Latest / Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast / Episode 026 | Orlando’s Ace Queen: Natalie Foster Talks Serving & Team USA
Transcript
- Mike Moline: Hello everyone! What's going on? Welcome to Set 6, the official podcast of Major League Volleyball. I'm Jenna Rosenthal, covering this week for our intrepid host, Severin Lavenstein. And don't you worry, we'll still have plenty of Severin later in this episode. He has a wonderful interview prepared for you all with Natalie Foster of the Orlando Balkeries. But in the meantime, please don't forget to like. Comment, subscribe wherever you find this podcast, be it on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, PodBay. Does anybody else remember Pod Bay from about 10 years ago? I don't. But if you found us there, please don't forget to subscribe. It really helps the channel and continue us bringing all of you people the inside scoops and insider information that you've all come to love and appreciate. an extra little plug for the YouTube channel right now. There's a lot of good stuff coming down the pipe. through YouTube in the coming weeks and months. Season is right around the corner and the MLV YouTube channel is where we host not only games, but tons of good stuff. Check it out, subscribe, give it some extra love. That's awesome. Now, while you're on our YouTube channel, might I suggest that you scroll back a little bit to check out episode twenty five, where Severin and I go in deep to have a conversation about the newest MLV franchise, the LA Thunder, and check out in in-depth discussion of the Major League Volleyball Marquee player exception. Gets a little technical, but I think there's a lot of really great nuggets and tidbits on there about where Major League Volleyball hopes to find its place in the American sports landscape as a whole. So check that one out. Or for even more historical goodness, I suggest episode 24. Severin and I discuss the MLV draft lottery in its entirety, go off on a little bit of wild speculation here and there on who we think Who's gonna make some trades of picks, who's going early in the draft, who's going late. Lots of good stuff there. Take a look, check it out, give it some love, like, comment, subscribe. You've all you've heard it all before. Today's format will be pretty standard. I'll take us through a very brief spin through the news and then hand you over to the very capable hands of Past Severin, where he goes for a really great conversation with Natalie Foster. And then we'll wrap up with Jenna ranting about how the Brewers are a great baseball team. But This is a volleyball podcast. You didn't come to hear that. So speeding right along. We really are in the thick of it for college volleyball season. We all know that. We keep hearing about the Huskers. I don't know about you, but my Instagram feed is absolutely flooded with the gals in red doing what they do best. Currently sitting with the only perfect record in college volleyball right now. But what is a little bit more interesting to me at the moment, Or it's just another layer of excitement for a really wonderful time of the year for volleyball. Euroleagues are kicking off, right? and MLV's own Regan Cooper of the Omaha Supernovas and the Columbus Fury, she collected it an MVP award for her debut in the Italian Super League. I remember when little Regan was well, never quite little, she's about six foot three. She has really found her feet in the professional game and hit the ground running. she collected an MVP award in her Superliga debut for Kierry against Russia. And she came off the bench, set one for Logan Eggleston, and went seven for fifteen kills with no errors to hit six hundred. And what I'm personally most proud of her game in development is her passing. She passed 71% positive with thirty per 35% perfect pass in that debut. So honestly, very, very well deserved first outing MVP for Regan Cooper. Omaha fans will remember the cheer of coop. And I'm actually very curious to see if the Italian fans picked up on that one. But we will be continuing to watch her career with great earnest and everyone at Major League Volleyball will be cheering her on as she pursues Yeah, she chases her dream. And hopefully we see her back on MLB courts very, very soon. We got a little more international flavor coming our way. So I keep alluding to this interview that Severn got with Natalie Foster. So he was able to sit down with Natalie just a few short days after she returned from Mexico, competing with Team USA in the Pan American Cup and the Norseca Final Six. She did a really great job down there, really contributing to Team USA's gold medal win. And continuing on our theme of MLV players competing on the international stage. I keep talking about that interview Severin did with Natalie Foster. He was able to sit down with her just a couple days after she returned from Mexico competing with Team USA and the Pan American Cup and the Norseca Finals VI. I think I thought a lot of her insights were really, really impactful and they really resonated with my own personal journey, with that first taste of international volleyball. Natalie'll get into it more in the conversation, but just reflecting on the really amazing grace and humility she has. And I'm so happy for that she was able to really appreciate the fact that her journey in okay, give it give it say 10 years. she discusses how she started volleyball in middle school. She'd been a lifetime lifetime basketball player, but within the span of a few short years, 10 years from starting volleyball, getting a scholarship to play at Wichita State for the Shockers, transferring to SMU, and then turning pro for Orlando Orlando Valkyries and Major League Volleyball. It's it's one of those moments where I don't think any athlete truly fully expects to step into these big moments and represent Team USA until they're there in those moments. And being able to step back and really appreciate the body of work that you've put in is really something. And Natalie talks about that more. And so I was really excited for her to I I don't want to call it say taking the next step. It's taking a different step, right? It going abroad is always gonna be a little bit different. It's it's a very, very humbling. It's both humbling and something to be incredibly proud of to n to realize that you've achieved a certain level of skill in this game, to be asked to then represent your country in another country to simply play a game. It's I think that's the beautiful dichotomy of sports, right? it both it's always just a game, but it's always so much more than that. The stakes can never be higher. And I think that's part of why sports holds such a such a large part in the human experience, right? It's that balancing of what's important, what's seemingly unimportant, and that overall pursuit of excellence that threads through it all. And Taking a bit of a spin out of the esoteric into the reality. what's really important is Natalie Foster is a damn good server, if you don't mind me saying. Pardon my French. She's Major League Volleyball's best server two years running, has fifty-two aces last season, which is a fantastic number. Her per set ace ratio is at zero point five five, which means she is more likely than not to ace you in any given set. Not just a match, any given set she's gonna get hers, which I absolutely adore. And I thought my ba my favorite fun fact and a little bit of research I did to make sure I got our ace queen statistics right. She has more than doubled up on the second best server in Major League Volleyball. She's sitting at 52 aces and Major League Volleyball Mia Tueninga is sitting at 24. So that's an absolutely dominating performance for Natalie Foster. And honestly, I'm gonna let her speak for her stats speak for herself. I'm gonna let her speak for herself. And I'll hand you guys off to Natalie and Severin right here. Natalie, thank you so much for joining us here on the Set Six podcast. We are so excited to talk to you. And you are coming off just an amazing like experience with Team USA, Pan Am Cup Gold, Final Six Gold, and you just being what I felt like probably on top of the world there, doing some nice MLV representation for the national team. And that's where I want to start, Natalie. Not only a welcome to the podcast, but please tell me about your experience recently, just getting back from being with Team USA. Yeah, it was it was so awesome. I got back here into these States just a few days ago, like two days ago. So happy to be back. But my time there was something that I'll definitely hold on to for a while. It was really special and the amount of people, like everyone I got to meet, was just great. So I'm excited about it. Hopefully no jet lag for you at at any point in this point, you know, just back to your right time zone. Yeah, yeah. Thankfully it wasn't too much of a time change. It was just a few hours. So it didn't have to go like across the world, but It was just a w hour or two. So the time change was a little a little easier to get used to for sure. Natalie, I wanna ask about your your favorite memories and i if you had like a favorite match out of o both of the tournaments or even if it has nothing to do with that, maybe it was just, you know, you all b team bonding on the bus, but any any favorite memories from both tournaments that really stick out to you right now? We would sit down, like, just after game days and stuff, and we just play cards and that was some really fun team bonding moments that we had. And really it wasn't like the volleyball's great, but the moments in between getting to know everybody and like playing those card games and like having the meals with everybody, that was like the special moments I'll remember for sure. What is it like with those teams? 