Completed Event: Volleyball versus California on November 28, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3
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Final
Volleyball
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Volleyball Senior Profile: DS Laura Williams
11/18/2015 2:11:00 PM | Volleyball
GoDuke.com recently caught up with senior defensive specialist Laura Williams to reflect on her four years at Duke.
GoDuke.com: What place in Durham do you consider a hidden gem?
Williams: Nosh would probably be my spot. You always end up seeing people you know. I've actually gotten to know the workers really well. I'll go in there before practice in the morning and they'll say, “Hey, Laura, same thing as usual?”
GoDuke.com: What's next after graduation?
LW: I just accepted job with Capital One, so I'm going to be a business analyst for them at their DC location.
GoDuke.com: What's been your proudest academic achievement at Duke?
LW: I got into this finance program in London. The classes were challenging, but I feel like I learned more in those six weeks than I learned in my whole life about finance, about how the markets works, how governments and companies work. That would be my proudest academic moment.
GoDuke.com: When did you start playing volleyball?
LW: I was 10 years old and I was playing in a summer camp through my school. I really enjoyed it so my mom Googled “volleyball club” and just signed me up for the closest one. It ended up being a really great club. We had no idea they were nationally renowned, but I ended up playing for that club and getting really lucky that they were in my backyard.
GoDuke.com: What has playing for Duke meant to you?
LW: Just learning a lot about how to represent yourself, a team and a university. There are so many little girls walking around wearing Duke volleyball shirts and I'm one of 16 people who gets to do that for four years and has the opportunity to represent this school, my family and myself. It's been a really great experience and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity.
GoDuke.com: What's your favorite road trip memory?
LW: Probably Seattle last year. I know the match didn't go well, but flying private out there was so cool. Just exploring the city and doing a bunch of Seattle events like seeing the Space Needle and going to Pike Place Market. That's a place I never would've visited on my own, but I loved it and I hope to go back someday. That was a really fun trip and the gym at Washington was really nice. Just an overall really good experience.
GoDuke.com: What's a lesson you've learned through Duke volleyball?
LW: How to be your best self every day. When you're in high school or club volleyball, you have practice twice a week. You're up for that practice or that game. It gets to be tough when you're practicing so many hours with the same people. Learning what my teammates need from me and what I can give to the team to make the most out of this practice. That's definitely a valuable lesson: how to make yourself useful in every situation.
GoDuke.com: What legacy do you hope to leave for future Duke volleyball players?
LW: I would just hope that they remember all the special things that people do outside of volleyball. Volleyball doesn't define every person on our team. Everyone has something unique. Some people volunteer, some people are really into school or learning a different language. It's easy to look back and think “oh it was just a volleyball team” but it was a bunch of really special team and when I look back that's something I hope to remember.
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