Tell us a little about yourself My name is Jennifer Her, I am eighteen years old, and I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’ve been playing volleyball for eight years, but I am currently a break due to an ACL injury at the Oshkosh Labor Tournament while I was playing to place for third and fourth. I’ve played school ball for seven years and club for one year. I’m 5’4”, I play middle hitter for Hmong volleyball, and for school, I played full-time libero/ds.
Are you still going to school? Study? Yes, I am still going to school. I’m currently attending UW Madison as a freshman on a full ride scholarship called the Chick Evans Scholarship. This scholarship pays for full tuition and housing for golf caddies for the next four years. At UW Madison, I am majoring in animal science to become a veterinarian.
When did you started playing volleyball? And did you play in high school? I started playing volleyball in seventh grade all the way to my senior year in high school. Funny thing is, when I was in middle school, I was into a volleyball anime called Haikyuu and that was the only the reason why I was interested in trying out for volleyball. I’m thankful to have taken the step into trying out for volleyball in middle school because it has become a very special sport to me.
How did you get into Hmong volleyball? One night around 9pm in November of 2018 of my sophomore year in high school, one of my friends had asked me if I could play in a coed tournament with them at UW Whitewater because one of their players couldn’t make it due to the weather. So of course, I went to go play in a Hmong volleyball tournament for the first time, not knowing who anyone was besides my one friend. It wasn’t until after that coed tournament that my friend started inviting me to go out more to play at Epic, a sports center in Waukesha that held open gym every Friday night. Ever since then, I’ve been participating in local volleyball tournaments, which I’ve only participated in nine within the past three years in the state of Wisconsin.
What team did you played for and currently play for? For Hmong volleyball, I currently do not play for a set team. I feel like because I’m still young and “new” to Hmong volleyball, I should explore and play with different ladies to gain more experience and knowledge. For school, I played for Brown Deer Middle/High School from seventh grade to my senior year. I also played for the Midwest Penguins Volleyball club for one year and that was my Junior year.
Do you play any other sports? I do not have any other sports that I participate in since I’ve dedicated my time to solely improving my skills in volleyball. I used to play soccer, but I only played for two years and stopped after second year since club volleyball interfered with my junior season for soccer.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of sports? Yes, my most favorite hobby is singing! It brings me a lot of joy and it’s fun to do because it makes me feel at peace. Some other hobbies I have is playing the ukulele, occasionally drawing, baking, watching anime/kdramas, and reading poem books!
Why are you so passionate about sports? I am passionate about sports because I’m able to learn so many things that I can apply to my daily life and I’m able to meet so many people. For example, in a game you have to have a positive mindset even in the hardest times and you have to be hungry to win. You can’t go in thinking you’ll lose every single game. If you verse a good team, just have fun and do the best you can. I apply that to my daily life because I can’t always think about the negative outcomes of things and just try to make the best out of everything. Within the six years of playing volleyball and immersing myself in the Hmong volleyball community, it makes me want to do more and perform even better. I set goals for myself and I feel like that is why I am so passionate about sports. Not only that, I believe volleyball has taught me to become outgoing. I used to be very quiet and not talk at all, but I enjoy putting myself out there a bit more now and I am a lot more open to meeting people. I’ve met so many new people and made new connections with Hmong athletes from in and out of state, so these type of connections make me feel more passionate about sports.
Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why? I look up to so many Hmong athletes that also play volleyball so it’s hard to say exactly who when there are so many of them. But if there was one person that I’d like to give recognition to, it would be Alisa Lee. The reason why I look up to her is because I love the way she plays. She’s smart with the ball, she knows her court, and I love her play style. Whenever I watch her play, it inspires me to step up my game and play a thousand times harder. Sometimes I think to myself and say “that’s something I should try next time” or “I should learn how to do something like that.” The things I observe from her are things I tell myself I should improve on. I remember the first time that I heard about her, I was scared. I didn’t want to go up against her and I never thought I’d ever get to casually play volleyball with her at the park. Looking back at it, I laugh now because I enjoy playing volleyball with her whenever I take a trip up to Appleton to casually play and I definitely love playing against her because I love a challenge. I’m hoping that someday I’ll be able to play in a tournament with her when I recover and bounce back after my ACL surgery. In all, Alisa is an amazing athlete and I’ve looked up to her for as long as I can remember.
