Bergsten Ready for Temporary Leave from Bearcats to Give Birth

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University Assistant Volleyball Coach Kendall Bergsten will be temporarily leaving the team this weekend in preparation for giving birth to her second child. According to Head Coach Lily Hallock, players on the WU volleyball team will miss Bergsten's positive attitude, epic pregnant dance moves and motivational quotes.

Hallock asked Bergsten a series of questions to find out interesting facts about the assistant coach and her upcoming delivery:

Do you think that your baby has picked up on any of the coaching you have been doing while pregnant? Will he have innate volleyball skills?

"As much as I wish that were possible, I don't think that's the case," Bergsten said. "Although my daughter was most active whenever I was at practice, with this pregnancy he's active all the time. They'll both most likely pick up the skills being in the gym with me and watching games on TV."

What do you think you'll miss while your're away?

"I'll miss getting to interact with the players and Lily," Bergsten commented. "I always leave practice in a great mood."

What are you looking forward to the most in the next month?

"I'm really looking forward to beginning this new chapter with my family. I have a lot to look forward to between baby boy's arrival and the holidays," Bergsten noted.

How many child-size volleyballs do you have at your home?

"I honestly have quite the collection," Bergsten answered. "I currently have seven mini-volleyballs, one mini-basketball, and one mini-soccer ball. Our kids have plenty of options. I wouldn't be surprised if we add to the collection of mini's because my fiancé loves all sports."

What's your favorite memory from your time in the gym with the Willamette volleyball program?

"My absolute favorite part of coaching is getting to see the progress of the players," Bergsten said. "I get really excited when they start to find success with whatever we're focusing on that day."

This will be your second child. How is your daughter feeling about being a big sister?

"I don't think my daughter realizes what's going on," Bergsten said. "We try to talk to her about it, but she's only a year-and-a-half old, so she's unable to fully comprehend. I think she'll do well though. She loves being able to help us out and I think she'll do great."

Volleyball players Kela Iwata (Jr.., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Kalani HS) and Carmen Camacho-Platas (So., OH, Burbank, CA/Burbank HS) provided their thoughts about what Bergsten has contributed since joining the Bearcats.

"Kendall has really helped me improve on my consistency and confidence in playing so far," Iwata said. "She's been very helpful with her critiques and is always super encouraging. Her persistance has helped me with changes in technique, and I'm getting hyped when I actually do it right, which really makes the tedious technical things fun. I'm really grateful to have such a fun, encouraging, and caring assistant coach who's definitely going to be missed at practices while she's gone!"

"Kendall is an amazing assistant coach," Camacho-Platas commented. "She's knowledgeable and can effectively communicate her knowledge, which makes growing as a player so much easier. Her energy, love, and enthusiasm for our team is obvious and unwavering. She puts full effort into everything she does and is immensely supportive on and off the court. You can tell she has a heart of gold."