Set for Success: How Family, Coaches and Hard Work Primed Camille Conner for Aggie Volleyball
Nov 06, 2019 | Volleyball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Throughout the past three seasons, Aggie volleyball has been led both on and off the court by junior setter Camille Conner. Her hard work, dedication to her teammates, love of family, and incredible individual performances have paved the way for Conner to become one of the most influential volleyball players in Texas A&M history. From humble beginnings to setter extraordinaire, the story of Camille Conner is one of determination and strength, culminating in an incredible individual both inside and outside the walls of Reed Arena.
Across the span of her three-year career in Aggieland, Conner has racked up several individual accomplishments and records, cementing her name as one of the finest setters in A&M program history. Although she is a present-day star for the Aggies, her life didn't always seem like it was heading down this path.
Growing up in Katy, Texas, Conner's primary sport had always been soccer. Her first foray into the world of volleyball didn't come until she reached the third grade. When asked why she decided to begin pursuing volleyball, Conner explained that her sister's influence played an important role.
"My sister played volleyball, and I always wanted to do everything that she was doing," said Conner. "So, once she started playing volleyball, I was like 'I want to try it out.' Soccer was still my number one sport, but I always wanted to do what my sister was doing, so I did volleyball on the side as well."
What began as a side gig to soccer eventually blossomed into Conner's first love. Starting her elementary school career at middle blocker, Conner ended up playing almost all of the front-line positions, forcing her to develop a respect and understanding for multiple different aspects of the game. Eventually, she found her place as an outside hitter specializing on the right-side, aiding the development of her attacking mindset, still evident in her performances today. In her sophomore year at Katy's Seven Lakes High School, she made her final position switch to setter.
Making the jump to setter involved a significant amount of thought and preparation. Conner recalls her reasoning behind the switch.
"I think just watching volleyball and seeing how big of a role the setter plays," Conner said. "I wanted to be in that position. The leadership qualities that a setter needs, I felt like I was capable of filling that role. Being a hitter in college, especially on the right-side, they usually have to be bigger than I was because they're blocking the left side, so I was a little undersized. That's why I decided to start setting."
In the early years of her playing career, Conner was bolstered by a loving and supportive family. They attended all of her matches during high school and played a key role in the development of her remarkable leadership skills.
"Having my sister playing volleyball, and my brother knows the game very well too, it was nice to have people that knew the game," said Connor. "We were able to play with each other outside and have those conversations about volleyball."
Her brother, Colten, currently works as a Head Coach for College Station's A&M Consolidated High School volleyball team. Conner explained how great an influence he has on her game.
"He comes to all of the home games, so he loves to give feedback and always gives good texts after the games of what he thought and what he thinks I could do better," Conner shared. "It's awesome to have outside input like that from him."
Conner's greatest inspiration, however, was her sister.
"My sister and I, during high school, we got to play one year together on varsity," said Conner. "I was the freshman trying to figure everything out, and she was the upperclassman captain. Getting to learn from her was so important to me, and her work ethic is absolutely through the roof. Having the ability to play under her was awesome."
Sadly, an unfortunate injury cut her sister's career short. Conner recalled the difficulty that her sister was forced to endure, and how the struggle her sister faced inspired her to be the player she is today.
"Halfway through our season, she suffered a really bad knee injury, so she decided to stop playing," said Conner. "She could've played in college… she was that good, but she decided to stop because of the injuries she had. Experiencing that with her and seeing her love for the game… it was her passion… she inspired me to go all the way. She inspired me to go to college and play volleyball because that was taken away from her. I know how much it meant to her, so just having the ability to be here today, playing college volleyball and having her support has been amazing. She's able to come to my games and it means a lot to me."
Conner attributes her strong work ethic and incredible leadership skills to the lessons she learned from her sister. Her family relationships guided her through an extraordinary high school playing career and prepared her to assume a leadership role in a prestigious Division I program.
Before bursting onto the scene during her freshman year in College Station, Conner was a highly touted recruit. She was ranked as one of the top 100 players in America coming out of high school and also received numerous all-state and all-district honors. Connor looked back on her time at Seven Lakes favorably.
"It was probably one of the best volleyball experiences I've ever had," Conner recalled. "We were so close as a team and we were coached by a former Aggie setter, Farah Holder. So just getting a lot of feedback from her was something I appreciated very much."
Following a long recruitment process with multiple NCAA Division I institutions in the running, Conner eventually settled on joining the 2017 Texas A&M recruiting class that also featured middle blockers Makena Patterson and Morgan Davis, as well as outside hitter Samantha Sanders. Her reasoning behind choosing Aggieland was simple.