'Cause I know they've got to get together so quickly, right? And it's probably not always the easiest to build natural teammate chemistry, I'm assuming. Not that anybody's hard to get along with or anything, but you're all coming from different backgrounds at different points in your off seasons. How is it like building that whole team that obviously has to go and perform very well? Yeah, for for the tournaments we participated in, my group at least, we came in with about a week and a half, two weeks almost of practice time together. So it was very like rushed, very like you have to show up, you have to perform right away. And It's it's kind of it's interesting because like in the volleyball world everyone has different styles of play too. So getting that to mesh all on the same page, it kind of took us a moment, but by the end of the tournament, obviously it worked out for us. We ended up winning. So we pulled it together and it and it actually was really it was really awesome. So what what are some of those differences that they kind of talk about in coaching? Like maybe on the court in the USA gym. I mean, I mean, I feel like what I've heard is always like at that point. They they know what kind of players you are. That's why they've picked you. And it's less about like, hey, you know, let's change your foot positioning and more like this is how we want you all play as a unit. Am I wrong there? Am I right? Like, tell me about what the specific coaching points were in the lead up to leaving for the tournament. Yeah, a lot of what the coaching points were, it was like what their expectations were of you and your position, basically. And it's like you do or you don't do kind of thing. So when it came to like middle systems, like on free balls, it's like how Who takes which ball in which situation? And it's like that's expected and it's on it should be addressed once. Once that's addressed, it's like on you at that point. So the expectation level is definitely raised in the gym. Well, I mean, we know all about, you know, what we expect from you was just seeing also awesome dominance on the court anytime in an MLV setting. But what was it like? Just, you know, stepping away from the the nitty-gritties, just being in the USA gym. Was this your first experience on a USA roster? Yes. This is actually my very first experience in like the USA gym. entirely. It was just like I was just trying to take it all in moment by moment. And it was really, really cool. Yeah. How did it feel to put on the jersey? And and were there any pinch me moments? Was that the one when you you when you first put on the jersey for the first time? When I first put the jersey on for the first time, I kind of like put it on and then like Coach Eric came into the locker room and he's like, Some of you guys are putting this jersey on for the very first time. And then like I think that's when it like truly hit me. Like It hit me prior, like when I walked into the gym on like the first practice day. But when we like suited up for that first game, it was like, my gosh, like this is real. This is like I'm wearing the USA like women's national team like jersey. Like this is this is actually happening. And like there was definitely like a lot of emotions I was feeling at that time. a lot like a lot of gratitude, a lot of just like, I can't believe that this is this is like I'm here. But we started off like one of our first days of practice with like everyone that's in this gym was like meant to be here. We asked you to be here. You deserve to be here. So like those kind of words I just kept repeating to myself over and over again. It's just that like I'm here for a reason and all that stuff. So as surreal as it felt, it was really cool to just be in the jersey and be in the moment, especially for the first time. And then when I put it on for the last time just a few days ago. I love in that answer you're talking about like being in the moment. And if you don't mind me sort of kinda gassing you up based on your your prior experience, like you're, if you don't mind me saying so, a relatively young player. And then you've won an MLV championship. You are a key part of of this the team that you're on in MLV. You go in and wear a USA jersey and and you know the team does it v incredibly well. Like do take a moment to be like, you know, especially too, you know, about with your background of how you didn't pick up volleyball until I think it was middle school or after middle school. And like here you are doing some pretty incredible things in your career and there's plenty of career to go. Yeah, I I reflect on it a lot honestly with like my parents. They've been with me like through this whole journey since I started and like the first tournament where I was crying to my dad saying I hated volleyball and that I never wanted to play it. But like I reflect on it a lot with my parents and like it's it's really a surreal moment to even think or know that like this is where I got from where I was. And like we we've talked about and we're like we never would have thought like this could have gotten me here, you know, but it's so cool to see like the opportunities opening up here and like how everything has like a pl like there's always a p there's like a plan for everything, but like all of it's been worth something in the end, you know? I love that. It's really cool. It absolutely has. And I feel like you're the ultimate like person I would point to to be like, pick up a volleyball because you never know. You could become a Natalie Foster, which would be so sick. So I mean that that's I think the perfect the perfect example there. And Natalie, I just want to go back to the court again for a second because I've always been so curious, like, you know, I know w we we've talked a little bit about like some of the differences in coaching, but like playstyle, on the court, systems and like in in the moment of these these international matches, what are the biggest differences that you notice that maybe some of our fans watching this who are really dialed into MLV play but aren't necessarily familiar with the Norseca circuit, like what are some of those differences in maybe like level of play? defenses, playstyle, all that kind of thing that you notice. Yeah, specifically with the teams that we went up against, a lot of it, there are some teams that used speed and like setting tempos a lot against us. Like they were trying to beat our blocking system so they can run faster routes, basically like getting past the block and trying to beat us that way. There are some systems where they were just super scrappy and they could get everything up. Like it was really hard to have a ball hit the ground. So Depending on which team you're playing, they had kind of different styles. But there was a lot of teams that kind of went with that faster system and then they just like would dig every single ball and chase it down. Like they would get it up and then they'd run it down and find a way to get it back hit at you. So there was some some really, really good high level volleyball down there for sure. And just like turn around and you're like, How is this ball not on the ground yet? Yeah, there was some there was a game where I turned to one of my teammates and she was just like This might be a game where it's just like we just gotta outwork, you know, like it's gonna be a very scrappy game and we just have to persevere in the in the rally, kind of keep going. I always think that's so cool and I love those matches that I got to see last year in MLV too, where I feel like especially as we went towards the championship, you get to those points where you can you might have to completely change and be like as you rightly said, okay, this is a match where it's gonna be all about Hustle and and stamina and maybe less about the pinpoint accuracy, which I find so fascinating when that switch changes. So I I love that. Natalie, one one change might be this year in in Francois's system and and I you know that international experience that you're gaining this year might be something that you you bring back. And maybe if it isn't, like what are some of those things maybe from this this play in the Pan Am Cup and the Norse Go Final Six? That maybe you will bring back. You