It is safe to say that as a fifth-year senior on the Long Beach State women's volleyball team, Stephanie Streeks has seen it all.
She has gone from one end of the spectrum to the next over her five seasons with one of the most successful collegiate volleyball teams in the nation. She is a hometown-type girl. Born and raised in a tiny Nebraska town, she is definitely the photogenic, Midwestern all-American girl which people in far away countries talk about in lore: solid backbone and morals; high school cheerleader; class valedictorian; million dollar smile -- but wait a second ...
Two-timer?
At least she aspires to be, anyway. Although she sat out as a redshirt her freshman year, she was still a member of the 1993 49er team which won the NCAA National Championship. And although she laid low as the scrub from out of town, she came out of it with a ring.
Now four years later, as a pivotal part of a 49er team on its way to another national crown, she is looking for a second ring.
One she can call her own.
"I wear my ring, but I really try to keep it in a safe place most of the time because I'm afraid I'm going to lose it," she said. And as for an additional ring?
"I'd wear it all the time. The first one is always my keepsake ring. This one will be to prove something and to show off."
For Streeks, a 22-year-old psychology major, there is not much left to prove to anybody but herself.
"It was really overwhelming," she said of her first season at The Beach. "I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I really just stepped into a good situation. My confidence was not very high then. It wasn't until last spring when I felt I really had a position on the team."
The position she accepted is one of the most vital on the team: the catalyst. Streeks makes her living coming off the bench time and again -- and more often than not, gives the 49ers much needed boosts.
"Stephanie helps keep the team together because she talks so much," said Jenn Snyder, 49er outside hitter. "If somebody makes a mistake, she's in their face saying, 'Forget about it!'"
It would seem that for many players who have been in the system for so long, a non-starting role would not suffice. But Streeks insists that for a team to be successful, there has to be a spark, and no room for ego.
"It's a different role. A role I did not come here to play," she said. "Many people couldn't play it. But that's my personality off the court, too. With me, that's what I'd rather do. If they had stats for talking and being excited, I'd be No. 1 stat person.
"My enthusiasm is definitely genuine," Streeks said. "When I watch myself on tape sometimes it's embarrassing!"
Streeks accepts the role of the fifth-year player, although, for her, it is a bit awkward since she is the only player left from the 1993 squad.
"When I try to explain things about that year, no one quite gets it," she said. "I think sometimes people forget that IÕve been here for five years."
For a young woman who traveled almost 2,000 miles to Long Beach from from a speck on the map called Gering, Neb., one could say she's been from one extreme to the next.
Even out west she still tries to be the girl next door: "Every Christmas vacation they are like, 'OK, let's see how much Stephanie has changed.'
"Gering is a stereotypical Midwestern town -- really small," she said. "I graduated with 180 kids, but that was a huge high school compared to others around there. My family is very close and I was brought up with good Midwestern values. But I was ready to leave."
Her chance came after leading her Gering High School volleyball team as Regional Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992.
As an outside hitter, Streeks drew attention from college recruiters, including 49er Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro.
"She has definitely seen it all," Gimmillaro said. "Steph-anie is a great resource for the younger players. She has worked hard."
What's coming is a wild ride through the NCAA Playoffs which nobody on the current team can relate to as well as she.
Streeks will try to take the rest of the 49ers to as the NCAA Tournament rolls on. And having made the transition from small town to big-time, she has got the experience and attitude to do just that.