By Tom Nelson

There are things in life that drive a person to work and train harder and try to make those around her better.

For St. Cloud State University (SCSU) senior middle hitter Jamie Schlagel, motivation comes in never wanting to see the numbers four and 21 near her team's standings again.

After what most would consider a very successful prep volleyball career at North Branch High Schoolówhich included being named a two-time All-Conference pick, along with an All-State award and helping her team win two conference titlesóSchlagel found herself in unfamiliar territory: being part of a team that won only four games in her freshman year.

"That build character," Schlagel said. "That makes me not want to lose even more. Having that determination to win and being mentally stronger comes from being 4-21. I can honestly say I probably wouldn't be as mentally strong if we had not had that record."

Schlagel said coming in from a very good high school program at North Branch to losing most of the games helped her in other areas, too.

"It was very disappointing," she said. "But you learn from that, you help each other, you push each other and make it fun to come to practice and you get that confidence in yourself and in your team and it just goes from there."

Maybe that's why as one of only two seniors on the 2005 team roster, success as a player and as a team have become so important to Schlagel. That desire to be good translates into a possible reason why any fan of SCSU volleyball could probably find this season's team somewhere in the vicinity of a volleyball court over the summer.

"(Head) coach (Patricia) Mickow has always highly recommended that we stay and play as a team," Schlagel said. "Honestly, to become a good team it is a lot of just playing together and being comfortable with one another. I think she wanted us to come in during the summer and do our workouts together and push each other."

Schlagel said she felt having the rest of her teammates practicing over the summer was a step in the right direction.

"It is so hard to motivate yourself working out alone," Schlagel said. "Having those other people push you and motivate you is really nice. Although we were there really early, at 6 in the morning and we had a few people missing, we got in there, worked hard, played hard and worked on the things we needed to work on."

Schlagel said the team found extra motivation in knowing that last season's team had practiced the summer before also and had garnered the program's first NCAA playoff appearance in nearly 10 years. Knowing they could make it back-to-back years and that it would help in the long run made things easier.

One of those things that made life on the team a little bit easier is having a solid friendship with fellow senior Angie Mayers. The tandem has known each other since orientation day before their freshman year at SCSU.

"Me and Jamie have been friends since pretty much day one," Mayers aid. "It's been nice to have that other person to go to and talk to about things. We just clicked and we have this great bond that has continued through the years. It's weird."

Schlagel said that friendship and bond is something that translates into knowing what Mayers is going to do on the court, helping them to become a force for the Huskies.

"Angie and I have played since we were freshmen, we've been on the court together a lot," Schlagel said. "I know what Angie is going to do and she knows what I'm going to do. It's really nice to be able to pick that up. One of the other reasons why we get along so well is because we've gone through so much stuff together."

Schlagel's choice to play for the Huskies shouldn't be a surprise to many, especially after finding out how much of her family has attended the university.

Schlagel's two uncles and her father attended SCSU to play athletics. Her uncles played basketball for the Huskies. Her uncle is Kevin Schlagel, the current head coach for the men's basketball team. Her cousin, Corey, is also a graduate assistant for the team. Her father, Larry, was part of the SCSU baseball team.

However, Schlagel said it was nice for her because campus is about an hour from her home and she sometimes needs to go visit her mother, Lori, who has cancer.

"It is not too far, but it's far enough," Schlagel said. "So whenever I need to take care of things I can go home. Or, if I just want to be here, I'm here. It works out nicely. I try to see my parents as much as I can."

That's not to say her parents don't try to see her play whenever the Huskies have a home game. Schlagel said her parents have always been very supportive of her desire to play sports.

She said she's especially close with her dad, who's a physical education teacher at North Branch Middle School.

"My dad and I are very, very close," the sports management major said. "I talk to my dad about sports almost every day. It's nice to have him to talk to as a coach and get his perspective on things and see what he likes and dislikes. Pretty much, just what I should do when it comes to certain key situations."

However, it's Schlagel's play during those certain key situations that have teammates praising her play.

"She's intense and very competitive," said former SCSU volleyball player Kari Turkowski. "

She wants to prove her skills and she is someone that you can count on. She's always going to want the ball because she can always do something with it."

For Schlagel, the hard work and dedication she's put into her game is something she hopes will be an ingredient into getting this season's team to the next level.

"Angie and I have always tried to lead by example," she said. "We've started out slow this season, [the Huskies are 5-12, 0-4] but we have no doubt that we can be successful this season. I'm trying to help with my play."

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