know, is it gonna be kind of a completely different thing where, like we mentioned, you know, MLV and and international play is different and stays that way? Or are there gonna be little things that you bring from this experience back with you for next season? I think the level of like expectation the coaches had put like a different kind of gear in my brain. Like I I'm not quite sure how or I hope this will translate when it comes to November and like the practice time and then in December. But there's like a different expectation level. I think that being in the USA gym, I've kind of like it may have clicked. I'm hoping it has clicked for like this fall, but I'm hoping I can bring like a different level of like intensity in what I expect of myself and my role and like just c stepping into it with more confidence, just knowing that. This is what I need to be doing, you know? Yeah. I think that's another really interesting answer for me to hear because again, watching you on the court, the the confidence is not something that I would see. Like I when I watch you go back to the service line, I'm like, I I have confidence that's gonna be an ace right there. So it's an interesting thing to hear. But I get what you're saying, that it's like almost the demonstrated ability, right? Like you've you've proven you can do it at that level and then you bring it back and and and those little coaching points from what you're hearing there is such an interesting. Not juxtaposition, but like it's cool to hear it from that standpoint and then bring it back. So I think that's a great answer. Well, I'm super looking forward to seeing you in this new system. And so let's talk a little bit more about Orlando now. I mean, are you adjusting to get get back to MLV training? Like what was it like in the in the summer to get ready for USA training? And are you are you getting to have like a week vacation before you get back ready for training camp? Or like how is that whole rest of the offseason gonna go for you? Yeah. I didn't I didn't give myself a whole lot of time from when season ended to get back at least in working out. So and then I found out really quickly, like probably a month after season ended, to a month and a half, that I would be going into the USA gym. So from then I was just kind of working on getting just reps at least every week, if not multiple times a week, just to get prepared for that. And then obviously I spent the past month with the USA gym. So I'm right now, since it's only been a few days, I've been back. I've taken a few days off, but I'll probably be getting back into like working out here in the next month and then hoping that I can show up in November and just be ready to roll with the team, which I'm super excited about. For you in the middle, when you do take some time off or or maybe, you know, need to start ramping up again, what are some of the things that come back faster and what are some of the things where you're like, Yeah, that that will take a little while to get back going, back into game playing mode? Poof. I think for me in the middle, I don't feel like there's really anything. I feel like h attacking is pretty pretty easy to step into if like all the variables are working out right. But like we're getting, you know, we have new setters, we're working on that system, like that will probably be an adjustment. Serving, I just spent a month serving with a completely different volleyball. So I'm I'm hoping that it'll come back pretty quickly, but I'm not too worried about it because I've I have spent the past two years with the MLV ball and I do think that with my serve, that ball moves pretty well. So I'm excited to go back to it and see kind of how that goes. But both like I think all the moves can like it takes probably like a few days for me to get back into it for sure. Just a quick tangent based on that. Have you played much beach and does does your serve do some crazy stuff with the beach ball? Because I'm now I'm just picturing like that must go ten different directions. Yeah, I I've never played beach competitively. I've just kind of done it for fun and I would be afraid to probably do my full serve on the sand. I think that ball would move everywhere. I think it would be really fun. That's that's such a great image. I think I want almost like a like a moving graphic of like we've got like you kinda sort of static and then we could just drag the ball like ten different directions there. It'd be hilarious. That would be it would be insane. Have to get a camera on you when the first time you actually try it. That's so funny. Yeah, we'll have to. Or then you just throw everybody off with a skyball and then it's like, see, different. Yeah, then yeah. They won't know what's coming. No, not at all. The the you mentioned the the new setters and the whole new thing. Let's start first with with the coach, Francois, you know, being the new at the helm of Orlando. That's gotta be really exciting. And then with the way the team has been built throughout the rest of the off season, bringing back a lot of the heavy hitters, you know, Britney, charity, bringing in Marley as a setter, like what were your just overall thoughts on the construction of the team this offseason? Honestly, I think they did a wonderful job. I know that there's been a lot of like variables behind the scenes, but I think that I'm really excited to get in the gym and see how we all work out. I'm I've met Marley and I've played a little bit off of her earlier this summer and I'm just like excited to get in the gym with everybody, get to know everybody. I Okeyana, one of our liberos, she was actually playing for Puerto Rico. down in the final six and in Norseca as well. So it was nice to catch up with or I I got to meet her, but it'll be nice to be in the gym with her and see just how everybody's dynamic fits together. Definitely. I think I might know the answer to this, but I have to ask it anyway. I mean, you I think were third in hitting efficiency if for if not the whole I think the whole league, if not, you know, definitely at the top for for middles, I'm pretty sure it's the whole league. And then with obviously your setter is very important for that, right? What can you expand on that? Like what kind of timing and connection are you gonna have to have with Marley to be able to kind of keep that going? And I guess maybe my follow-up question to that would be, you know, are you like is that pretty easy to sustain your level of success, you know, regardless just because of how your game is, or like are you relying on that setter a lot? I think it depends kind of like there's cer there's different tempos you can run, even with like the middle set. And it like it was very easy to see if you watched Kaz run a slide last season. Like her slide tempo was very, like very fast. It was very on like the setter to get the ball to her at that point. And that's like getting into like the nitty gritty. I like that tempo I can I can work with, but it's really I'm not good with that fast speed. So Marley has seen how I like to be set. she's said it before. She's like, I like, don't worry, I've seen how you got set. I know how to set you. Like and I'm excited to work with her because she just is such a great person. So I can't wait, but like I'm more much more of like a hang it and I'll try and find it, which is a little different in the middle because a lot of the certain like a lot of certain setters get used to just running it fast, getting it to like the highest point for the middle where I like to play with a little bit more range and have kind of like that slower tempo. But again, it's really not gonna be that much slower because at the end of the day it's still a middle run ball. So it's It's just like the little tiny details that are kind of like hard to explain if you're not like, you know, doing the if you're not playing the middle position. Sometimes people have a hard time grasping that. No, I I love it. I think you've perfectly described it and thank you for taking us to the nitty gritty because I geek out about it. I think that's so cool. I never would have thought about the difference in tempo between who Kaz is a phenomenal at that slide and then be which is very different for you. It's it's amazing. Mm-hmm. Orlando last year so close to the postseason, maybe one or two little things just to get you over the hump. What might some of those little tweaks be? We can be as broad as you like, but just going into next season, obviously you know with this team what what success looks like. What were might be one or two little things that just need to happen next season for you to be able to get over the hump and into the offseason or into the postseason, excuse me? I feel like there's a lot of like hiccups with like injuries we had and just like kind of inconsistencies with like just minor stuff. So but it would take people out every once in a while. And I think that that like threw off our rhythm throughout the season and near the end and middle of the season