From playing with Club Ohana at the age of 8 in Los Angeles to becoming a Sand Cat, in addition to working with Coach Rubio on the indoor courts, Tyler Spriggs has given a great amount of time and effort to the sport she loves. Her father Larry Spriggs Sr. had a lengthy professional basketball career, playing in the NBA for five years along with helping lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the 1985 NBA Championships. With that, you can imagine where Tyler's discipline and focus stems from.

Tyler stands as a noticeably passionate and energetic player and teammate. She takes challenges head on, and when it comes to tough competition, she looks to observe, strategize, break down the defense, and attack. Spriggs enjoys the healthy competition. In high school, she was a four-year letterwinner, named team MVP, and earned the title of an all-conference performer for all four years. Her contagious positive energy does not go unnoticed. Through each set, she makes sure to cheer on her teammates letting them know that she is there to fight with them.

ArizonaWildcats.com sat down with Tyler Spriggs from Los Angeles, CA to chat about her transition to beach volleyball and how she plans on defeating the competition.

Q: What brings you out to Tucson from a big city like Los Angeles?
A: "I definitely made my decision based on the conference. Playing in the Pac-12, there is always going to be tough competition every night, and also having the opportunity to go back home and play schools like USC and UCLA was definitely a big factor in my decision."

Q: What would be the biggest difference between competing in high school and competing at a collegiate level?
A: "In high school, I definitely feel like there is more of a freedom when you're playing. It is kind of carefree. However, once you get to the collegiate level, you're playing with a different passion, and it's a career and a job now."

Q: How has your transition been from indoor to beach volleyball?
A: "Indoor to beach has not been as tough as I thought it would be. Beach volleyball has a different mental game and not as much of a scoring mentality all the time. It is more like a chess game: trying to beat the opponent and predict their next move so you can play ahead of them. With regard to challenges, some of the rules are a lot different. I'm getting comfortable with using more of a platform game as opposed to wanting to set the ball and things like that."

Q: With your father playing professionally, did that ever affect you and your performance?
A: "It definitely showed me that hard work can get you as far as you want it to get you. He didn't get to that level of his career by doing the bare minimum and getting by in practices and games. So it gave me a sense of the drive that I need and made me want to push myself in my own practices and games."

Q: You bring a lot of energy to the team. Where does that stem from, and how do you keep it up each practice, tournament, and even each set?
A: "No matter what you're doing, it is always going to contribute to the team, so I feel that if I can constantly bring a strong energy and let my teammates know that I'm here to fight with you and fight for you, it boosts their confidence throughout the game and scares the other team a little bit. It's nice to be able to contribute that way."

Q: What is your earliest volleyball memory?
A: "I still to this day vividly remember my first time walking into my club tryout when I was 8 playing with 12 year olds and seeing all the older girls there and thinking, 'wow, this is so cool.' I played basketball for so long that walking into a new environment like that was definitely an eye opener for me."

Q: What have you personally been working on and perfecting?
A: "I've been trying to think ahead in this game and figure out what my opponent is going to do so I can make the best move possible. I've been working on slowing the game down mentally, and being more strategic in the way I play; opposed to when I play indoor, I can go up and just crank on the ball. So it is more so figuring out what the best move will be."

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