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The Viterbo University senior is a two-time NAIA All-American Scholar-Athlete who has a 3.65 grade point average in biology and pre-med. She spent the last spring semester at Bond University in Queensland, Australia.
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Viterbo volleyball player Missy Glenna.
Erik Daily |
So why did Glenna put her professional future on hold? Volleyball. Glenna could have graduated last year, but decided to play out her eligibility this fall with the V-Hawks.
“To me, it was worth it,” Glenna said. “It’s one more semester, but it’s one semester I can never do again. This is my last chance and I had to play.”
Glenna, a left-side hitter from Lanesboro, Minn. (Mabel-Canton High School), came to Viterbo in 2004-05 as a basketball player. She was on the V-Hawks’ MCC conference championship and NAIA National Tournament team that season.
In the fall of 2005, Glenna set her basketball career aside and joined the volleyball program under new coach Ryan DeLong.
“I really wanted to play volleyball,” Glenna said. “I decided it was a better fit for me. I had a lot of friends on the basketball team who were supportive, and everyone on the volleyball team was really welcoming. It was a good fit.”
Glenna’s role on the team has been different in each of her four seasons.
As a freshman, she appeared in all 35 matches and was fourth on the team in kills (1.68 per game). She was a part-time player as a sophomore, then returned with a superb junior year, leading the team in kills (2.97 per game) and digs (4.46 per game). She was named All-MCC first team.
This season, Glenna has almost come full-circle to her freshman year, taking a role as a key contributor with 2.33 kills per game and 3.57 digs per game, but not as the go-to hitter like last year.
“Last year was fun,” Glenna said. “I feel like I had a pretty good season. I’m more of a role player this year rather than a huge standout, but it’s good that we have different people who can lead. It makes us a better team.”
DeLong said Glenna is 40 kills away from becoming the first player in Viterbo history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career.
“She is the ultimate team player,” DeLong said. “She just wants to win. She’s not getting as many sets this year as she did last year, but defensively she is extremely strong. I just can’t say enough good things about her.”
More than her talent and versatility, Glenna brings a shot of pure energy to the V-Hawks. What fans see from Glenna in matches — vocal encouragement, tireless hustle — is also what she provides every day in practice.
“She totally buys into our program,” DeLong said. “Her teammates and the underclassmen see how hard she works. She’s not 6-foot or anything, she’s had to work hard to get to where she’s at. She’s one of the most fun kids to coach; she’ll run through a brick wall in practice or a game.”
That energy has been well-spent. Under DeLong, the V-Hawks are 80-33 since the 2006 season. Viterbo suffered through nine straight losing years before DeLong’s arrival.
Glenna has been there for every day of the renaissance.
“I’m not one to look at stats or records a lot, but it’s been pretty obvious that in the last four years there has been a turnaround.”
Said DeLong: “She’s been a huge part of it. Because the biggest thing we had to do to turn the program around was change the culture of the team. Missy was definitely a key component of that because of her work ethic. It’s no mistake that Missy came in and we started being successful.”
