University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Cassidy Anderson
September 28, 2016 | Volleyball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Cassidy Anderson jogged across Georgia's volleyball gym in the Ramsey Center, fresh off about 20 minutes of post-practice yoga with the team. If the junior from Louisville, Ky., was ever going to be ready for a relaxed chat, now was the time.
Anderson is third in the SEC with 24 aces in 52 sets played this season and she's third in the conference with an average of 4.13 digs per set. But volleyball barely came up in our conversation, much of which covered a teammate she admires, the freedom of childhood and more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Post-practice yoga, what exactly does it do for you?
Anderson: It cools us down, calms us down, gets our minds right and we just relax and visualize.
Frierson: Who is somebody on the team, or any other Georgia athlete that you know, that you've come to really admire?
Anderson: Probably my best friend (Amanda) Dachs. She's my roommate and she came back from an ACL injury her freshman year and then she tore her meniscus last year, just got back again and then tore it again. So everything that's been thrown at her, she overcomes it. She never gave up and she's continuing to fight to get her position back. I really admire her for that.
Frierson: Is it tough when your good friend or roommate is constantly going through an injury and recovery like that?
Anderson: We live together so when she was on crutches I was constantly having to help her up and down the stairs, put her socks on and stuff like that. I never got sick of it because she's my friend and because I know if I was in her position she would do that for me.
It was exciting when she got down to one crutch and then none, but hopefully we never have to go through any of that again.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do? Or what's something creative you wish you could do?
Anderson: I wish I could play an instrument. I wish I could play the piano, because I think that could be really cool. We always talk about being able to play the piano, sing or dance. We wish we could do one of those.
Frierson: What do you do during the quiet times, away from volleyball and school?
Anderson: I love Netflix and I love watching shows on there. I would lay in my room all day if I could and just binge-watch shows. I've probably seen every episode of every TV series on Netflix or Hulu.
Frierson: Give me a couple of shows on Netflix that you highly recommend.
Anderson: "House of Cards," "Blacklist," "The Killing," "Game of Thrones" but that's not on Netflix. [Author's note: Anderson went on to list about a dozen more shows, clearly signaling that she has in fact watched just about everything on the streaming site.]
Frierson: What's something from your childhood that you really miss?
Anderson: I miss being able to just do whatever I want. Not do whatever I want, but you could just do anything and you didn't have any worries. You just went to class with your friends, come home, go outside and play with your friends; you didn't have to pay bills and do all that, you could just be a little kid and have a good time and hang out with your parents and your dog.
Frierson: What's the best thing that's entered your life in 2016? It can be a movie, an album, food, music, a person — whatever.
Anderson: The best new thing? Oh, my roommate and I just moved into our new house, so that's our first house. Also, my cousin is pregnant so that's really exciting. She'll be the first cousin to have a baby.
I don't really have anything else new. (Laughs) It's all just volleyball and school.
Frierson: If you could go back and talk to your 18-year-old self that was just arriving at Georgia, what would you tell her?
Anderson: I'd tell her that everything is going to be OK. It was really hard to move eight hours away from your family, and you're like the baby of the family, so you're getting dropped off and watching your parents leave for the first time. I still cry every time I say goodbye, I don't know why.
It's like everything's coming from a different place. You're not the all-star on your time like you were in high school and club, you're competing for your spot. The style of volleyball is different, college is so different, you're on your own, and you have to take care of yourself.
I'd tell her to hang in there and know that everything is going to work out as planned. Just relax.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
