Q & A with UNI Women's Volleyball Coach Bobbi Petersen

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE ASPECTS OF COACHING?

I would say there are two things that are at the top.  The first is the opportunity to work with amazing young women throughout their collegiate years, a time where they grow and develop as athletes, as students, and as people – and to get to be a part of that.  To watch and work with these young women through the daily successes and failures, to witness all the intangibles they are developing from being student-athletes and to see the women they become throughout the journey.  The other thing that I love about coaching is getting the opportunity each year to work with a new group of student-athletes and to come together and work to figure out how we are going to be the best possible team we can be.  Whether it’s what type of offense and defense best suits our team, how we are going to develop the team chemistry and culture needed to compete, or how we are going to learn that it is not about one person, but it’s about our team.  It is different every year with different obstacles and challenges.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ROAD TRIP STORY?

I have had many awesome road trips over the years.  One of my favorites was in 2002 when we went to Orlando over Thanksgiving to play in the SEC Challenge.  It was UNI and Illinois State vs. Florida and Georgia. We got to have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with all the teams and to compete in the Milk House at the Wide World of Sports facility.  The atmosphere was amazing. We had two crazy matches beating Georgia in 5 and then the beating #3 Florida in five. Then as a team, we spent time together at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.  It was so memorable for our entire group and a great bonding moment as well for so many reasons. It was many years ago now, but I still can remember specific experiences of the trip.

WHAT ARE 5 THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT DURING A MATCH?

GUM!!!!!!

A certain bracelet specific to that season

5 hour energy

My 4 pastel colored ballpoint pen

My lucky $2 bill specifically placed in my purple binder

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SPRING SEASON?

The best part about spring is change and development.  It is the time of year where we can focus on physical, mental and skill growth in our individual players.  We have components throughout spring that challenge our student-athletes in ways to grow physically and in mental toughness as well as what they personally need to improve on the court.  Mix that with a component of team training and a couple of competition dates, it becomes such an important part of the growth of our student-athletes. It is really cool to see the changes mentally and physically in each of our student-athletes.

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY OR CAUSE YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT?

I love summer sand volleyball and just being outside.

I am very passionate about giving back to our community whether it be individually or as a team.  I love exposing our team to the many different opportunities there are to not just give back but to impact lives and to impact the community that you are a part of.   We are all so very blessed to have the opportunities we have and it’s so important to be able to cultivate our gratitude for those opportunities by creating positive change within our community.  Be a difference maker. Also, having two close friends that have had children pass away from childhood cancer, I am passionate and involved with Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD NOT KNOW.

My dream job growing up was to be an FBI agent.

I completed a Tough Mudder and want to do a few more.

I want to go on a mission trip within the next few years.

I absolutely do not like shopping.