when it got super important was kind of like when we hit kind of a stress point. And I think hoping this next season, I think that, you know, knock on wood, that, you know, we don't deal with as many of those throughout like the entire league, honestly. I felt like we had a lot of those. And then I think that for Orlando, like if we can come together and be like just a solid unit as a team, not that we weren't last year, but you know, I think that based off my first season when we won, like we had such a good unified like team where we were all there for each other from like top person through the bottom person. Like there's such a supportive, like group of people there that it was just like an awesome experience to be a part of. And I just hope to bring that to every team I'm on. So I'm hoping that this season with all the new pieces we have, we can kind of like get together, get together early and kind of just like trust each other through the whole season and and hold that team like as almost a sacred group of people where we, you know, we are a team going through this whole journey. I love that you went because that was going to be one of my next questions was like what were the similarities maybe between what you had from that group that won that maybe you want to try to create for this season. And I guess beyond that unity, is there anything else that really jumped out at you as like this was something that really worked during our championship season that if we get this right and maybe if we work on this or see this in training camp, you'll you'll know, you'll have an idea like, okay, this this has at least the the right sauce to be able to get us there. Yeah, I think my first season, I didn't think going into it that we would have ended up the way we did. there was a joke that's like, you know, why not us? Like, you know, we were kind of like just playing around with it. But it was such like a a lighthearted group that was willing to get after it. And like I think we had such an energy of of like our team on like the bench with like the people we had there, and like that like brought out the energy on the court. And I think that that is something We were missing in a sense. We hadn't we hadn't quite found that like lighthearted family type thing, I think, last season. I hate to say that because I did love that team, but I think we had we had so many great players, but sometimes on that meshing category, we kind of we missed just a little bit. And I think that if this season we can come come together, you know, we we get an extra month early, you know, if we all show up and If we can come in and and get to know each other and then, you know, build that, you know, baseline for us, I hope that this season shows off a little bit better than last season. Natalie, I wanna ask more about honestly you and I'd be remiss and all the fans are yelling at me to talk about probably your amazing serving. And I just I wanna ask more about it. I mean, fifty two Aces last season, which led the league. I was more than twice the next closest player. And how have you become so dominant at the service line? Was it always like a big part of your game? No, I would say I was a server when I was younger. I would just like sail the ball out of bounds and sometimes I'd get lucky and it'd go in. most of the time it would be in, but I would definitely have balls where it would be like sailing out. You often see it, I mean you still sometimes see it with my game currently, but I think my serve is at a different level than it was. At Wichita State I'd served a bit, but it was kind of inconsistent and the coaches wouldn't feel fully confident. So they'd pull me in and out of that role. and then when I got to SMU, they kind of saw what I had working with me and I told them, Hey, there's something else I have that I've been told not to do because people like this better, but it's more comfortable for me to serve this way. And they're like, okay, let's see it. And then I remember the gym, I remember the spot, I remember like the whole conversation. But I I show them that serve. I'm pretty sure I missed it. And but they're like, okay, we can work with that. And then they're like, we're gonna have you change a few things here and there. And it was part of my routine. If you go back to my Wichita State days, I would hit the ball three times instead of bounce the ball three times before I serve. And the coaches at SMU said when I hit that ball three times, I don't know if you have you ever hit y you bounce a ball like that. I would never be any closer to anything that you do. So I would totally watch your routine, but I think watching is as much as I should do. That's fair. That's fair. So but if you if you go and you hit a ball three times, you're not gonna hit that ball in the same spot on your hand three times in a row, no matter how how good you get, basically. There's always gonna be an inconsistency there. And so my coaches at SMU basically said that that subconscious inconsistency is. in your brain is already creating doubt for you for your surf. And so that aspect of it, they changed it to a bounce. So now I don't even have anything hitting my hand before that surf. So I bounce the ball. Then you I spin, spin the same way I did when I was in At Wichita State. Have done it since I was in middle school. It's just been my routine. And then I get up to that iconic pose I guess I have where I hold it for a good couple, I guess like a second or two. I don't really know the time, but During that, I just kind of like clear my brain. And I think that that's like probably the most important part that I've learned to do is just like you can do whatever you want during that one some that moment. Some people will like visualize, some people can like tell themselves they can do it. But for me, what works is just like putting everything out of outside my brain, just kind of like clearing it, looking at the ball. I breathe in, I take a deep breath, breathe out. breathe in again and that's when I start my serve. So by the time I'm breathing out, I'm hitting the ball. Which it sounds very like particular, but like basically me walking back from that line to like from the end line to me getting to my serve. Like I know how many steps I take. I know how many breaths I take, like I know when I do this, I know when I do that. And it's just very specific. So I look like I can look like a robot, I feel like sometimes going back from that line. I will like wipe my hands until the whistle blows, but I feel like it's a very like it's a routine that's made it so consistent for me that's like produced a more consistent serve. But I've still only done it for the past like two ish, three years. So it's been very, very new still, I guess, in my game. That's incredible. I mean to to for that to be not even that old of a of a routine and to be that effective. I I'm geeking out about the exactly what you said, like the little inconsistencies if you hit it. I mean, I see so many players. They do the The slap, you know, and and and really trying to to to do that. And that's I didn't even think of that. That's amazing. I love that so much. I I could talk about that part of it forever. What one of the and and you rent right through taking us through the routine, which is so cool. What do you do, I guess, if you're feeling a little off or maybe if it's in practice and you're not quite hitting it the right way that you want to to get back to that right part of the routine or or to get back to the right way you want it to be? Yeah, so there's definitely a couple like different like problem solving skills I kinda have to go through on my brain. Since my serve isn't like something everybody does, sometimes coaches I have don't exactly know what to say. So they leave it a lot up to me to like coach myself. When it comes to like my serve, if I hit it long, I'm either tossing that ball behind my head or I'm putting way too much on it, which sometimes It's both. Sometimes it's just me tossing it not out in front of me. And I just need to toss out in front of me. So I'll play around, I'll toss out in front of me, go try and rip at it, see where that gets me. And then if it gets it somewhere good, somewhere bad, then I go from there. And if I'm hitting it in the net, I'll try and reach higher to have a higher contact point and see if that changes anything. A lot of the times I just kind of play out play around with it until it feels good, depending on like Sometimes it depends on like altitude where you're playing, where the ball can sometimes go further or float further through the air because the altitude changes. And that's something that doesn't get really talked about a whole lot because then servers can sometimes overthink that. But something like with my serve, I feel like I have to sometimes be aware of because when we went down to play in Leon and Zenekantbeck down in Mexico, the altitude was like almost five thousand and then it was almost ten thousand at the different spots. So I had to be aware of that