Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Isabella Denk

Photo: Delaware Technical Community College

Delaware Technical Community College student-athletes interviews are back! Every Thursday, Delaware Sports Blitz will feature interviews with the student-athletes from the Community College.

The student-athlete we are featuring this week comes from Delaware Tech’s women’s volleyball team, which is Isabella Denk.

Denk talks about everything from overcoming tearing her ACL and meniscus and what is the best part playing at her position.

Check out it below!

Related:

 Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Joe Volk

How did you start playing sports?
“Sports have been a big part of my life since I was little because my two older brothers were playing sports which eventually made me want to play sports. I started out by playing volleyball, basketball, and soccer.”

What adjustments did you have to make from the jump of high school to college, regarding the sport you play?
“I didn’t have to make any major changes from the jump of high school to college because it was the same in a sense, just having good time management between practices/games and with your studies.”

How do you keep yourself in game shape in the off-season for your sport?
“I keep myself in game shape in the off-season by going to the gym and running.”

What is the best part of playing your particular position?
“The best part about playing my particular position, which is setting, is when one of my hitters gets a good kill off of my sets.”

What has a former or current coach taught you, that you still use today on or off the playing field?
“A former coach and current coach has taught me to fight and persevere through adversity, whether that is a teammate getting injured or if we are losing. We do this is by working as a team, communicating, and lifting each other up if one is down.”

What is a typical day for you when the season is in full force?
“A typical day for me when the season is in full force, usually consists of me doing school work, then going to practice and working hard for about two and half hours. Then coming home, eating dinner, taking a shower, finishing school work, and then going to bed.”

What do you feel is your greatest strength?
“My greatest strength in volleyball is my commitment to my team and mental toughness because when I make a mistake, I don’t let it get me down, I shake it off, learn what I did wrong, and move on to the next point. Also, I can push myself in high-stress situations like serving game points.”

What do you feel you are weakest at and what do you work on to improve it?
“My weakness in volleyball is probably setting, which is ironic since that is the position I’ve been playing, but at the beginning of the season, Coach Kelly (Summers) said she was going to need me to play that position even though I haven’t before. Since then, I’ve been practicing and getting help from my coaches to improve my setting so that I can successfully help my team.”

Describe some of the highlights of your athletic career.
“Some highlights of my athletic career are my high school volleyball team going to the state tournament the last four years, getting an honorable mention in basketball my sophomore and junior year of high school, and getting 1st team all-conference and 2nd team all-state in soccer my junior year of high school. Also, I was a captain for all three of my sports in high school.”

What is the best part of playing on a team?

“The best part of playing on a team is when everyone starts to connect and work all together and starts communicating to achieve a goal we set out to do.”

How do you stay motivated during the highs and lows of a season?
“A season is inevitably going to have highs and lows, but how you handle them is important. You have to go into every game giving 100% effort, no matter what and not to get down on yourself or others after a loss, and not to be overconfident after coming from a win.”

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
“The biggest challenge I had to face was in my senior year of high school when I tore my ACL and meniscus in pre-season, which led me to miss out on all my sports that year and have to get ACL reconstruction surgery. I overcame this by working hard every day in physical therapy to get my knee back to 100% and to get cleared to play sports again.”

In what ways, does playing a sport, help you with your studies?
“Playing a sport helps with my studies by letting me have an outlet to play something that I enjoy and love. Also, it gives me a break from all the studying and school work.”

How would you like to be remembered by your teammates and coaches?
“I would like to be remembered by my teammates and coaches for my hard work and hustle, no matter if we are winning or losing.”

Why did you choose to play at Delaware Tech?

I chose to play at Delaware Tech because it is an affordable cost, and I get to play the sport I love again after being injured.