Calgary Journal Online

Volleyball player covers all angles of court

From the small town of Picture Butte, Alta., Diyon Van Nistelrooy is a six-foot-one, blonde-haired, blue-eyed volleyball veteran.

Nistelrooy, 22, is now in her fourth year at Mount Royal University. She lists a business diploma on her resume and is currently working on her English degree.

Diyon Van Nistelrooy concentrates during practice.

Photo: Kirsten Glowa/Calgary Journal

Nistelrooy says that she began playing volleyball in Grade 7, but really fell in love with the rush of the game in high school.

“It just seemed like a natural fit," said Nistelrooy, who is inspired by Olympic Athletes. "The more I played the more I enjoyed it, so I pushed myself to get better and better."

Nistelrooy said that she has even cried for joy and admiration when it comes their success.

Not returning for the 2008-2009 school year because she wanted perspective on her schooling, Nistelrooy remained involved in volleyball by assisting with the Mount Royal team.

“This really helped her as a player,” said coach Sandra Lamb. “She received the opportunity of learning coaches’ frustrations and it really resulted in elevating everyone’s game and understanding.”

“I may not have got to play the sport I love but I learned so much from assisting the team last year,” Nistelrooy said. “I really learned more about the technical side than the physical, but it sucked sitting on the sidelines, so I knew I had to play again.”

The beginning of the 2009-2010 season not only saw Nistelrooy on the court again, but also had her sporting the title of team captain.

“My favourite thing about Diyon is that she is our team mom," said fellow teammate Paige Dean. "She leads us in a silent way, more by example."

Lamb added: “Diyon plays middle on the court and her assets include blocking, defence and hitting. She may not be super vocal but her calm demeanour comes across as positive and really sets a tone for the entire team.”

For the future, Nistelrooy wishes to play her fifth year of volleyball at Mount Royal next year. With her English degree, she hopes to become a teacher and continue with volleyball both as a coach and a player.