and try and play with kind of how much I'm putting on it. So I was ending up taking a lot more off my serve down in Mexico than I normally would, especially since the ball's lighter. So a lot of my serves down there would be going super long. So I had to be very conscious of like how much I'm putting on it down there, more so than how if it's out in front of me or my reach. But if when I go back to Orlando this next, you know, in November, I'll probably be trying to just get back onto my rhythm, keeping out in front of me, staying with a high contact point and going from there. The altitude again, I never would have thought of is there anywhere in in MLV that might affect that? I'm totally gonna expose my lack of geography knowledge here, but like I don't know, like V Vegas or or anywhere kind of that would change that? Yeah, I'm sure there is. I don't really try and think about it a whole lot, especially when I'm playing an MLV. I think the ball is a little heavier so it drops easier for me. But there are some places where I just remember like my team will be like, it's higher altitude here and I kind of just like, yeah, it probably is and then I just kind of try and brush it on my mind. So I'm probably in the same category as you with the geography, but why'd they say that? They put it in my mind. I didn't even want to think about it. Yeah, literally. It's so funny. So on some of my travels th this summer on on one of them, Lane Van Buskerg and Kayla Lund like taught me how to pepper 'cause like I have zero volleyball like playing background. So it's a blank slate. And so I'm thinking like if I come for any Orlando OTAs or anything like that, you'll have the blank slate to teach me how to serve. I would love to kind of see if we could do something like that. It would be hilarious. Yeah, I I would love to. I've I've taught a few serves in my life I would like to get the same iconic pose as you down. I think that's my number one. If I get that, forget where the ball goes. I I'll consider that a win. That's pretty easy. I think we can get there. I think we can get there. At least I'll make it look a little bit good before we actually get to the ball, like in the air, which would be hilarious. But on that point, if you'll indulge me too in the nitty-gritty, like do you have favorite zones to serve to and and why? And then the I'll I have a follow up to that first. But yes, please, that one first. Okay. I would say I wouldn't say I have a favorite zone. I think I just like when I can get an ace, which I know it's like duh, but I think For me, a lot of the times the way I pick my zones depends on like how I'm feeling. So like going off of like knowing how my serve is doing that day, like sometimes it's trending a little deeper than normal, or sometimes it's like falling shorter than normal. And based off that I can kind of tell which zone I should probably surf to. So when it's trending a little deeper Probably I'll be going cross court because I stand in zone one, I'll be serving two zone one, so cross court. And generally I won't s I won't try and serve the sideline as much because my serve still has like a a window of range. So it's not I'm not super like I can drop it on a pinpoint kind of thing, but that window of range I kind of move towards the seam. So I'll serve it into zones one and six in that seam and then Depending on how I'm feeling, if I can really get on it and I feel like I'm ha re having a high contact point, I'll probably go down the line more towards zone five. But most of the time I'm aiming for seams or just trying to like see see what happens. Sometimes I'm just like, you know, I don't really know where I'm gonna put it. And I'll just toss it up there and I'm like, go I'll go after it and just see what happens. Yeah. And sometimes it's like, I don't really Sometimes I don't really look at who's across the net, like who I'm serving to. I'm just like, yeah, this is feeling good right now. I'm gonna go here and I'll just do that and see see what happens. So a lot of the time I don't really know what happens when it goes off my hand. It just it just does. So that might be a denture bit to my next question, but I was gonna ask who was the most difficult, maybe Libero, to go at against last season, or if not a specific person, maybe the the toughest team that maybe picked up your serve a little bit better than others last year. Man, I I That's not a question I probably can answer. I'm really I'm not the best with like knowing who is across the net from me. Like, I'll know the people, I'll know the names. Obviously, they're really some phenomenal athletes in the league. But sometimes it's it's nicer for me not to put the weight of their successes on myself, if that makes sense. Sometimes it's easier to just see them as an opponent and go and play volleyball and just like go after them. So I wouldn't say I know who passes my serve the best. I generally get told not to serve at liberos. So I would say all the liberos have done great against my serve. It's very diplomatic answer. I think I would have answered for you and said no one, everybody had trouble with your serve, but that was fantastic. That's a fair answer. See, there we go. That's I love it. Are are there other players that you admire around MLV for their serves and obviously no one has your style, but maybe that you admire their style or you admire their serve and the way that they do things? I would say anybody who can drop a short serve, I admire their serves. I have a really hard time finding that little short serve where it's like just clips right over the tape. If if I see somebody do that where it just like brushes the tape and falls into a short serve, that's very impressive for me. And I don't know, I probably couldn't put a name on it. I feel like a lot of people kind of have that in their pocket sometimes, but when they do that, sometimes I'm I'm like even my teammates, I'm like, man, that's a nice serve. Like They're they're probably in their head like like what are you saying that's a nice serve about? But I I think I get more impressed with like the ones I like where I see a short serve like that or if they're like I see a float serve really moving, those I really like to see too. I promise I've hit you with the last serving question, but I do want to ask, like, your hitting efficiency as a middle really feels like it's carried over from college. You're third in the league last year, as we mentioned earlier, but what has been the key to maintaining that success and obviously, you know the moving to different colleges, as you mentioned, from Wichita State to SMU, but you know, very successful in the college game and that translated for you, it seems like, right over to MLB. Yeah, I think my time at Wichita State, I would say I was very I would I would get a lot of attempts. And because of that I dealt with a lot of like hands up on the block and I learned how to see kind of the block and be able to hit around it. And I think that that elevated my the vision of my game for sure. Then when I carried it over to SMU it was just high level volleyball. So I was able to kind of translate the the vision to the high level volleyball and that only helped me when I w made it to MLV because it just replicated kind of further emphasizing what I was seeing and like the shots I needed to do and like the big blocks I was seeing. It just kind of all translated through to that game. I don't think Like I I think there's every every moment of my career I do think that there was a moment where I learned something and like brought it with me and it it paid off. It worked. You have to tell me visual the ex exact visual keys, but like where are your eyes, like what are your focus points typically, you know, in the scenarios when you know, when you've got the opportunities offensively? Like are you what are you reading, I guess? Yeah. I guess as an attacker, when I'm going up to hit, I'm Obviously my eye is on the ball, but like you use a lot of your peripheral and like what you feel and like the presence of the people across the net. So a lot of it is like you go off their bodies first, but with the way I swing, I feel like I have a little bit more time with the way I like to be set to kind of see where the hands are going. So some people can like dive their hands into different zones from where their body is and take up space that way. And that's that can be definitely tricky to follow, but a lot of it's like peripheral presence and then like once you get up there, that's when kind of like the ball is meeting the point of where you see the hands. And that's kind of where I go from seeing I guess that's where I see the shots I have available at that point. And a lot of it I think knowing what I can do from the past, what I've done. is where I have the confidence to swing some of the shots or like know where some of the shots will place. Sometimes it's that like I don't know if that spot's open, but it's the spot I have from what I'm given with the hands in front of me and where that