The queen of rebounds is serving in a new court.

Most high school athletes only dream of playing for a Big Ten school. But for graduate student and Bloomington North alumna Whitney Thomas, this dream became a recurring one when she was recruited for both basketball and volleyball.

“I was recruited to play both, but the basketball coach decided that I shouldn’t do both, so I picked basketball,” Thomas says.

So Thomas hit the court, starting in 130 of 131 games, and was the second player in IU history to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
But after four years of basketball, Thomas wasn’t done with IU athletics.
An NCAA rule states that college athletes can play four seasons of one sport, and one season of another. When Thomas decided to pursue her master’s degree in applied sports science, she called on that rule to play volleyball for one season. 

“Even though I hadn’t played volleyball in a while, I played a collegiate sport,” Thomas says, “and I would have experience because the team’s really young. So I thought, ‘why not? I’ll try it out.’”

To get back into peak volleyball form, Thomas started playing with the team over the summer, taking every opportunity for extra practice.
The work paid off. As a right-side hitter, she has the third-most kills on the team.
When she graduates, Thomas plans to return to basketball as a coach at the collegiate level. However, she won’t say whether basketball or volleyball is her favorite sport.

“They’re just so different, it’s hard to say,” Thomas says. “I played basketball much longer, so I know that more, but I really do enjoy playing volleyball too.”
Thomas says she would encourage other student athletes to suit up for two sports because of the relationships she’s building.

“It’s totally different when you go from one sport to another,” Thomas says. “You get to meet a group of people you wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet. I think that’s the best part. I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet some of the girls on the team, and they’re great, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”