"It was just a feeling when I came on to campus, just how nice the people are here," said Conner. "My brother and sister both went to A&M as well, so I wanted to be close to home. My family means so much to me and knowing that they get to come to all my games means so much."
Since she arrived on the campus of Texas A&M, her relationship with her family has grown substantially. Conner noted that the support of her parents was especially helpful.
"They travel everywhere, home and away," shared Conner. "It's been awesome, all the unconditional love and support they've given me, knowing they're always there for me. They moved to College Station, so I get to see them all the time, and it's been awesome just to have that."
As a result of an injury to former Aggie setter Stephanie Aiple, Conner was provided with an opportunity to start from day one. In her first season out of the gate, she earned tournament MVP at the Texas A&M Invitational and garnered SEC Co-Setter of the Week honors, all while leading the Aggies to seven matches with a hitting percentage above .300. Her development continued to be a source of strength for the A&M program, as the team's winning percentage has improved each year since she arrived in College Station.
Conner's impact on Texas A&M volleyball has been unmistakable, as every coach she's ever had has described her as a fierce leader and strong decision-maker. The leadership that she provides to the program is something that Aggie Head Coach Bird Kuhn finds particularly important.
"Camille has been our voice of reason," said Kuhn. "To have a leader that's on the same page as the staff and have someone willing to relay things to the team, that's so vital to a successful program. She pushes the team and demands great things from them, and they respect her for it. She's been tremendous as a leader for us this year."
Conner had high praise for her coach as well, explaining how Coach Kuhn's example influences her leadership style.
"I would say she's very big about being relational, and she's always trying to build relationships with the players," said Conner. "That's something that is appreciated, just being able to talk to her, not only on the volleyball side but other things that are going on. She cares about us so much, and she doesn't only care about volleyball. She wants to know about everything that's going on in your life, so that's awesome to have as a head coach, just having that love for us."
The Katy native setter described her leadership style in much the same way. Conner recognizes the importance of developing one on one relationships with her peers to effectively lead the Aggie volleyball team.
"I think the biggest thing is getting to know my teammates off the court," Conner said. "Building relationships with my teammates is something that we're able to translate into success. The relationships we have outside the arena translates to the connection we have in-game, so seeing how my teammates are doing is essential."
Conner's ability to stand before her team and know that she has a personal connection with each member works wonders for Texas A&M's team chemistry and has been one of the major factors leading to the Aggies' success so far this season. Her undeniable fire for the game of volleyball motivates her teammates going into each match and inspires them both on and off the arena floor. Through an inspirational combination of determination, love of family, and respect for coaching, Camille Conner has driven Texas A&M into a new stratosphere of what it means to be a team.
Across the span of her three-year career in Aggieland, Conner has racked up several individual accomplishments and records, cementing her name as one of the finest setters in A&M program history. Although she is a present-day star for the Aggies, her life didn't always seem like it was heading down this path.
Growing up in Katy, Texas, Conner's primary sport had always been soccer. Her first foray into the world of volleyball didn't come until she reached the third grade. When asked why she decided to begin pursuing volleyball, Conner explained that her sister's influence played an important role.
"My sister played volleyball, and I always wanted to do everything that she was doing," said Conner. "So, once she started playing volleyball, I was like 'I want to try it out.' Soccer was still my number one sport, but I always wanted to do what my sister was doing, so I did volleyball on the side as well."
What began as a side gig to soccer eventually blossomed into Conner's first love. Starting her elementary school career at middle blocker, Conner ended up playing almost all of the front-line positions, forcing her to develop a respect and understanding for multiple different aspects of the game. Eventually, she found her place as an outside hitter specializing on the right-side, aiding the development of her attacking mindset, still evident in her performances today. In her sophomore year at Katy's Seven Lakes High School, she made her final position switch to setter.
Making the jump to setter involved a significant amount of thought and preparation. Conner recalls her reasoning behind the switch.
"I think just watching volleyball and seeing how big of a role the setter plays," Conner said. "I wanted to be in that position. The leadership qualities that a setter needs, I felt like I was capable of filling that role. Being a hitter in college, especially on the right-side, they usually have to be bigger than I was because they're blocking the left side, so I was a little undersized. That's why I decided to start setting."
In the early years of her playing career, Conner was bolstered by a loving and supportive family. They attended all of her matches during high school and played a key role in the development of her remarkable leadership skills.
"Having my sister playing volleyball, and my brother knows the game very well too, it was nice to have people that knew the game," said Connor. "We were able to play with each other outside and have those conversations about volleyball."
Her brother, Colten, currently works as a Head Coach for College Station's A&M Consolidated High School volleyball team. Conner explained how great an influence he has on her game.