ball placement along those hands is too. And Natalie, we're gonna ask you a little bit more about just some some of your more of your background. I I would love to know how your basketball background in particular has helped you throughout your volleyball. I think basketball you have to know kind of where you are on the court and have that vision. And I think that that has been a big thing as a middle. Like you're running in the middle of the court a lot. You have to have like the understanding and knowledge of where you are, how far off you have to get. And I think that having known that from a young age in basketball and like my I guess proprioception, knowing where your body is in any in any given moment in time, you know. I think that that's carried on to volleyball as well. And then the vision aspect of like knowing where your teammates are on the court, who's available, when they're available, where they're supposed to be, has definitely helped me as a volleyball player when it comes to like the vision of like the blocking hands and attacking and like knowing defensively that like when I'm blocking here, my defenders should be here theoretically, understanding that they should be there and everything. So what made you end up sticking with volleyball? You gave us the little anecdote that when you first started it, you weren't the biggest fan. But you you stuck with it. What was the thing that kept you coming back? I think it was obviously my first tournament and like that I didn't love kind of thing. But I think it was just because I put so much on myself to be so good. And like basketball, like when I was growing up, I was very tall, so I was naturally good at it. Plus I put a lot of work into it. So I was one of the best on my team when I was younger. And then going to something where I was not one of the best on the team was hard. And that's why I was struggling so much. But the reason I chose volleyball over basketball was because there was a girl at my school who was four or five years older than me, I think five years older than me, because we moved into this new town in Matowan and I always got compared to her. I was like s I was tall, so and she was tall. So everyone's like, Are you her sister? I'll I'll say it was Allie Havers. She ended up going to Nebraska for basketball for four years and then took a fifth year for volleyball. And everyone always compared me to her. They're like, Are you her sister? Are you her sister? And it was it was solely because I was tall and I played sports as well. So I had the I had the ability with my team of my basketball team. We went and watched her play Michigan when Nebraska played Michigan at Michigan. And after the game, I asked her, I said, How did you pick? the sport you wanted to play in college between she was playing softball, basketball, and volleyball in high school. And so she made the decision and I was like, how did how did you make that decision? And she told me that she picked which sport she thought she had the higher ceiling for. So that for her was basketball. And for me at that point, I think I was like a sophomore or freshman in high school. So if that was the case, I'd probably been playing volleyball for like four years. But if it was for basketball, I started basketball when I was like five. So I'd been playing it for so long. I felt like I knew every pro possible offense that could be given to me. I felt like I knew all the defenses. Like I just knew the system of basketball. And to me, I felt like volleyball was still so new and I had so much more to give it that I chose to pursue volleyball. And then I started getting a lot more. offers in volleyball recruiting at the time was very different than it is now. So volleyball was very aggressive in the younger categories. So like people, I knew somebody who committed in eighth grade. Majority of people were committing committing to their schools and like freshman year, sophomore year of of high school. And so a lot of like universities would be reaching out at that young age for the athletes. So I got a lot of letters from a whole bunch of different schools. And then for basketball, they they recruited late. So I didn't honestly get letters from them until like my junior, senior year of high school. And by then I had already committed to Wichdaw State. So when it came down to it, volleyball seemed like it had such a higher ceiling and that's why I chose volleyball. And I saw too, you know, you're you're you mentioning that growing part of the game and and I you I saw you were quoted as saying, every year I feel like I was unlocking a new part of my game. And this is when you were in college ball. Do you do you still feel like you're doing that now as a pro, or how would be the way that you describe it now? I would say yes, that I do still feel like there's a ye each year I feel like I bring something different with me. Sorry, there's a cat on the table. No, you're okay. Please, we welcome pets here on the Set Six Podcast. So if your cat wants to make an appearance, more than welcome to. She might, she might. We'll see. Well it's only if it's natural. My co-host Jenna has her cat always make an appearance. think we got there we go. What is your what is your cat's name? This is Esper. She's not actually my cat. I have two other cats here that are my cats, but she is my boyfriend's cat or my boyfriend's brother's cat. So we love the cat stories on the podcast. We talked to Carly Snyder about her cats. We've had several cat appearances before too so we're we are always welcoming of the pets. I can go I can go bring my my act my other cat here real quick. If you'd like to please go for it. I'll be right back. Okay. Here's Winnie. Fantastic. So please give us the w the full background on on what is what is their personality like? How you how you got them, the whole thing. This is this is Winnie. I got her when I was at SMU. She she was at a shelter in Dallas. And I picked her up from I picked her up, I saw her and I was like, my gosh, like She's really cute. She's on the she was on the older side, so she wasn't like a kitten at the time. But she was really cute. Her name was Genesis at the time. And it was I just was like, I like if she's still here tomorrow, I want her, basically. And so the the place was closing. We had to leave. We came back. all the other cats that my boyfriend wanted weren't there. And she was, she was actually getting spayed. So it ended up up working out perfectly. And we took her home that evening and she's been an angel. She's super sweet. She's very she's very I wouldn't say she's shy, but like around other cats, I would say she is shy. So she just kind of like lays in bed all day and is just the cutest little cuddliest thing ever. And then I have another cat, she's a black cat. I don't know where she's at. Her name is Ember. I found her yeah. I found her in Illinois. After my best friend's wedding, she was it was like four thirty in the morning. I had an eight hour drive home and she was like right under my car and I picked her up, tossed her in the car and was like, We'll see how she does. If she's not doing good, I was like, I'll drop her off. But she was like an angel the whole car ride back to Kansas at the time. And she was just, yeah, she's amazing too. I love her. She's more outgoing, but she's probably hiding somewhere in the darkness. What what is your favorite part about cat ownership? I'm assuming it's not probably the four AM zoomies. The four AM zoomies isn't that bad, honestly, 'cause they they do a pretty good job of like going to bed when they need to go to bed. kind of thing. and then my Ember, she kind of just goes and wanders out into like the the living area and that's where she does her nighttime activities. But honestly they're they're so independent in a way that like I just love having them. They're super cuddly when they want to be cuddly, but like I can trust that like even when we travel for like a day or two that they're they're gonna be okay. They're not gonna they're not gonna do anything crazy. The cats probably factor into this question, but you know you have such deep roots in the in the Michigan area and then from your your school stops where the cats I've I've now learned had had at least one of them you know from your SMU days. But what was the adjustment like to life into Orlando where the cats are now fully a part of that? But you know, I feel like so much so many times we talk about the athletes and and whatever their situation is you know, expected to perform, but like life changes are happening. You're moving to different parts of the country. You're getting adjusted to whole new things and you're not too far removed from starting your pro journey in a whole new area. Just how was that transition for you? Honestly, with my dog down in Orlando, my first season, it was really nice. my second season was when I was able to bring the cats with me. So having their company there was great. And then my boyfriend was able to stay with me for that season as well. So it was