Dig R Knights: Yana Kamshilina
Sep 28 | Women's Volleyball
If there's one thing you should know about Yana Kamshilina it's that she hates having free time.
"I am not the type of person who can watch Netflix 24/7," she laughed. "I need to stay active and explore new things every day."
The good news is that head coach Caitlin Schweihofer and her staff have managed to keep this rising senior on her toes.
If you take a glance at the stories on the Rutgers volleyball Instagram page you can get a glimpse into practice every now and then. Don't be surprised to watch the team getting familiar with a new system and drills … or attempting to play netball … or a heated game of racing tic-tac-toe using shoes.
One thing you can take away from watching, it that there is a lot of smiling, laughing, having fun and getting better together.
"We don't know what to expect from practices," Kamshilina enthusiastically explained. "So every day we come to practice and we are excited for what's next and what are we going to do today. It's so much fun to be in the gym. I think 'wow, I can't wait for the next practice' and I can't wait to get back into the gym."
The outside hitter is excited to be back at practice having made her way back to the United States for her fourth year "On The Banks" from Omsk, Russia located in southwestern Siberia.
While she underwent the required quarantine to come back to campus, Kamshilina stayed busy occupying her day with classes and working towards her degree in supply chain management. Although Kamshilina dreams about her future, it's all about putting in the work to make her dreams come true while she was biding her time to rejoin the team.
"I was always into the business field, so when I graduated from high school I knew that I wanted to go into business," she noted. "I have a cherished dream to open my own restaurant chain and I'm positive it is going to happen one day. In order to run this business successfully, I need to know how to manage all the products and services that I want to deliver to my customers. This is exactly what supply chain does. I think the pandemic showed us how it is important to deliver things on time and so I think understanding supply chain is going to help me one day with my restaurant."
In addition to giving Kamshilina the knowledge and tools she needs for her future, Rutgers allowed her the opportunity to continue her love of travel and exploring new places.
"I'm used to traveling a lot," said Kamshilina who mentioned some of her favorite trips include Cuba with teammate Beka Kojadinovic and Cyprus with her family along with Asia on her bucket list of places to visit.
"I'm always excited to go to a new state," she noted of life in the Big Ten and enjoying the excitement of game day throughout the league.
However, it is right what is in Rutgers' backyard that Kamshilina enjoys the most of her travels.
"I love the fact that New Jersey and Rutgers is really close to New York," she said. "It takes you about 40 minutes to get to Manhattan. I am a city girl, so I love the feeling of the city. I feel like it gives me so much energy."
Energy is also something Kamshilina has noted about Rutgers surrounding both the volleyball program and the athletic department.
"I think that Rutgers has changed a lot since I got here," she noted of the improvement of facilities, to the support of academics to ensuring proper nutrition for optimal performance. "They have created a really good environment for us student-athletes."
One of the Scarlet Knight veterans, she now enters her senior season having appeared in over 50 matches in her career, which included East Carolina Invitational All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman.
"I missed Rutgers a lot," she reflected about the last few months. "This long break showed everyone what things are important and when you lose something, you definitely start to value these things differently and a lot more. So I'm happy to be back and I'm so excited for all things that are to come."
"I still remember the day when we won that Big Ten game (against Northwestern) here at home," Kamshilina recalled. "We were so excited. I remember all those emotions and can't wait to compete again. At the same time I understand, we all need to take a step back and just wait until things settle down a bit."
In the meantime, Coach Schweihofer and her staff manage to keep the Scarlet Knights engaged in practice and the Scarlet Knights are putting in the work to push Rutgers in the right direction.
"The biggest thing that I want to emphasize is the team culture and the energy level that everyone brings to the table is amazing," Kamshilina said of her team heading forward.
She is hoping that when competition returns that Scarlet Knights fans will come to check out this new look team and watch Kamshilina and her teammates in their free time.
Follow Rutgers women's volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
"I am not the type of person who can watch Netflix 24/7," she laughed. "I need to stay active and explore new things every day."
|
Above: With teammate Beka Kojadinovic in Cuba Below: With mom on vacation in Cyprus |
The good news is that head coach Caitlin Schweihofer and her staff have managed to keep this rising senior on her toes.
If you take a glance at the stories on the Rutgers volleyball Instagram page you can get a glimpse into practice every now and then. Don't be surprised to watch the team getting familiar with a new system and drills … or attempting to play netball … or a heated game of racing tic-tac-toe using shoes.
One thing you can take away from watching, it that there is a lot of smiling, laughing, having fun and getting better together.
"We don't know what to expect from practices," Kamshilina enthusiastically explained. "So every day we come to practice and we are excited for what's next and what are we going to do today. It's so much fun to be in the gym. I think 'wow, I can't wait for the next practice' and I can't wait to get back into the gym."
The outside hitter is excited to be back at practice having made her way back to the United States for her fourth year "On The Banks" from Omsk, Russia located in southwestern Siberia.
While she underwent the required quarantine to come back to campus, Kamshilina stayed busy occupying her day with classes and working towards her degree in supply chain management. Although Kamshilina dreams about her future, it's all about putting in the work to make her dreams come true while she was biding her time to rejoin the team.
"I was always into the business field, so when I graduated from high school I knew that I wanted to go into business," she noted. "I have a cherished dream to open my own restaurant chain and I'm positive it is going to happen one day. In order to run this business successfully, I need to know how to manage all the products and services that I want to deliver to my customers. This is exactly what supply chain does. I think the pandemic showed us how it is important to deliver things on time and so I think understanding supply chain is going to help me one day with my restaurant."
In addition to giving Kamshilina the knowledge and tools she needs for her future, Rutgers allowed her the opportunity to continue her love of travel and exploring new places.
"I'm used to traveling a lot," said Kamshilina who mentioned some of her favorite trips include Cuba with teammate Beka Kojadinovic and Cyprus with her family along with Asia on her bucket list of places to visit.
"I'm always excited to go to a new state," she noted of life in the Big Ten and enjoying the excitement of game day throughout the league.
However, it is right what is in Rutgers' backyard that Kamshilina enjoys the most of her travels.
"I love the fact that New Jersey and Rutgers is really close to New York," she said. "It takes you about 40 minutes to get to Manhattan. I am a city girl, so I love the feeling of the city. I feel like it gives me so much energy."
Energy is also something Kamshilina has noted about Rutgers surrounding both the volleyball program and the athletic department.
"I think that Rutgers has changed a lot since I got here," she noted of the improvement of facilities, to the support of academics to ensuring proper nutrition for optimal performance. "They have created a really good environment for us student-athletes."
One of the Scarlet Knight veterans, she now enters her senior season having appeared in over 50 matches in her career, which included East Carolina Invitational All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman.
"I missed Rutgers a lot," she reflected about the last few months. "This long break showed everyone what things are important and when you lose something, you definitely start to value these things differently and a lot more. So I'm happy to be back and I'm so excited for all things that are to come."
"I still remember the day when we won that Big Ten game (against Northwestern) here at home," Kamshilina recalled. "We were so excited. I remember all those emotions and can't wait to compete again. At the same time I understand, we all need to take a step back and just wait until things settle down a bit."
In the meantime, Coach Schweihofer and her staff manage to keep the Scarlet Knights engaged in practice and the Scarlet Knights are putting in the work to push Rutgers in the right direction.
"The biggest thing that I want to emphasize is the team culture and the energy level that everyone brings to the table is amazing," Kamshilina said of her team heading forward.
She is hoping that when competition returns that Scarlet Knights fans will come to check out this new look team and watch Kamshilina and her teammates in their free time.
Follow Rutgers women's volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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