IU had already dropped the first set that night, 25-17, but within the second set senior defensive specialist Courtney Harnish achieved her 1,000th career dig.
While some may see this achievement more personally uplifting, the current team captain credits it as being just another aspect of her job.
“It’s great,” Harnish said. “There was a lot of hype and a lot of build up, but if you really look at it, every dig I get helps the team so that’s what matters.”
Harnish said she sees being captain as one of her greatest achievements. For Harnish, a captain isn’t someone who is molded but is equally born and trained.
Harnish is currently 10th on IU’s career list for most career digs by a defensive specialist totaling 1,014 after IU’s game versus Wisconsin on Sunday.
“It’s great to see her hit the milestone,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. “She deserves this, has earned it and put in the work to achieve it.”
Harnish said she is excited about the achievement..
“It’s definitely something when I’m done with volleyball I can look back on when my name is in the record book,” Harnish said. “Really right now it’s a great honor, and I’m glad I could do it, but it doesn’t really change who I am as a player.”
Harnish said she uses breaking records as a way to continue to push herself.
As Harnish nears the end of her time at IU, she reflects on how she has grown as a player.
“I actually went back and watched some of my old film from freshman year,” Harnish said. “It was cool to see because I was young and didn’t really know who I was on the team yet. Over the years I’ve been on leadership council in charge of academics which I like because it’s what I’m good at, and it was a stepping stone that helped me get up to captain.”
Though the team’s past record hasn’t been what it may have wanted, Harnish still looks at the bright side.
“It’s all about perspective,” Harnish said. “We haven’t had the greatest seasons or winning records, but as I get older this team is more mature which changes our perspective on a lot of things. We focused on the positives and we’ve had a lot of growth this year even though our record may not show it right now.
Although this is Harnish’s last season, she still finds challenges she hopes to work on to improve herself and the team as one cohesive unit.
“The most challenging thing is making sure everyone is on the same page,” Harnish said. “People are going to have off days and people are going to have things going on outside volleyball. So I need to make sure everyone leaves it at the door and has a good practice every day.”
