The Confident and Spirited Karly Basham

When Karly Basham decided to enter a crowded college volleyball transfer portal, she wasn't exactly sure if it was the right decision, but she took a leap of faith and landed with a university that allows her to express herself – and does her personality ever shine through.

Basham has a profound passion for dancing and that's one simple thing that gets her in a zone, which subsequently allows her to get her mind right and locked in for volleyball games.

"Me being able to dance, that's an example of how Washington State, the staff, and the team has brought that side of me out, whereas at A&M, I had to hold that back, so I embrace it now," Basham said.

Basham said she felt boxed in while playing volleyball at Texas A&M. "It was almost like I was pushed to hold my personality back and by doing that, I wasn't able to maximize my full potential," Basham said.

She described herself as being an ultra-competitive, loud and passionate player, so she felt that the environment at A&M wasn't comfortable enough for her. She said she felt rejuvenated upon coming to WSU.

"I came here and found that spark back, and that passion lit inside me again," Basham said.

The leap of faith into the unknown worked for Basham and it highlights her overarching mindset and personality. She committed to WSU, subsequently moving across the country from Louisville, Ken., without seeing the campus. She has a fearless attitude and she's always open to experiencing new things. She also believes that if you always stay where you're comfortable, you'll never grow.

Basham said she doesn't want to have regrets about anything and attributes that to her mindset. "A part of life, at least to me, is to see as much of the world as I can, and to experience all new cultures, people and environments," Basham said.

That loud, passionate, fearless person that she has developed into stems from her roots. Basham grew up in an energized and competitive family environment that she feels has prepared her for everything life could potentially throw at her. Her mother and father were both college athletes who eventually went pro in basketball and golf, respectively.

Basham's brother was a college athlete who played golf, like his father. Her family taught her to be fearless, competitive and to always work harder than her peers.

"Even on family game nights, we were competitive and fighting with each other to win," Basham said.

As much as they pushed her to be her best, her family never let her doubt herself or give up, she said. They always lifted her up in the right way, and she said she wants to make their invested time worth it by making them proud on the court.

Basham, like anyone else, wants to be happy and successful. To her, this means not having any regrets, not having any doubts about where she is, genuinely enjoying waking up for the day and enjoying the people she's surrounded by.