Aug. 14, 2017
The 2017 Auburn volleyball team boasts a large group of new faces in four freshmen and two transfers and AuburnTigers.com is spending time to get to know these newcomers.
Freshman Morgan Kull comes to The Plains with a handful of talents in addition to volleyball. The 5-9 setter from St. Charles, Ill., has been around the sport most of her life and hopes to bring her leader mentality to the court, helping the Tigers reach new heights in 2017.
Q: You're coming from the suburbs of Chicago to The Plains in Alabama. How have you adjusted to life in the South so far and what are some of the biggest differences you've seen in your short time here?
A: Life here in the South has been very hot and humid, but that's why I chose an indoor sport so it doesn't really bother me. Besides the weather, the biggest difference is probably everyone's accents, the southern hospitality, and the amount of pickup trucks. So far I have not adjusted to saying y'all, but I have loved how kind and friendly everyone is here. When I visited Auburn, the girls and volleyball staff were super nice and welcoming. That was one of the main reasons I loved this place. It is really nice to walk through campus and downtown Auburn and have everyone say hello or 'War Eagle' and stuff like that. In regards to the pickup trucks, I used to have a red one myself, but there are just a lot here and that's the first thing I noticed.
Q: And the general question for all newcomersÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬¦why Auburn?
A: During the beginning of my search for schools, I was stuck on the idea of going to a smaller school on the East Coast. I love that part of the country and thought that a smaller school would be a better fit for me. However, after visiting many schools and struggling to find that feeling of having a school be my home, I decided to give some other areas of the country a try. When Auburn came along, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the size of the school, but as soon as I stepped on campus, I had that great feeling that I could see myself there. It is a beautiful campus with amazing people. The coaches and players were so kind to me when I visited and made me feel like a member of the team. They are like a family and being so far from home, I knew that was something I needed. The support and the facilities student-athletes can get here are incredible and so I knew I couldn't pass up playing here.
Q: Your mother played collegiate volleyball. Did she give you any advice before you came to school and if so, what did she tell you?
A: Besides playing collegiate volleyball, my mom was also my high school coach for three years so she gave me tons of advice throughout my high school career and before I came here to Auburn. A lot of the things she taught me revolved around the role of being a leader on the court and knowing the game of volleyball at a higher level. Growing up, I watched her coach all the time, so I got to learn a lot about the game. Most of my volleyball knowledge has come from her. In regards to any specific advice she has given me outside of her coaching, she just said be a good teammate and to work as hard as I can to help the team and become the best player I possibly can be.
Q: What is the best part of being a setter? What is the most difficult?
A: Setting is by far the best position in volleyball. Setters get to be a part of every single play by handling the second contact, they get to run the offense, trick the blockers on the other side, and are overall kind of like the quarterback of the team. Another important aspect of being a setter is the ability to connect with hitters to run the offense effectively. For me this has been the most difficult part of playing at Auburn. The hitters at this level are faster and jump much higher than most of the hitters I have set in the past, so adjusting to that has been the biggest hurdle for me. However, the more we play, the easier it becomes. The girls are really helpful too, so it has been more fun than difficult as I work to become a more effective setter here.
Q: What are you most looking forward to going into your first year of collegiate volleyball?
A: For my first year, I am most looking forward to going to Puerto Rico as well as just playing different schools in the SEC. Growing up in Illinois, I watched more Big Ten volleyball than SEC volleyball, so I'm excited to learn more about the other teams and schools that we play. My sister went to Mizzou and so I'm especially excited to play them.
Q: What other sports did you play growing up and what made you chose volleyball?
A: Growing up I played soccer, softball, and volleyball. Once I got to high school, I only had time for two sports so I chose volleyball and soccer. All throughout high school, I was able to play club soccer and volleyball as well as high school soccer and volleyball. I was really only able to do this because my coaches for school and club were willing to work with my different schedules. In fact, if my high school soccer coaches weren't willing to let me go on my visit to Auburn during our season, I wouldn't have committed here so thanks to them! Although I played soccer with volleyball for so long, I always kind of knew volleyball was the route I wanted to go. It's a true team sport that I had grown up watching. It's a fast paced, mental game and nothing beats one of those plays that the whole team works to earn. I'm so happy with my choice to play volleyball because it has opened so many doors and has brought me here to Auburn where some of the best volleyball is played.
Q: We hear you have some musical talent. What were you involved in growing up?
A: Like having my mom as a volleyball coach, my dad was my band director, so music has been a big part of my life. Growing up, I played the piano for a bit, and throughout high school, I played the French horn in my dad's band and I was in my school choirs while also taking voice lessons. In high school, we went to Japan for band as well as Disney World, so music has given me some wonderful memories. I loved band and choir and so I hope to be able to take a few music classes here at Auburn. My dad is one of my biggest supporters and I know he would have loved to have me continue playing my instrument throughout college, but he loves volleyball too so he's excited to see what this opportunity brings me.
Q: If you could visit any country in the world, what would that be and why?
A: This is a very tough question, but I would say if I could visit anywhere, I would visit Norway or England. I feel like no one really visits Norway so that would be fun, and I've always wanted to go to England because I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so I would want to see all of that stuff.
Q: You're pursuing a degree in political science here at Auburn. What, as of now, is your end goal with the degree?
A: After my four years here at Auburn, I am planning on attending law school to obviously receive a law degree. I'm not sure what kind of law I want to pursue, but I've got some time to figure that out. Beyond law school, I actually want to get involved in politics whether it be running for an office or being a campaign manager. I'm really interested in politics and government and being a representative for the public, so that's what I eventually would like to be doing in the future.
Q: If they created a movie on your life, which actress would portray you and why?
A: I am split between two actresses for this question. I would say either a younger Sandra Bullock or Emma Watson would portray me in a movie of my life. Emma Watson stands for things I believe in and is overall an amazing human being who I would love to have play me, but I think Sandra Bullock mirrors my personality better. She has a bright, witty, and sarcastic personality which I would like to think is similar to mine and she is a brilliant actress overall so that would be awesome if she would play me in a movie.
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