Adversity comes in many forms, but when the stakes are high, it has the potential to destroy the mental game of a player. Gen Beaumier, senior education major at the University of Tampa, has dealt with her fair share of setbacks and obstacles, but she has not let them bring her down.

Beaumier attended Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., but she played volleyball at Venice high school in Venice, Fla., since Pine View did not have a volleyball program. In her junior year, the biggest match of her life laid ahead. Her team was matched up against the school rival, Vanguard high school in the state semifinals. After a hard-fought match, Vanguard proved too strong, ultimately defeating Venice. Beaumier did not take this lightly, which made her that much more determined for her final year.

“It was the biggest class that are program had seen,” Beaumier said. “There was seven of us that we’re going to be seniors and we banded together and said we are not leaving on that note.”

After her first taste of a sour loss on that big of a stage, Beaumier and her teammates decided they did not want to ever feel that pain again.

“We said we have one last year to prove ourselves and that there was no shot we weren’t going to win a championship this next year,” Beaumier said. “It was amazing to see us work so hard and have everyone on the same page.”

A year later, they found themselves locked into a similar situation, but on an even greater stage. They had made it all the way to the finals, matched up once again with Vanguard. With loads of confidence, her team took the floor for the last time. Sweat oozing down her uniform, Beaumier recalls the match like it was yesterday. The game was close throughout, but they found themselves down 23-17 in the fourth and on the brink of falling short once again. Out of nowhere, Venice rallied eight points in a row and took the Championship by a score of 25-23.

“It was such a bittersweet moment when that last point went off,” Beaumier said. “The emotions were running high because while we knew we won, we also knew that was the last point we would ever play together.”

During her four years playing for Venice, Beaumier raked in numerous awards and achievements. Some of the most notable was when she was named Class 6A Player of the Year in 2014 and Runner-up for Miss Florida Volleyball.

Her performance during high school caught the eye of a multitude of colleges, with UT being the most aggressive. Initially, Beaumier wanted to attend an out-of-state university, preferably in Boston. Growing up she always went to the UT volleyball matches and thought she could never be good enough to play for UT. She also participated in a lot of the camps put on by UT since it was so close to home. After being contacted by coach Chris Catanach to go on a visit, she accepted and fell in love as soon as she stepped foot on campus. Everything made sense for her, and only being an hour away from home was an added bonus.

The first two years at UT were more of a learning experience, Beaumier said, as she got acquainted with all of the players and staff, as well as their system. Her biggest setback of her career came in October, 13 games into her junior year at UT, when she suffered one of the worst injuries known in the athletic world: a torn ACL.

“Everything was going downhill for the team and we were struggling to get wins before I was injured,” Beaumier said. “We were at Embry Riddle in Daytona and I took the same approach that I do every time and tore my ACL and sprained my MCL.”

This injury caused her to miss the entire season, considering the 9-12 month recovery time needed for that type of an injury. She used this time to rehabilitate and get even stronger than she was before. Going into her final year at UT, she plans to use the injury as fuel to reach her goals.

“I always said during high school that I couldn’t imagine ever tearing my ACL and how it would probably be the end of me,” Beaumier said. “I thankfully got cleared to play recently and now my focus is on helping us win each game and to leave a good foundation for all of the younger players.”

Home court advantage is very important to Beaumier and she hopes more students continue to come out and support the team. The energy from the fans gives her and all the players an extra boost of confidence. With one last year, Beaumier does not forget how it all started.

Beaumier’s love for volleyball stretches back to when she was just in middle school. She played basketball and soccer growing up and wasn’t introduced to volleyball until seventh grade when her basketball coach asked her about it two weeks before tryouts.

“He was like you should come try out and I did and somehow made it,” Beaumier said.

From there, here love for the game took off and she never looked back. Beaumier credits why she stuck with volleyball to her competitive mentality and the way it shaped her as a person. She also said playing for a top-notch high school fueled her drive to be successful.

“I graduate in May and I plan to get right into teaching,” Beaumier said. “I feel like volleyball will always be a part of my life as well, whether it be beach, pick-up, or coaching.”

Written by Matthew Rolison