Angi Kent
Bulldogs in the Spotlight, Vol.4
by David Silversmith
Bulldogs in the Spotlight is a new mini-series bringing Ferris State fans intense, intimate, and intriguing interviews to help them get to know the Ferris State Student-Athletes. In this fourth week, we will help you get to know Ferris State Women’s Volleyball middle hitter, Angi Kent.
Angi is a graduate in the social work program from Lansing, Michigan. She just finished her final season this past fall of 2013, which was a historic one for the Bulldogs. Angi made an instant impact in her redshirt freshman season, winning the team’s most improved player. Her sophomore season continued to show improvements, as she recorded 34 kills, 12 blocks and 5 digs. She also held a team-leading .417 attack percentage. Her junior season showed that she was ready to make herself known amongst her GLIAC competitors. She recorded 217 kills, 75 blocks, and 49 digs. She was fourth in the GLIAC with a .331 attack percentage while playing in 32 total matches, in which she started in 30. The Bulldogs advanced into the regional semi-final match, falling to Indianapolis. Her senior season was perhaps her finest season with the Bulldogs, in which she helped the Volleyball team advance to the NCAA Division 2 Elite Eight and a final national ranking of #13. She recorded 265 kills, 83 blocks, and 36 digs, while being named an All-GLIAC honorable mention. Angi currently works as a head start teacher, with plans to enroll in her master’s degree in social work at Michigan State.
David:
Angi, thank you for joining me this evening! I didn’t realize you drove up here to come talk!
Angi:
It’s okay, I haven’t quite cleaned out my locker yet so I picked that stuff up too.
David:
Oh good, I’m glad you had multiple goals in your trip! Let’s first talk about how you got your start in volleyball.
Angi:
Well, it’s funny. I joined the 7th grade team because my friends wanted to try out. You know how girls are. I was like, “I got you, girl. I’ll try out too.” And I wasn’t that great at it. I was on the “B” team, you know, the ‘you don’t suck, but you still do’ team.
David:
[Laughing] Yes, I remember quite well. I was a ‘B-teamer’ in basketball my 8th grade year.
Angi:
Yeah, and of course, it’s like one of those activities you do at family functions, church functions, and I didn’t really take it seriously at first. But after a while, my parents told me “You could make something out of this. It could pay for college. You want to go to college right?” and I said “yeah, I want to go.”
David:
So after you made the decision to play volleyball and see if it could have a role in college, when did you think it could actually happen?
Angi:
I never thought it would. It’s one of those things when after it is done, I say ‘oh, I did do that.” That’s how I am. I’m constantly belittling success, critiquing yourself, then going on to next one. But my parents helped me get confidence with that attitude. They would say, ‘You did do it’ and it is a big boost of confidence.
David:
So when did Ferris become an option?
Angi:
Well, I got recruited by Ferris, DePaul and Central Michigan. I really wanted to go to DePaul. I wanted to be in Chicago. Somewhere along the line, something fell through; a coach left or something. Then I visited Central, and I didn’t fit in there. I didn’t feel right. When I came back from Central, I called [Head Volleyball Coach] Tia and committed over the phone. I knew something special could happen at Ferris. I really went in face first.
David:
It seemed to work out okay for you, in my opinion. Before we talk about the trip to the NCAA National Championship tournament, let’s go through some of your favorite things. What is your favorite color?
Angi:
Green. But I love all the colors. I have an artistic view on life. I could wear any color if it fits the structure perfectly. But if I had to choose, Green all day, every day.
David:
Favorite vacation destination?
Angi:
Well, I haven’t been there, but the Islands of Fiji sound and look gorgeous. I think it would be really cool to check it out.
David:
What about car?
Angi:
I love cars. Fast cars, trucks, I love them all. I really like the Range Rover. The newer ones are ugly, but I saw the Maybach at the Detroit Auto Show and fell in love.
David:
What about your go-to food item?
Angi:
I go-to all food. [Laughing] I don’t diet. I eat it all. When it’s my birthday, it’s my birthday cake. You guys have a birthday with your own cake too.
David:
I love food just as much as you do. What about your favorite sports team aside from the Ferris State Bulldogs?
Angi:
That was my fall back choice. I really like the NBA. And I really like LeBron James. So I’ll have to pick the Miami Heat. I didn’t always like LeBron, but after he left Cleveland, people should have known this was all business. I like that about him. Oh, and the Chicago Bulls.
David:
Heat and Bulls? No love for the Pistons. Let’s go back to volleyball and the success of this past year’s trip to the NCAA National Championships. Tell us about your emotion when you hit that final shot to advance to Cedar Rapids.
Angi:
I didn’t know I did it. I couldn’t see where the ball landed. I turned around after hearing my name being yelled and that’s when I found out that we won. I got emotional, and I normally don’t. I cried a bit. I was lost in the moment. It was amazing.
David:
How about the feelings through the BYU-Hawaii game and after?
Angi at the NCAA National Championships
Angi:
Well, we had power. In the GLIAC, I feel like we play against power. It’s all power vs. power here. We hit the ball to who we know can’t handle the ball. But BYU had the technicalities of the game. They aimed for angles. It showed the importance of the scouting report. We gave them all they could handle, and they gave us all we could handle. It was a different game.
David:
And a special part to every NCAA trip is the ride with the teammates. Describe the bus ride to Cedar Rapids.
Angi:
It was a giant girl time. We would put in our headphones and sing whatever was on our iPods as loud as we could. We would do our normal girl talk. It was the best time of our lives. We were caught up in going to the National Championships.
David:
That sounds like too much for me to handle. Who was your go-to girl on the team?
Angi:
I can’t name one. Every year I have been here, I have had a different family. Each year, a different girl fills a different void. I loved every team I have been a part of here at Ferris.
So let’s talk about the now. You’re a teacher. Is that what you expected?
Angi:
No, but my mom is a teacher as well and I had worked there before. I want to take some time off before I go do my masters and I figured I would give myself a break from the school. I find myself with a lot of free time now. I worked my butt off in school and now I get to sit and relax.
Up Close Sports Interviews 