Completed Event: Volleyball at Arizona State on March 20, 2026 ,
Volleyball
at Arizona State
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Darryl Webb
The VolleyBlog
3/9/2015 4:25:00 PM | Volleyball
Today's Blog is from setter Leigh Stonerook
The Mental Game
By Leigh Stonerook
I feel the mental component of any sport, not just volleyball, is essential to an athlete's success. In my own experience I have found the more mentally sound I am, the better I perform and the more I enjoy the game! For a long time I struggled with pursuing perfection in lots of areas in my life including volleyball, which led to me partly establishing my identity in how I performed, what kind of athlete people said I was and how I saw myself as a competitor. The only problem with this identity was it was extremely susceptible to being shattered by a bad game, a negative comment of my performance, or not getting chosen to play. Perhaps the more important thing I have learned, thus far, in my life as a young woman growing in her Christian faith, is understanding that every component of what makes me Leigh was uniquely woven together by God. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The cool thing is that this truth actually relates directly to my athletic career. My love for volleyball, my physical strength, speed, jumping ability, the joy I feel while playing, are ALL blessings from God that HE chose to gift me with. Understanding this truth took all the pressure to be "perfect" off my shoulders. I realized that ultimately it is God who I am playing for and He is never disappointed or capable of being let down! He simply wants me to play for Him and enjoy the gift of volleyball He has given me. I encourage all athletes to challenge yourself to understand how you view yourself and see if that matches up with how God see's you. I am constantly working on this type of self-reflection and I can attest to the fact that it helps me refocus my heart on the enjoyment of volleyball and the glorification of our God.
The Mental Game
By Leigh Stonerook
I feel the mental component of any sport, not just volleyball, is essential to an athlete's success. In my own experience I have found the more mentally sound I am, the better I perform and the more I enjoy the game! For a long time I struggled with pursuing perfection in lots of areas in my life including volleyball, which led to me partly establishing my identity in how I performed, what kind of athlete people said I was and how I saw myself as a competitor. The only problem with this identity was it was extremely susceptible to being shattered by a bad game, a negative comment of my performance, or not getting chosen to play. Perhaps the more important thing I have learned, thus far, in my life as a young woman growing in her Christian faith, is understanding that every component of what makes me Leigh was uniquely woven together by God. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The cool thing is that this truth actually relates directly to my athletic career. My love for volleyball, my physical strength, speed, jumping ability, the joy I feel while playing, are ALL blessings from God that HE chose to gift me with. Understanding this truth took all the pressure to be "perfect" off my shoulders. I realized that ultimately it is God who I am playing for and He is never disappointed or capable of being let down! He simply wants me to play for Him and enjoy the gift of volleyball He has given me. I encourage all athletes to challenge yourself to understand how you view yourself and see if that matches up with how God see's you. I am constantly working on this type of self-reflection and I can attest to the fact that it helps me refocus my heart on the enjoyment of volleyball and the glorification of our God.
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