really nice just having like people down there to go and like go out to dinner with and like learn the area, especially. Like there's definitely some really good food places down there that I love to go to. And yeah, it's been it's been a it's definitely an adjustment. And like Florida's not probably where I would have thought I'd end up for a couple of years. But I think that it's a really great area and like it is right next to all like the touristy stuff, but it's also nice to go and do the touristy stuff sometimes. Like it's nice to go and like when you have an off day, go to like Disney Springs and go shopping down there and like just have the ability to walk around in a place like that too. Natalie, it's been a blast to chat with you. Thank you genuinely for all of the exquisite details of your playing style, of different playing styles. It's been Fascinating to learn about. We need to part two eventually. And we're gonna have to follow up on on some of those ideas we talked about. But I don't want to take up too much more of your time on the specifics, but we do have to end with what has become a staple here on this podcast, which is our rapid fire questions to close out the show. So these are don't think about it. They don't have too much to do with volleyball. I'm certainly sure there's probably ways that you can connect them to volleyball if you like. But if it sounds good, we're gonna run through these rapid fire questions and As a closeout and also away for maybe some people, if they aren't sure what you some of your your tastes and preferences are away from the volleyball court, maybe they'll get to know a little bit about you. So does that sound good? Yeah, sounds good. All right, Natalie. So first up, the first question in the Rapid Fire Bank, and we'll go through here just in descending order. What is the last TV show or movie that you watched? Or if you're more of a book person, what is the last book that you read? I'm currently catching up on the TV show Lanterns right now. That's I watched it this morning. I'm trying to catch up. there's a couple episodes I missed out on while I was down in Mexico. and then I'm also reading a couple books right now. But I just bought Threshing Day, which is a fourth wing book. So I'm excited about that. I'm also watching lanterns. I really like the last episode. So if you're not caught up, I won't say anything, but it gets really good. I'm not caught up. I'm I'm excited about it though. It's been it's been good. It's been good. Good. Natalie, what is your current hobby? I would say reading. I've been reading a lot. What is your pet peeve? Pet peeve? You know like that sound when like a fork and a plate and like the knives, that will give me like full body chills and goosebumps and that I don't I don't like that. Me too. I'm right there with you. What is your last day on earth meal? Okay. So thinking like I I don't think I'd be able to pick one meal, but if my it would probably be like little pieces of like a whole bunch of meals. So like 'cause I wouldn't want it to just like I love sushi, but I wouldn't want to just have sushi for my last meal. Like I'd want to try and eat multiple different like like I'd want sushi, a taco, like pasta. I don't know, I'd want to try everything. Yeah. Yeah, the different courses. Exactly. I think that's a great answer. I love it. Who would you want to play you in the movie about your life? I wouldn't know. I would not know. I I would just hope that it's somebody who's tall, has brown hair, and can play volleyball and that's as close as probably we're gonna get. Probably the parameters that we should fill out for that role. Yeah, that that goes out on the casting call for sure. Natalie, what is the fictional world that you wish you could live in? Probably like a a peaceful like Lord of the Rings time frame. Like, you know, not there's no wars happening. I don't know if that ever existed in their world, but like a peaceful time, I think it's so it's like a such a magical place. There's like dragons, there's elves, there's, you know, dwarves, there's hobbits, you know. I think it'd be fun to explore. Yeah, I'm with you. More in like the Elven Woods and less in the minds of Moria kind of thing. But gosh, between Green Lantern and and the the Lord of the Rings, I'm loving these answers so far. These are great. I I'm right there with you by the way. I would a hundred percent co sign on that. That's the one of the best answers I've had for this so far. What would you be doing, Natalie, if you were not a volleyball player? If I wasn't a volleyball player, I'd like to think I'd be playing basketball. And then if it wasn't basketball, then I'd probably just be working an everyday job in the medical field, hopefully. You'd be one of us. You'd be a NARP. Yes. I love it. I think basketball, as we firmly established, would probably be would probably be the number two for sure. yeah, I would love basketball. That'd be great. And last one for you, Natalie, what makes you happy? Being outside in nature. That makes me really happy. Well, what's made us happy is you joining us here on the Set Six podcast. Natalie, it's been an absolute blast to chat with you. We hope this is the first of Quite a few conversations and we are looking forward to seeing you this season, serving up aces and leading the league as you've as you've been doing and continuing to be just an absolute star in this new offense with Francois and this new look team and leading Orlando back to the promised land. But thank you so much for joining us here on set six. We really appreciate it. Yes, thank you for having me so much. It's been awesome. Yeah. All right. So we're back and I'm gonna f okay, I'm gonna go first and foremost. I will fully admit to being entirely biased and being so appreciative when middles get together and want to talk shop, right? The nuances of being a middle blocker, it's such a I don't know, it feels like it's the secrets, right? A lot of the other pici positions, you know, pin hitting's one thing, defense, passing, or maybe I'm just revealing my lack of knowledge about those skill types. I love middles talking about the nuances of middle blocking. And I really liked Her mention of how her and Kaz are both very different types of middle blockers and the ever from the outside it can look like a first tempo ball is a first tempo ball. Sure, you might need to set it higher to accommodate someone's higher reach or whatnot. But aside from that, just the the very slight you can beat them with speed or you can beat them with range, right? And this reminds you, you middles can hit with range too, especially if you give them just a tiny bit of a fractionally higher ball. I think, especially at the younger ages, someone People are so fixated on going, you know, fast as absolutely possible, zero tempo right now, right now, right now, making those connections at a young age that I think some of that middle range development sometimes gets lost along the way. And so Natalie discussing how she likes a slightly higher ball to give herself that split second to perceive the blocker, perceive the defense and make more educated choices about where she wants to put that ball. Chef's kiss, I love that. And I think more people need to understand that nuance when developing their young middle blockers. But I'll get off my soapbox. Nobody, nobody signed up for set six, the middle blocker breakdown. And trust me, I'll be bringing you guys plenty of that as we continue to go down on down this trench. But switching back into the more philosophical side of things, I also really, really enjoyed how she is planning to take back, take her team USA experience back to the Orlando Valkyries. I think Based on what she was sharing with Severin, I think her time with Team USA and being in that gym kind of seasoned her. She's not a rookie anymore. She's got two major league volleyball seasons under her belt. And not to say she's certainly she's a certainly a very confident player. I I I think I think what she was hitting at was a little bit of a nuance of the differences between being confident and being assured. She's able to sit in that. moment in those in those experiences that she's earned from being in the team in the Team USA gym, the highest gym, most competitive gym in the country. And she's able to take the fact that she was there and standing on her own accord. And she can take that back to the Valkyries and develop more of a leadership position, right? She's she's making that important transition from rookie, newcomer into a seasoned, I'm not gonna quite gonna give her the veteran tag just yet, but A seasoned player who's experienced and seen a lot more of the game than she had in just two years prior. It's an incredible learning curve. And I'm really, really excited to see her step into that leadership role as the season rolls on, taking that confidence and that assurance with her into the next phase. And I'm actually very excited to see her learn from another friend of mine, Juliet Lohus, the Dutch Olympian. middle