When senior volleyball player Erin Meredith made the 5000th assist of her college career, she didn’t even realize what she had done.
“I honestly didn’t know when it was going to happen,” she said. If she had known, she added, “I don’t think it would have fazed me.”
Meredith made her 5000th assist during the Tufts University Invitational Tournament in Boston. That milestone marked just one achievement of her stellar volleyball record.
According to volleyball coach Mark Birtwistle, Meredith has received a myriad of awards, including Region Freshman of the Year, Honorable Mention All-American and First Team All-Region.
More importantly, though, Birtwistle said that he has seen Meredith grow in many ways over the last three years.
“She’s always been a great player. Now she’s a leader as well as a great setter,” he said.
Meredith credits her coaches with her growth on and off the court.
“There’s always something I can be working on, and they aren’t afraid to tell me about it,” she said.
Birtwistle added that Meredith is the player who sets the bar for the rest of the team.
“She’s the glue that holds everything together,” he said. “She’s the best player to ever go through Eastern.”
At the same time, Meredith is quick to deflect attention off herself. The team, she said, is even more important than her own personal achievements.
“We have so much talent this year,” she said. “We can go so far if we put our minds to it.”
She added that the team’s motto for the season is “Play like it’s your last-no regrets.”
“I want to play every game to the best of my ability,” she said.