Cinderella coming to NOW
October 13, 2015Parish expands sports complex
October 14, 2015
Xavier University of Louisiana senior outside hitter CeCe Williams looks forward to her future career as a speech pathologist – a job she’s wanted to hold for most-all of her life.
But sometimes Williams said she wishes that the journey toward that prestigious degree and career would move a little slower so that she could relish what little time she has left as a collegiate student-athlete.
A Vandebilt graduate and Houma native, Williams has been a model student-athlete in her four years at Xavier. The past few seasons, Williams has helped serve as a leader for Xavier – a program coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Williams said she’s loved everything about her collegiate career, touting that her time at Xavier has been excellent. Her only regret is that time has moved so fast, and now she’s in the middle of her senior season and having to face the prospects of a life where there will not be any more games to prepare for nor opponents to face.
The Houma native said because of that reality, she’s working hard to make her final season the best one yet in her storied career. At press-time, Xavier has an 11-7 record, including a 6-1 mark in conference play.
“My senior season is going pretty well, but it’s going so fast,” Williams said. “I’m trying to enjoy every moment of it because I know that it’ll be over before I know it.”
Opponents won’t be sad to see Williams graduate. Since signing with Xavier after a storied career at Vandebilt, she’s been an impact player – even while playing at different spots on the court.
In Williams first two collegiate seasons, she was a starting back-line player – something that required an adjustment period because she was always a front-line offensive contributor as a Terrier.
Xavier made the switch with Williams because it had several upperclassmen in the up-front throughout the 2012 and 2013 seasons, and coach Hannah Lawing wanted CeCe’s athleticism to be on the floor in any capacity.
Williams said during an interview last season that playing the back lines was a learning experience, but one that made her a better player.
She said it taught her to be more fundamentally sound when on the floor.
“When I got here, I realized right away that I wasn’t as tall as I thought that I was in high school,” Williams said with a laugh. “… Some of the things that I was able to get away with in high school, I couldn’t do here, because the game is so much faster and everything moves at such a rapid pace. I had to learn right away.”
Her willingness to change positions for the team caught Lawings’ eye. She said Williams has been a special player throughout her career.
“CeCe is a team player,” Lawing added. “She’s a multi-year contributor for us and a player who is versatile and does whatever she’s coached to do. She’s one of our leaders, and it’s always great to have seniors like that on your team.”
After contributing on the back lines as a freshman and sophomore, Williams was able to return to her natural position as an outside hitter last season.
She had immediate success, recording 190 kills and 224 digs in her junior season, while helping the team post a 20-6 record.
This year, Williams has been even better. She’s recorded 93 kills and 123 digs through Xavier’s first 13 matches – marks that rank third overall on the team.
In addition to her on-field output, Williams said she’s also made a conscious effort to be a leader on a roster that has six players who are either freshmen or sophomores.
“It’s exciting to be a leader and set an example for a group of younger, motivated college athletes,” Williams said. “I was once in their position, so I know the fears and anxieties they may have, which makes it easier to lead them into a successful college career.”
The goal is for them all to share a deep run through the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament together.
Since Williams got to Xavier, the team has routinely either contended for or won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conerence Championship – an honor that CeCe said she and her teammates are proud of.
But their focus is now on taking that success and attempting to make a run at a national championship.
Xavier’s volleyball team has never won a game at the National Tournament, and Williams wants to fix that this season.
After the season, she plans to enter a master’s program to keep chasing her certification in becoming a practicing speech pathologist. But for now, that can wait, because Williams said her No. 1 focus is volleyball, and she wants to cherish it while it lasts.
“It has gone by so quickly,” Williams said. “But the times here have been unforgettable, and I am so happy and fortunate to have been able to experience the things I have in my college career. … We want to achieve more and perform better than we did last year. We have never made it out of the first round of Nationals, so that is, of course, the ultimate goal this year.”