blocker recently signed to the Orlando Valkyries. I think those two will be a really nice pair in the middle, in the middle position. Based on what I remember from Juliet from a couple years ago, she's a phenomenal, phenomenal blocker and she's I just so incredibly well-rounded. When I first turned pro and played internationally, I remember being so amazed at the level of quality of course, but it's the level of quality across skill types. Your middle blocker has to have impeccable out of system setting hands. She's phenomenal on defense. She is such a well-rounded and intelligent player. And I didn't realize that until I had met Juliet in Stuttgart. And I thought she did all of those things so incredibly well. And so I'm really excited to see Juliet paired with Natalie. And it reminds me a little bit. Natalie's a tiny bit older than me when than than than I was when I met Juliet. And obviously we're all We're all a little bit older now, but I think Juliet is a wonderful teammate and wonderful person to continue to learn and grow from. honestly, the entire group that Francois is assembling in in Orlando is gonna be one to watch. watching watching this interview with Natalie Foster got me even more excited to see what the Valkyries bring for season four. another shameless plug. Severin did interview Francois way back on episode seven. So if you want to hear a little bit more of the inside scoop. on what he has in mind for the Valkyries as they shape up this season. Go check that out really quick. But Britney Abercomedy, Charity Looper, Marley Monzeray as a new ad, Natalie Foster, Julia Lewis. I'm I'm full of a ton of optimism for the Valkyries in season four. And I don't know if I have a new favorite or if I'm just a tiny bit of a little little fair weather fan. You slap a really exciting interview in front of me and I'm all on board. But the Valks are a hundred percent gonna be someone to keep an eye on this season in the new Eastern Conference. But what I'm really excited that Natalie was dishing on was the serving nuance. Okay. So Severin Tia Severin and I were talking in the office, in the office a couple days ago about this Natalie Foster interview. And he was really interested to hear what my thoughts were going to be on her little serving quirk. So as she mentioned when she got to SMU, they ch made a small upgrade in her Her serving routine. So now normally every volleyball player, you drumming the ball, just you know, hitting the ball across your like going back to serve, bounce the ball two or three times across your hand. It's almost a subconscious motion at this point. I I genuinely don't think about it when I do it. It's just it's almost like an automatic program. It's like a reflex. You hold a ball, drum the ball. Right? You don't think anything of it. However, when She pointed out that SMU asked her to eliminate that and just switch to a simple two-handed bounce. because you'll never hit the ball quite exactly the same time, but it in it introduces doubt into your subconscious about that kind of hand contact that you're going to make. And I've never genuinely thought about it that way. And whether or not it's actually about the hand contact, I don't think so, but I think it speaks to a much bigger point. about Natalie's serving technique as a whole. An incredibly, incredibly mindful approach. doesn't necessarily visualize, but that's okay. She's incredibly deliberate about emptying her mind before the serve and not elimin or and eliminating any excess variables or changes that might to might throw that that element off a tiny bit. And the mindful switch to know that you're not wasting Time on poor contacts, not even poor contacts, on mindless contacts of mindlessly drubbing that ball. That's what brings you in and narrows your focus to have an amazing serve. And frankly, her like I said, her results speak for themselves. She doesn't have a secret technique, per se. She just really approaches serving in an incredibly mindfully, mindful way. And I think that's a fantastic lesson for any volleyball player, regardless of the age. And if you're able to bring that level of intentionality, counting out every step, counting out every breath in your serve routine, my God, that's that's the difference maker, right? If you think about a volleyball practice, you're serving any number of balls. call it, you know, two cartfuls, about 20 balls in each cart, that is 40 contacts. And I'm gonna admit guilty as charged, you're not It's incredibly difficult to be fully dialed in to that level for every single one of those reps, but that's where the value is made, right? Is in being incredibly, incredibly mindful about the reps you take, both on in game and off or both in game and in practice. And I think that's I think that's Natalie's secret on a more broader metaphysical level. And again, shoot, if you're out acing people in Major League volleyball by, you know, factor of two. You have to be doing something, right? And obviously I won't be biased. she's a tall girl, high point of contact. Points of contact. They certainly help. But yeah, I thought that was really great insight from her on what I'm sure she thinks is her best game. but also the most amazing thing. Okay, so this is me, Jenna getting on her soapbox again to speak to the little volleyball players out there or the young volleyball players in your life. I think this is an incredible example of she transferred to SMU. with, you know, her her junior year, senior year. And you would think that a full division one athlete, you know, regular starter, everything, you have it all figured out. SMU fundamentally asked her to change some things about her serve, like she discussed. And that completely unlocked this new element of her game from two years ago. And that willingness and being open to learning and changing and growing is obviously paid enormous dividends and It's funny because she teased a little bit about not necessarily having the complete short serve in her game. And frankly, I never did either. But in thinking about it, I probably could have been a little more open to the idea of like, I just don't have a so short serve. No, man. You can get a short serve in a very short amount of time, provided you think about it. So we'll see if Natalie Foster adds another tool to her arsenal down the stretch of season. But you can believe that us here at Set Six, we will certainly be tuned in on that one. Yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed. I know I enjoyed the cat cameos. I hope that becomes a regular feature on set six. little pet tour every time we have a special guest on. my own co-correspondent, Kitty, is sitting just off screen. He's behaving unlike Natalie's boy. But well, and that's the show this week. It's a little bit shorter, but I hope you still had a wonderful time spending a little more time with little old me and getting to know some more about Natalie Foster. I know I'll be tuning in to see the what Coach Francois puts on to the court for season four and the Valkyries, but I know it has to be in good hands with Natalie and Charity, Britt, Marley, all the others, Juliet, and the rest of the squad. my god, Ellie McKissick at Libero. I'm far too excited for that. But in the meantime, I gotta tell you something else I'm very excited about, and all of my coworkers are so ready for me to shut up about it. But the Milwaukee Brewers are on a are up 2-0 over the LA Dodgers in the NLCS pennant race, and I couldn't be more excited. And I I mean it when I say it. Contreras is the hope and spirit of the 4-1-4 this week. Every time that guy gets up to bat, I swear to God, just absolute rockets to the outfield. I think the home run he, the single home run single he hit last night, straight off the scoreboard, not a chance in heck that anyone's gonna catch that. And somehow the Brewers managed to hold on to the lead despite. Despite two catastrophic pitching errors early in the game to still top the Dodgers by three. Absolutely obsessed with that. Big fan. But yeah. Other than that, I suppose I can walk you through the regular like, comment, share, subscribe section. it really does matter, and we do check your comments, and we very much want to discuss all things volleyball. Or all things anything, really. We both love to yap, and having Severin back on next week will definitely ensure. lot of conversation. go check out the MLV training essentials. They're live on the MLV shop right now. I'm currently not wearing my sweatshirt from the MLV shop and I'm deeply regretting that one, I actually think I'm gonna go slide into that as soon as I'm done with this episode. And yeah. Stay tuned and keep up with all of our episodes of set six. We drop every Thursday, three PM Eastern. big thank you to producer Mike, producer Amy, Producer Jenna, except now she's in the hot seat in the driver's seat right now, and big thank you for DeSeverin for handing me the keys to his baby for for just a week. So thank you guys so much, and we're looking forward to seeing you next time. See ya.