What is your favorite food to eat the night before a big competition? Honestly, I do not watch what I eat before a tournament. I probably should watch what I eat since it could affect my gameplay, but I don’t have a tradition to specifically eat something before a big day because I love to eat almost anything.
What is the toughest aspect of being an athlete? My toughest aspect of being an athlete is the mental game for sure. It’s hard to try and not compare yourself to other athletes—asking yourself “why am I not good enough, why do I feel stuck, and what am I doing wrong?” I’m sure many athletes can relate to this feeling because I have gone through this mental game many times before. Three months ago, I had multiple breakdowns and wanted to give up because I felt like I wasn’t improving and I felt stuck. I couldn’t get my timing right and I started to think too much when I played. Me being me, I didn’t quit because quitting wasn’t going to fix my issue so I pushed through the negative thoughts and focused on one thing at a time. That resulted in playing the best I’ve ever played, which was at the Oshkosh Labor Day Tournament. All those mental breakdowns made me a stronger player and it really showed. So for sure, the mental game is tough because you fall so low sometimes and feel like quitting.
Who is your biggest supporter? My supporters have always been my parents. When I wanted to play for club, they allowed me to play for the first time and I believe that was the biggest step I’ve ever taken in my love for volleyball. I’d also say my biggest supporter would be myself. I say that because I’ve set high expectations for myself and always try to believe beyond my capabilities. I feel like as any athlete, you should always be your biggest supporter.
What do you enjoy most about tournaments? I enjoy watching the men’s volleyball finals at tournaments. They’re super exciting to watch and I learn so much. Whenever I go to tournaments, I don’t go to just watch. I personally like to analyze how the men play and apply it to my growth into becoming a better player.
After you got injure at Oshkosh, did you go straight to ER or waited a few days? After I got injured in Oshkosh, I waited two days. I didn’t want my parents to pay for a huge medical bill to go to the ER when it happened. I waited to get scheduled with my family doctor and it was a stressful process. It was extremely stressful because I was hopping from one urgent care center to another one across the city. Not only that I was planning to go back to Madison right after the tournament since the first day of school was in three days after the tournament, but I knew I needed to get a MRI before I left home. Luckily, I was able to get an MRI the evening that I had to go to Madison, which was the day before school officially started.
When did you know it was a torn ACL? The day after I went to go get a MRI, I received my results through a phone call from the orthopedic doctor. I was in my Com Arts class when I got a phone call and it made me feel so devastated for the two and a half weeks that I was on crutches.
Are you going to get surgery? If so, when? Yes, I am getting surgery. My surgery date is December 29th and then I’ll be using the entire month of January to recover and do physical therapy. I was hoping to get surgery sooner, but I didn’t want to put my scholarship and education in jeopardy, so I was recommended to get surgery in December.
How did your parent reacted when you told them about your injuries? My mom was the first person I called. She was very upset with what happened because I drove to Oshkosh myself and I injured myself 3 days before school officially started, so I see why she was upset. My dad reacted very similarly to my mom.
Are there any short-term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next few months to a couple of years? In the next few months, I want to focus on getting better motion in my knee and doing ACL exercises so I can make the recovery process easier. Other than sports, I want to finish my first semester strong despite the challenges I’m having with my injury. In the next couple of years, it would be focusing on basic fundamentals of volleyball: the proper technique to hitting, contact on the ball, and landing correctly. I’m hoping to jump back into volleyball by next summer near the beginning of August. It’s going to be scary trying to get back into it, but I’m hoping my fear of jumping will subside.
What do you see yourself accomplishing in five to ten years? In the next five to ten years, I see myself graduating and receiving my Bachelor’s Degree. After that, I know I’d be attending vet school to do schooling for another four years.
Do you have any advice to young girls who want play sports? For the young girls who want to play sports and become an athlete, do it. You never know what you’ll enjoy about a sport once you try it. Not only that, you create so many connections and friendships through sports. If you ever contemplate about playing a sport because you may not be good, set goals when you practice and you’ll surely become better with each passing day. That’s how it always is. Never lose hope, dream of the impossible, and strive to be a better version of yourself! Lastly, do not give up if it gets hard.
