Senior Spotlight: Khristian Carr

by McRae Clay, Athletics Communications Student Assistant

When asked about Starkville, Mississippi, senior outside hitter Khristian Carr can describe it in one word: Home.

The Starkville native grew up in the Maroon and White, but volleyball was not her first love.

As the daughter of a former MSU Football and MSU women's basketball student-athlete, Carr grew up playing anything and everything she could get her hands on. She played basketball like her mom, Ann Carr, played soccer, competed in gymnastics and, as a natural athlete, excelled in most everything she tried.

It was not until the sixth grade however that Carr picked up a volleyball.

"My mom told me she was a tad tired of being out in the cold," Carr said. "She encouraged me to move to an inside sport, and I was not about to try out for basketball."

So her relationship with volleyball began.

After she experienced the amount of energy and saw what the team comradery had to offer, picking the sport was easy. Unfortunately, volleyball was not offered at her middle school, so she was sent over to try out at Starkville High.

Carr excelled on the court in high school, and knew Starkville would always be home, but she was determined to get out and pave her own way when college was on the horizon.

"I didn't have intentions at the beginning to come [to Mississippi State]," Carr said. "I didn't decide to come here until the beginning of my senior year [of high school]. I went to a camp here and enjoyed it. I loved the coaching style and saw how interested they were with me. I was willing to give that same energy back once I realized I might actually enjoy it here, and I might actually want to stay in Starkville."

After weighing all the options with her mother, she verbally committed to being a Bulldog and has donned the uniform with pride ever since.

She credits her mother and former teammate, Jazmyne Johnson, for being her biggest supporters on and off the court.

Carr takes pride in the competitiveness, and the lessons that being a student-athlete at MSU have taught her.

She wants to be remembered as a great teammate who brought sunshine and energy and as someone who brought her best every day.

Getting to represent her hometown school is special for Carr.

"It means a lot to me," Carr said. "As I get older I really see how blessed I am and I really want to make a mark so that kids younger than me can understand that just because you may not have been as fortunate or you maybe didn't have a lot of opportunities, you can still make a way for yourself. You can make it happen if you put your mind to it and go after it."

Khristian Carr will celebrate her senior day on Friday, November 16 versus Alabama. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Newell-Grissom.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Senior Spotlight: Khristian Carr

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