Career Resume
Considered one of the greatest players in the history of the program, Cazemier is the all-time leader for kills and blocks. The Canadian was a member of two 20-win seasons, including the 2006 Heartland Conference championship team and advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the only time in the team’s history.
Cazemier holds eight school records, including career kills (1,449), hitting percentage (.304), career total blocks (521), solo blocks (168) and block assists (353). She also had a single-season record 67 blocks and a single-game record 19 against Central Oklahoma. A four-year starter, Cazemier also ranks in the program’s top 10 in three other categories.
Feature Story: Cazemier's Success Continues Through Superb MSUB Career (By: Joe Kusek/Billings Gazette, 10/31/2007) - Original Publication
Success has always walked hand-in-hand with Alicia Cazemier.
Athletically and academically, she is always on the right side of the ledger.
She's smart, well-traveled and has a list of athletic accomplishments as long as her arm … even longer.
The Montana State Billings volleyball program had never seen a winning season - the program dates back to 1977 - before Cazemier's arrival in the fall of 2004.
A dominant force at the net, the senior middle blocker is now the career record holder for both kills and blocks. Those are byproducts of starting 395 of 397 games over the past four years and having great teammates.
Here is the statistic that sets Cazemier apart from the rest: Cazemier is the only MSUB player to be on a winning volleyball team all four seasons.
"I like to think of myself as a competitor," said the likable Cazemier. "I don't like to lose. When I lose, I inflict a lot of pain on myself."
Cazemier lifted her pants leg to show a long bruise snaking around her shin, courtesy of banging the bat against her leg in frustration during an intramural softball game.
"I hate losing," she finished with a smile.
For all her success on the court and in the classroom, it was a computer glitch that brought her to MSUB.
A wildly successful four-sport athlete at Vauxhall High School in Alberta, Canada, Cazemier was weighing offers in both basketball and volleyball for college.
"I was big into basketball," she recalled. "It was kind of toss-up of what I was going to choose for college. I don't like to run, so volleyball was the choice for me."
Cazemier got the attention of college coaches in the United States with an impressive tryout camp her junior year. She also played for Team Alberta in 2002 and 2004 and helped her high school team to a 54-1 record as a senior.
She got a handful of Division I offers, but most were too far from home for her liking.
"So my high school coach put together a list of Division I programs in the region," said Cazemier of the e-mail list that included schools from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. "I sent them e-mails and told them I wanted to stay closer to home."
Cazemier thought she was sending an e-mail to Montana State University in Bozeman. Instead, the e-mail ended up in the mailbox of Pa'ulasi Matavao, then the head volleyball coach for Montana State University in Billings.
Matavao couldn't hit the "Reply" button fast enough.
"He said he was losing two good middles, I could play right away and they played in a conference that had schools in Hawaii," Cazemier recalled of the initial conversation. "That sounded good to me."
Cazemier ended up being contacted by approximately 40 different schools.
"I'm not sure why it happened," she said of her deciding on MSUB. "I prayed about it a lot. I wanted my parents to be able to see me play. It seemed to work out."
It helped that Billings is just 71/2 hours away from Vauxhall.
"It's such a twist of fate," Cazemier said, her voice fading softly.
Cazemier has been an integral part of an MSUB volleyball program that has posted four straight winning seasons, won the Heartland Conference title last year and played in its first NCAA Division II tournament. She was the conference tournament MVP last year.
Along with the victories, she has accumulated 1,385 kills, 503 blocks, 110 aces and the best hitting percentage in MSUB history. Along with the career records, Cazemier also holds the single-season records for solo blocks and blocks per game.
Cazemier was on the court as the career kills record went to Olivia Munro (2004) then to Jessica Bratton last year and now to her last week in a match against Central Washington.
"It wasn't something I thought I would achieve," she said. "Olivia was so good and watching Jess break the record last year, that was so neat.
"We didn't have stats in high school. We were just playing to play. Here, they record everything. That kind of motivates me. You look at them and say, 'Dang, I've got to do better.' "
Ironically, the record-setting match against Central Washington was one of the worst of her career.
"When you hit 0 percent, that will make you try harder," she said with a small smile.
But Cazemier isn't about the big kill. Her fun comes from defense.
"To stuff somebody on defense, that always seems to feel better than a big kill," she said. "Blocks are my favorites.
"What I love about volleyball is how technical the game is. People who don't play don't understand how difficult it is. The passing, the hitting, your arm position … everything has to be just in the right place.
"And I don't miss the physical contact," Cazemier finished with a laugh.
This past summer, she traveled to Holland with teammates Ali Watson, Alexis Sandru and Bratton as part of an all-star volleyball team. Cazemier went with her parents, Conrad and Anne, along with younger sister Catrina. While in Holland, she was able to connect with much of her family. Her parents are second-generation Canadians who still speak fluent Dutch.
"That was so amazing," said Cazemier of meeting distant cousins and seeing the tombstones of her great grandparents.
An avid Edmonton Oilers fan, "It's hard to find hockey on television here," she laments, Cazemier will lace up her own skates when the season is over.
"I've been figure skating since I could walk. I don't skate as much as I would like, I never do it during the season. But I'll try and got to Centennial (Ice Arena) when I can. I can still do some jumps and spins."
Cazemier will graduate this May with a degree in biology. She is considering optometry school or, if an opportunity presents itself, to play professional volleyball overseas.
"I love to travel," said Cazemier, who has also traveled to Japan with Team Alberta.
Prior to MSUB, she was also a frequent visitor to Montana, "For the shopping," she said.
"The last two years have been amazing," Cazemier continued. "I love my teammates. They've been the best part of playing. I'm going to miss them so much."
