Three years after she arrived from Kansas City onto a campus so green and unfamiliar, Gophers senior Alexis Hart is fast approaching these final weeks when she will say goodbye to her teammates, her collegiate career and an old friend.
"I know the bus system like the back of my hand now," she said.
She has learned much in four seasons as an outside hitter who has transformed herself from gifted athlete to savvy senior, heading into Thursday's home match against Wisconsin, a battle of Big Ten co-leaders.
"It's just crazy how time has gone," Hart said. "It's just crazy how it seems last year was 2016, and I was an incoming freshman and now it's about to be 2020."
She is taking her final four class credits this fall and next month will graduate early with a business marketing degree she'll use after she pursues a professional volleyball career overseas this winter.
Before she goes, she's on a tear that carries her into the fifth-ranked Gophers' final six matches and the NCAA tournament. Hart has hit .355 and has 84 kills (3.50 per set) in the past six matches when both she and her team adjusted to a new system with two new setters while injured senior Kylie Miller remains out.
"[Hart] has found some really nice rhythm the last few weeks," Gophers coach Hugh McCutcheon said. "We've changed setters and now you've to get some new connection between hitters and setters. Obviously, she's doing a nice job of it."
Hart's collegiate career has been lessons learned in life and athletics. Tuesday was the third anniversary of her grandfather's death. Richard Robinson helped raise her and guided her toward attending Minnesota. His death rocked her freshman season, when she learned to lean on older teammates.