"He comes to all of the home games, so he loves to give feedback and always gives good texts after the games of what he thought and what he thinks I could do better," Conner shared. "It's awesome to have outside input like that from him."
Conner's greatest inspiration, however, was her sister.
"My sister and I, during high school, we got to play one year together on varsity," said Conner. "I was the freshman trying to figure everything out, and she was the upperclassman captain. Getting to learn from her was so important to me, and her work ethic is absolutely through the roof. Having the ability to play under her was awesome."
Sadly, an unfortunate injury cut her sister's career short. Conner recalled the difficulty that her sister was forced to endure, and how the struggle her sister faced inspired her to be the player she is today.
"Halfway through our season, she suffered a really bad knee injury, so she decided to stop playing," said Conner. "She could've played in college… she was that good, but she decided to stop because of the injuries she had. Experiencing that with her and seeing her love for the game… it was her passion… she inspired me to go all the way. She inspired me to go to college and play volleyball because that was taken away from her. I know how much it meant to her, so just having the ability to be here today, playing college volleyball and having her support has been amazing. She's able to come to my games and it means a lot to me."
Conner attributes her strong work ethic and incredible leadership skills to the lessons she learned from her sister. Her family relationships guided her through an extraordinary high school playing career and prepared her to assume a leadership role in a prestigious Division I program.
Before bursting onto the scene during her freshman year in College Station, Conner was a highly touted recruit. She was ranked as one of the top 100 players in America coming out of high school and also received numerous all-state and all-district honors. Connor looked back on her time at Seven Lakes favorably.
"It was probably one of the best volleyball experiences I've ever had," Conner recalled. "We were so close as a team and we were coached by a former Aggie setter, Farah Holder. So just getting a lot of feedback from her was something I appreciated very much."
Following a long recruitment process with multiple NCAA Division I institutions in the running, Conner eventually settled on joining the 2017 Texas A&M recruiting class that also featured middle blockers Makena Patterson and Morgan Davis, as well as outside hitter Samantha Sanders. Her reasoning behind choosing Aggieland was simple.
"It was just a feeling when I came on to campus, just how nice the people are here," said Conner. "My brother and sister both went to A&M as well, so I wanted to be close to home. My family means so much to me and knowing that they get to come to all my games means so much."
Since she arrived on the campus of Texas A&M, her relationship with her family has grown substantially. Conner noted that the support of her parents was especially helpful.
"They travel everywhere, home and away," shared Conner. "It's been awesome, all the unconditional love and support they've given me, knowing they're always there for me. They moved to College Station, so I get to see them all the time, and it's been awesome just to have that."
As a result of an injury to former Aggie setter Stephanie Aiple, Conner was provided with an opportunity to start from day one. In her first season out of the gate, she earned tournament MVP at the Texas A&M Invitational and garnered SEC Co-Setter of the Week honors, all while leading the Aggies to seven matches with a hitting percentage above .300. Her development continued to be a source of strength for the A&M program, as the team's winning percentage has improved each year since she arrived in College Station.
Conner's impact on Texas A&M volleyball has been unmistakable, as every coach she's ever had has described her as a fierce leader and strong decision-maker. The leadership that she provides to the program is something that Aggie Head Coach Bird Kuhn finds particularly important.
"Camille has been our voice of reason," said Kuhn. "To have a leader that's on the same page as the staff and have someone willing to relay things to the team, that's so vital to a successful program. She pushes the team and demands great things from them, and they respect her for it. She's been tremendous as a leader for us this year."
Conner had high praise for her coach as well, explaining how Coach Kuhn's example influences her leadership style.
"I would say she's very big about being relational, and she's always trying to build relationships with the players," said Conner. "That's something that is appreciated, just being able to talk to her, not only on the volleyball side but other things that are going on. She cares about us so much, and she doesn't only care about volleyball. She wants to know about everything that's going on in your life, so that's awesome to have as a head coach, just having that love for us."
The Katy native setter described her leadership style in much the same way. Conner recognizes the importance of developing one on one relationships with her peers to effectively lead the Aggie volleyball team.
"I think the biggest thing is getting to know my teammates off the court," Conner said. "Building relationships with my teammates is something that we're able to translate into success. The relationships we have outside the arena translates to the connection we have in-game, so seeing how my teammates are doing is essential."
Conner's ability to stand before her team and know that she has a personal connection with each member works wonders for Texas A&M's team chemistry and has been one of the major factors leading to the Aggies' success so far this season. Her undeniable fire for the game of volleyball motivates her teammates going into each match and inspires them both on and off the arena floor. Through an inspirational combination of determination, love of family, and respect for coaching, Camille Conner has driven Texas A&M into a new stratosphere of what it means to be a team.
Players Mentioned
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