The Volleyball Interview: Mary Nibbe

This is the eleventh article in the series The Volleyball Interview, highlighting influential high school Nebraska volleyball players of all ages and levels to get to know them on and off the court on deeper level.

Mary Nibbe is a junior at Red Cloud. She is the 13^th ranked recruit in the Prep Dig Class of 2019 rankings with 227 digs and 232 kills last season. Here is my interview with Mary:

What is your favorite thing about Red Cloud?

“I love a lot of things about small towns, but I feel like there’s something special in Red Cloud. People used to talk about how run down the town was, and I would probably agree with that. Red Cloud hasn’t always been the town it is today, but that is probably my favorite thing about it. Despite the low spirits among some people in the community, those with hope for the future of Red Cloud worked extremely hard to improve the town. Just in the past few years we have gained a multimillion-dollar renovation to storefronts and apartments on main street for the Willa Cather Foundation, a boutique and restaurant were put into business, the city has cleaned up vacant houses, and a new development center for children was built. I love the positive progress that has been made in this town and that sort of attitude among community members is my favorite thing about Red Cloud.”

What is your favorite subject in school?

“My favorite subject in school probably has to be science. I’ve had a lot of interest in life science since junior high. I’m actually pretty fascinated with the human body. I’m in chemistry right now, but I’m really looking forward to taking Anatomy and Physiology next year along with Advanced Biology. I don’t think I or anyone will ever stop learning about these things and that’s what I love most about science.”

If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

“If I could have absolutely any animal as a pet, I would definitely get a starfish. I thought about other exotic pets like a kangaroo or a panda, but those animals would require a lot of time and maintenance. I’m already plenty busy without having to spend hours taking care of a pet! But a starfish is just as cool with minimal responsibility required. I think it would be a pretty sweet pet to keep in my room.”

What is your biggest fear?

“My biggest fear is being alone. Having friends and family to count on is always comforting. I think I would feel lost if I didn’t have anyone to share my life and experiences with.”

If you could be an Olympian in anything besides volleyball, what sport would you do?

“Assuming that I don’t get to choose beach volleyball either, I would have to choose swimming. I’m part of a summer league and it’s something I’ve loved doing since I was probably around 5 or 6. Although, it would be hard trying to top Michael Phelps’s medal records.”

What is your dream job or occupation?

“For the longest time I’ve wanted to go into the medical field, and I still do. I think I have been blessed with the academic talents to have a lot of success in the field, and I think it’s one of the best ways I can have an impact on the lives of others. Specifically what I want to do has changed a lot- from a pediatrician to a dentist and even to a surgeon. As of right now, I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I am sure that I want to be a part of the medical field.”

If you could spend a day doing anything you want, what things would you do?

“If I could spend one day doing anything, I would travel all over the city of London. Traveling is something I want to do extensively after college and London is one of the top cities on my wish list!”

What do you see your greatest strength to be on the volleyball court?

“I think my greatest strength on the court is my encouragement toward my team. I believe in them so much and I want them to believe in themselves too, so I try as best I can to be there when they need a little uplifting and help them to make the next play better than the last. The attitude toward your team can do a lot to help or hurt your success, so I like to be the person that really boosts teammates’ confidence when they need it.”

What do you see your greatest weakness to be on the volleyball court?

“My greatest weakness on the court is my self-encouragement. I think I’m really good at helping the rest of the team with confidence, but I’m really hard on myself. I get frustrated when I make mistakes and get pretty disappointed with myself when I don’t perform to the best of my ability. I struggle sometimes with having confidence in myself.”

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

“Of course there’s always the pre-game locker room jam session with the team to get everyone pumped up. That’s probably my favorite part of any pre-game. I personally don’t have a ritual that I do before every game other than do what I can to get rid of the nerves!”

What activities or sports do you do at Red Cloud?

“Because Red Cloud is so small and the school has very little students, I’m involved in a lot of different activities. Obviously I play volleyball, but beside that I am on the basketball and track teams, FFA, FCCLA, and National Honor Society. There really is no “off season.” I stay really busy during the school year, but I love being a part of all these activities. They have given me so many opportunities during high school.”