PULLMAN, Wash. – Camryn Lingenbrink joined Washington State Volleyball after spending her first three years with Tulsa. So far this season Lingenbrink has amassed 60 kills, 5 blocks, and 82.5 points for the season thus far.
 
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with senior Camryn Lingenbrink.
 
What is your favorite memory of playing volleyball?
My freshman year of high school, I played on C team, and I never played. My sophomore year, I got put on varsity, and we lost the first six games of the season. We had to win every single game from that point on to qualify for state, and we did. Then we ended up taking seventh in state, and in my opinion we should have won. The first game ruined that for us, but we worked so hard and were so close as a team. I think that's probably still one of my favorite memories, on the court for sure. Those girls, I still look up to them, and my younger self just thought those seniors were the coolest, most amazing volleyball players, and I still feel that way about them. So really, really random, but my sophomore year was a big turning point for me volleyball wise, but then we found a lot of success, which was really fun.
 
What would you say your favorite thing about volleyball is?
I played basketball for a while, and I've always been very thin and I think one of my favorite parts of volleyball is that it's a non-contact sport, which sounds funny. A bit more of a serious answer, with sports in general, there's just so much that you can learn from sports. I've talked to a lot of people that have never played sports and don't understand the grind. They don't understand why you would work as hard as you do in a sport. I just think that the lessons that it teaches you and the people that you're surrounded with is just something that I'll always be grateful for. So I started off because it was a non-contact sport, and that was great for me. But I think now that I'm wrapping up my last season, looking back, it was just the people and the environment and all the lessons that sports teach you in general.
 
How does it feel being back in Washington after spending three years in Oklahoma?
I really enjoyed my time in Oklahoma. I liked the people; they were awesome and really friendly. Southern hospitality is a real thing that I've never been able to experience, so that was cool and just fun to live somewhere else. But it is good, the Northwest is where I'm from, so it's nice to be around people like me. It's good to be able to play with Washington State on my chest, that's something that means a lot to me. But yeah, I went to school over in the Seattle area, so it's nice. Here I have friends from home, so it's been cool to connect with people from high school.
 
What are you most excited for about this season?
I'm just really excited to see what we can put together. We have 18 amazing players who are really committed to this program. Obviously, many people talk about how amazing our coaches are and the people that support us. We have all the resources and I'm excited to see how we put those puzzle pieces together. I think we have a really good shot at winning the WCC, which is something that when I was recruited, Korey also felt really confident about. We have a young team, but we have a really eager team. So, I'm excited to see what we can put together.
 
What is your favorite thing to do off the court?
I really enjoy my friends. That might sound like a really basic answer, but I am a very talkative person and I really care a lot about people. I have a lot of really good friends that are my age, but I also take a liking to like elderly people that I'm connected with. My grandparents and I are very, very close on both sides. When I lived in Utah, I was able to spend a lot of time with my great grandma before she passed, and when I was in Oklahoma at the church I went to, I met a lot of elderly people that I still stay in contact with. I also have a weird hobby; I write letters every week to people. I mail them to friends from Oklahoma to people in nursing homes, and older people. I know technology is hard for them, and I think nothing's better than getting a card in the mail. So that's kind of weird, but I really like old people, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, and I like writing letters. I have a big card collection.
 
Do you have a favorite place to get coffee?
Yes, our team is a big fans of Knead. My order right now has been a vanilla matcha. It's so good. They've got to have the best matcha I've ever had. So, we love Knead. Never go wrong with anything from there.
 
What is a piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?
A piece of advice that I'd give to my younger self is that everything is going to happen the way it's supposed to and that everything really does happen for a reason. I did have a bit of a hard time in Oklahoma from a volleyball standpoint. I had a coaching change that was hard for me, and it was hard because I felt really confident on my visit that was where I was supposed to go. I went through some things that I've never gone through before, but I felt really confident that was what I needed to do, and I still believe that was what I needed to do. I grew so much from that and took a lot of good from what I experienced. When I was in the portal and WSU became an option, I came on my visit and I just knew that this was where I was supposed to be. I think the advice to my younger self is that it's okay to do something that's hard, everything happens for a reason and everything always works out.
 
How have your parents helped motivate you during your time here at WSU?
My parents have always been supportive since I was young, my whole family has had a love for sports. When I decided to enter the transfer portal, they were in full support. They were excited when I chose to come home and be closer to them. I'm from the Seattle area so just about five and a half hours away from them. They were really excited to have me closer to home.