Oct. 14, 1999
By Stacy Hollister, MU Sports Information
On guard in her usual stance - poised to defend with her hands up and her eyes unflinchingly focused - Krista Johnson was ready.
Through the netting, Johnson, like a tiger, tracked the UMKC opponent as she went up for a kill. The timing was flawless, and in impeccable form, Johnson jumped to meet the ball mid-air. She connected to record one of her three solo blocks on the night and force the side out.
Her excitement about the performance was unbridled. She shrieked giddily and leaped into a huddle with her teammates for high-fives and pats on the back.
"People tell me, 'it is so fun to see when you get a block, you scream and jump around,'" said the 6-foot middle blocker. "I like when they say that."
"I get excited when everybody is doing good. I've learned that you need excitement. Otherwise, the game just drags on."
Such open enthusiasm for the game was not always so effervescent. During her rookie season on the MU squad, Johnson exuded shyness and a demeanor of reservation. Teammates would comment that her unassuming presence often allowed the freshman to go unnoticed during team workouts in the gym. And during mandatory study hall hours, Johnson would keep to herself, letting her eyes roam to take in the athlete-filled atmosphere.
"I was in my shell," she said. "It took me awhile to get to know everyone. And I liked to take in the atmosphere first."
But underneath the quiet disposition was an outgoing character that only needed to feel the comfort and security of familiarity in order to blossom and pull Johnson from her shell.
It is this friendly and social nature that people have come to expect from the sophomore. She is the one who keeps teammates laughing with quotes from Dumb and Dumber and TV's Will and Grace during pre-game warm-ups. She is the one who picks up teammates after they've had a less-than-spectacular match.
A growing confidence has paralleled her budding extroversion. Recruited for her natural athleticism, Johnson didn't feel her genes would be enough to make her mechanically successful at the collegiate level. She even offered to redshirt her first year in order to spend more time honing her skills.
"I knew my chance would come soon enough, but I was kind of surprised it was so soon," she said. "I thought there was no way I was ever going to be up to this level."
The chance came roughly midway through her first season. Johnson improved her technique, physicality and overall presence at the net to earn a spot as one of the Tigers' regular starters. And Johnson delivered on the opportunity. In her 44 games of action, Johnson tallied 55 block assists and 61 total blocks to place her third among her teammates. Her confidence grew with each game.
And it continued to grow throughout the spring workouts and summer contests.
"It's hard to be timid when you lift what I lift and bench what I bench," said Johnson, who can handle 185 pounds.
During the summer, Johnson took the added muscle to the sand volleyball courts in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
"I spent a lot of time with guys who were loud and talked a lot," she said. "They talked a lot of smack across the net. It just came out in me over the summer."
"I played everyday for three or four hours. They were like, 'Oh my gosh. You are so much better.' Now I could start talking - I had something to back it up with."
Johnson had prior experience with the older, smack-talking men. During her last two years of high school, she approached them about logging some extra playing time with their club team. But a year of collegiate experience helped reverse those roles and transform Johnson from the approacher to the approachee. The older men were now asking her to join them on the sand courts.
The experience helped to further her technical development. Not only did she get to take her familiar, blocking stance in front of the net, but she also took a stance in the back row and found herself a powerful force on the dig.
"I realized that I can play with anybody - no matter if they're a guy or on a guy's net," she said.
It is this confidence that helps Johnson make big plays for the Tigers. That's something to get excited about.