28 assists).  For the second straight season, Kalik earned All-Conference honors. 

Kalik has also made true on her other desire while attending college and has been involved in numerous groups on campus including her first passion, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).  But just being a member of the student-athlete led group wasn't enough.  She quickly took on the role of SAAC Secretary and eventually was elected to her current position of president of SAAC at Defiance.  Kalik also became involved in the conference SAAC group and became president of that group as well. 

"I love being a member of SAAC," said Kalik.  "It's an organization that allows me not to only be involved with other student-athletes, but the group also has a lot of community service projects at the local, state and national levels that allows us to help out others who may need it."

In addition to being heavily involved in SAAC, Kalik has also taken part in several other organizations on campus including the Alpha Phi Omega coed service fraternity, is a member of the Defiance President Achievement Society, the honors program, serves as president of the Defiance Sport Business Association and serves as a student senate representative.  If that wasn't enough, she is also a McMaster Scholar which allowed her to travel to Tanzania for an off-campus research trip last year.

Then, last year, Kalik got to experience one of the biggest "ups" a college athlete can experience as she helped lead her team to the program's first-ever championship, a regular-season title in which the Yellow Jackets finished a perfect 9-0 in conference play.  While doing so, Kalik recorded a single-season record 1,063 assists as well as becoming the program's all-time leader in the category (2,800 career assists).  For her efforts, Kalik earned All-HCAC honors for the third straight year. 

With winning the title, came the opportunity to host the conference volleyball tournament semifinal and championship rounds.  As the top seed in the tournament, Defiance automatically advanced to the semifinals bypassing the quarterfinal round that would occur a few days earlier.  Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, the team would not advance to the title match, but although there was the obvious disappointment, no one lost perspective of being a part of something that has never happened in Defiance volleyball history…..winning a conference title.

Winning the regular-season championship was a big moment not only for Defiance, Kalik and the entire volleyball team, but also the entire Defiance volleyball community.  At the head of that community was her mother, Shannon.

In the months ahead, the excitement of that past season's accomplishments remained with Kalik, her family, and the volleyball program.  But then, life dealt the Kalik family a blow that would suddenly change one of life's "ups" to one of the biggest "downs."  In late December, two days after Christmas, Kalik's mom was admitted to the hospital with pain in her abdomen.  It was believed that her pain was the result of an ulcer.  Several days later, Kalik had to return to Defiance for the spring semester, but her mom would remain in the hospital.  Little did Kalik know that before she came back to continue her junior year, the time that she spent with her mom in the hospital would be the last time the two would talk with each other.  On January 10^th, 2014, Kalik's mom had emergency surgery.  Kalik rushed back to the hospital to find her family gathered in the waiting room.  It was determined that the pain her mom was experiencing was actually the result of undifferentiated cancer with a mass found on her pancreas.  Thirty days later, Kalik's mom would pass away. 

Any excitement and joy of winning a conference championship quickly changed to pain and sorrow.  The question she'd ask herself "what do I do now?"  Kalik and her mom shared a tight bond that went all the way back to when Kalik played club volleyball.  Now, that bond had been broken.

"The most favorite time we spent together was the traveling that we did for club volleyball," said Kalik.  "It allowed us to really develop a special relationship and no matter where club volleyball took me, she was always there."

As word of her mother's death spread throughout the college community, one bond that still remained firmly in place was the one that existed amongst teammates, coaches and parents as all quickly showed their support for Kalik and her family.  In addition, the influence Kalik had on the community quickly shown through as many people attended her mom's funeral in support.  So many in fact, several had to stand throughout the service. 

For a lot of people, especially a young adult at 20 years of age, the temptation to just "shut down" could have taken over Kalik.  But instead, she decided to turn her mother's death into as much of a positive as possible.  Kalik returned to school to complete her education, but would she continue to play volleyball knowing that one of her biggest supporters will no longer be there?  The answer was, yes.

Kalik completed the remainder of her junior year and participated in spring practices with the team before heading home for the summer.  A couple months later, she returned for her final year both academically and her volleyball career.  But her senior year would not be without its difficulties.

"The early part of the season was pretty difficult for Alicia," said Brenner.  "We could see when she was struggling.  She was going to go through a lot of 'firsts.'  The first season practice without her mom, the first game without her and not being able to call her mom after each practice as she did previously.  It was our job to make sure that she knew we were always there for her and to help her."

Despite the possible rough times ahead, Kalik set out with a mission……to do what she loves to do and do what her mom would want her to do.  And Kalik has done just that.  In a repeat of last season, Kalik has again helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a second straight regular-season championship and the right to host the HCAC Tournament.  She has played in all 28 matches so far coming into tournament play and has totaled 874 assists (8.92 a/s).  She is also second in aces (25), digs (244), is third in total blocks (38) and has added 73 kills. 

For her career, Kalik has increased her already program-leading assist total to an impressive 3,674 in addition to 284 kills, 101 aces, 903 digs and 165 blocks.

Although the joy of winning a second championship in the program's history may not be the same as last year, Kalik will always have the spirit of her mom to support her.

"My mom had an amazing personality," said Kalik.  "She was kind of the 'team mom' in that she was not only making sure I had enough food to eat, enough water to drink during and after matches, but she also made sure everyone else on the team had the same.  Her smile could light up the room and I want to carry on my mom's legacy."

"After last season came to an end in the conference tournament, Alicia's mom came up to me crying," said Brenner.  "Not because we lost, but because the season had now ended and she had had so much fun.  That was just how Alicia's mom was and you can see a lot of that personality in Alicia."

In remembrance of her mom, Kalik pays tribute to her before each match by kissing two fingers and pointing to the sky while she is introduced during the starting lineups prior to game time.  Kalik and her teammates also pay tribute with a leopard-style ribbon tied in their shoe laces.

"My mom was all about the leopard-style…………anything," added Kalik smiling.  "It was part of her personality that everybody loved.  There couldn't be any better way to pay tribute to her."

Kalik has also made an effort to bring awareness to pancreatic cancer and help those developing research to eliminate the disease.  On senior night, Kalik, with the help of her teammates and Alpha Phi Omega, put together a "Purple with a Purpose Night" in which anyone could purchase a commemorative purple shirt for $10 with all proceeds going to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Netwoork. 

"I want to make my mom proud of me," stated Kalik.  "And I think the best way I can do that is to live my life to the fullest and continue on doing the things that I love.  To all those who have shown such an outpouring of support to me and my family……..thank you."