Mustang senior enjoys campus summer experiences

Morningside University women's volleyball student-athlete Lindi Pojar has never been one to keep her feet in the same place too long.

So, when the opportunity to stay in the Sioux City area this summer recently developed, she decided to take advantage of it.

"Don't get me wrong, I do miss my family and the mountains back home," Pojar pointed out about her native Fort Collins, Colorado, setting. But, while she wouldn't say no to teaching near home, she's excited about the possibility of living in a new place as well.

"' I've been thinking a lot about what my post-graduate career will look like, and I don't necessarily find myself having to be around home when it comes to teaching at the elementary education level. So I think it'd be fun to go somewhere different and meet new people and be a part of things I haven't been around in my life," she added. "Hey, if I got a chance to teach near home, it would be wonderful, but being in a new place wouldn't be too bad, either."

Two days a week running, three days a week of weight lifting, along with living with college friends in a house and working at Dakota Dunes Country Club in North Sioux City, offers Pojar a glimpse of what life after Morningside could be like. There is still plenty to accomplish with the 2021 competitive season and the 2021-22 academic year in front of her, though.

The defensive specialist is ready for her leadership role with the Mustangs and is deeply entrenched in head coach Jessica Squier's philosophy of building a new culture.

"We put a lot of time into the culture thought process in the spring," she noted. "Coach wants to get that message to the upperclasswomen in everything we do on and off the court and then deliver it to the younger players."

"It's time for higher expectations to progress here," she added. "We need to want to be at the top of the Great Plains Athletic Conference and be competitive nationally. For my part, I've got to be able to get that message to the freshman class while getting them to understand how fun it can be to be a part of Mustangs volleyball."

The aforementioned family importance played a role in choosing volleyball as a sport of a lifetime and Morningside University as her secondary education route. "Growing up, it was a lot of softball and volleyball for my sister and me," Pojar reflected. "Our mom was our rec league volleyball coach early on, but we still gravitated to softball a little more. That continued until middle school when I thought I wanted to try something different." She got into club play in middle and high school, which helped her get ready for our high school team, and the rest is history.

"I think two of the main reasons I enjoy the game so much is because it is so easy to get a game going. You can step outside at any time and pass the volleyball around, and that it's fast-paced. You never know what you're going to see on the court. You have to be ready for anything. It's a lot like life, as you need to be gritty at times and work to improve yourself to be better."

Another Fossil Ridge High School alum aided the road to Sioux City in former men's basketball student-athlete Andrew Semadeni. Lindi and his sister, who played for the Mustangs, competed in high school together.

"I always heard so much about Morningside," she said. "I'm not sure what the final trigger was towards me deciding to come here, but I'm glad I did."