BILLINGS, Mont. – Beginning the 2014 season with an 8-4 record, the Montana State University Billings volleyball squad is off to its best start since the 2007 season. Not only are the 'Jackets 3-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, but they are a perfect 6-0 at home inside Alterowitz Gym.
 
The early success has been a product of a variety of different players stepping up at various times. Defensively MSUB has made adjustments to reduce its errors, and on the attack a steady supply of different looks has helped keep opponents on their toes.
 
Most recently, senior Krista Norris has elevated her game as a key outside hitter for the Yellowjackets, and has exemplified the essential elements of senior leadership that have helped this season's team thrive.
 
"This team is different than any of the other teams I have played on," Norris said. "We all see things so similarly, and feel comfortable talking to each other about anything. We are always there for each other, and we can go to anyone on the team whether it's a freshman or a senior. I know that everyone is there for me, and it's just an awesome team chemistry."
 
One of three seniors on the team this season, Norris is a leader by example whose experience within the program has proven invaluable to her teammates. "I look up to Krista because she is always so determined and always gives it her all," said freshman Mataia Roderick. "She is so strong and is willing to do anything for the team."
 
Norris's persistence in sticking with the game explains how she has become such an important role model to her current teammates, and her passion for the game developed at an early age.
 
"I first started school volleyball when I was in eighth grade, and then I joined a club volleyball team for two years," Norris remembered. Hailing from Vail, Colo., Norris faced a difficult decision when her first club team fell under and she was left without a team. "I had to decide what to do since the team fell apart, so I went to play for the Colorado Performance Volleyball Club team in Denver," Norris said. "We had to drive two hours to practice three times a week."
 
The time commitment was significant, but the atmosphere of club volleyball grabbed Norris's attention immediately. "The big thing for me was the club team I joined, because it was just so competitive and fun," Norris said. "I got to meet new people from around the valley, and the traveling was a really neat part of it."
 
As her club squad ventured across different states for tournaments, Norris first had considerations of continuing to play volleyball in college in her first years as a high-schooler. "I knew I wanted to play college ball when I was a sophomore in high school," said Norris. "We did so much traveling and everyone was starting to get recruited. One of my former high school coaches, Brian Doyon, got ahold of me and said that I had the talent to play in college and that I just needed to put myself out there."
 
It was at a tournament in Spokane, Wash., when Norris first grabbed the attention of the MSUB program, and the similarities between Billings and her hometown helped pique her interest when she visited the campus as a high school senior. "I really liked the school and the education program, and as soon as I found out about it I kind of knew I wanted to go here," Norris said.
 
Since becoming a Yellowjacket, Norris has grown and excelled into an invaluable team player, maximizing the potential that she had possessed from a young age. "Krista has become one of our steady and consistent players on the court," said head coach Lisa Axel. "She has really developed her defensive skills in the past couple of years. Krista can play in the outside hitter position for us, as well as fill in as a defensive specialist or libero."
 
While Norris's technical skills have been consistently solid for the 'Jackets throughout her career, she credits developing her positive attitude and sense of caring for her teammates to those that she looked up to as a freshman. "I really respected Brooke Tolman, who was a senior when I was a freshman," Norris said. "She worked really hard, had a great attitude and brought the team together."
 
Tolman was a setter for the Yellowjackets, but the fact that she and Norris didn't play the same position didn't hinder their ability to connect as teammates. Now as a senior, Norris has carried that mindset to this season's team and become a major support for the younger players. In particular, Roderick remembers Norris's positive attitude even before the two became teammates, and respects her as a major role model on the team today.
 
"I met her when I came here with Ashlynn (Brooke) on a visit a few years ago," Roderick recalled. "I actually stayed the night with Krista on that trip. She was very nice and confident, and it was helpful for me having her as a host when I was here."
 
A defensive specialist who has seen significant action so far this season, Roderick explained that a big part of her confidence and adaptation to playing volleyball at the collegiate level has come thanks to the example Norris has set. "She has taught me just to always go for it, and not worry about making mistakes," Roderick said. "I've learned not to think about it as much and just to play off of my reactions."
 
"Krista is doing a great job this year on and off the court," Axel said. "She provides so much energy to her teammates and is extremely supportive to all of our younger players."
 
Norris's leadership permeates through the entire team, but her skill and knowledge of her individual position has been a major resource for those who share her position. Fellow outside hitter Stormy Siemion has witnessed noticeable growth within Norris over the past season, and credits Norris with the development of her own game.
 
"Watching Krista play and hit outside, she never gets down on herself and I try to take that into consideration," Siemion said. "She is just out there to play volleyball and not to worry about the other stuff, and I have tried to take that away from her. She plays the game that she knows how to play and I try to do the same things that she does."
 
"Individually, I just try to never give up and work as hard as I can all the time," Norris said. "As a team I hope we have a successful season, and we definitely have the players, the work ethic and the attitude we need in order to have one."
 
As a student, Norris is an education major with a focus on elementary and special education. With the strong skiing community present in her hometown, the area of study is a natural fit for Norris. "I am a ski instructor in the winters when I am home over break, and I enjoy being outdoors and hiking," Norris said regarding her interests off the volleyball court. "I do enjoy working with children, and that's why I'm going into teaching."
 
"Krista is a great student and is always looking to learn," Axel said. "She is an elementary and special education major, and will be extremely successful after she graduates. Krista has so much energy and enthusiasm when it comes to working with younger children."
 
In addition to the transformation she has undergone as an athlete, Norris notes some of the important values and experiences she has had at MSUB that have helped shape the person she has become. "The biggest thing that being away from home has shown me is that I can handle things on my own," Norris said. "I am capable of being independent in my life."
 
With the hot start the 'Jackets have produced so far in 2014, the prospect of one of Norris's biggest team goals of having a successful season is more than promising. Much of the Yellowjackets' success comes from within the player Norris has become, and how she has taken a firm grip on being an unbreakable role model.
 
"We are kind of the same person, and I've seen her take what she's been given and make the best situation out of it," Siemion said regarding the duo's similarity within their position. "Krista is one person I know that can come up to me and tell me I need to do something, but I also know she has confidence in me and I have the same for her."
 
For now, Norris's focus will be on helping the Yellowjackets protect their perfect 6-0 home record and increase their winning margin throughout the season. When her playing days are over, she has ambitions to carry her passion for teaching and interest in traveling overseas to begin a new adventure.
 
"I have always loved traveling, and I went to France and lived there for a year when I was in Kindergarten," Norris said. "I think that teaching overseas someday would be a long-term goal for me."
 
"For me, she will always be one of my best friends, and she'll always be there in my mind," Siemion said. "When I'm struggling I will remember how Krista would deal with things, and how poised she was. She kept it all together instead of letting certain things get her down."
 
When asked how she'd like to be remembered within MSUB volleyball once her playing career is over, Norris replied modestly with, "by never giving up, and working as hard as I can all the time."
 
With the impact she has already had on the players around her, and while she continues to write the final chapter of her playing career, there is no doubt her contributions to Yellowjacket athletics will stand strong for years to come.