MSUB SPORTS – Walk into Alterowitz Gym on the Montana State University Billings campus and there's a good chance you'll find Yellowjacket senior Monica Grimsrud with a ball in her hand on the court.
 
Whether she is timing her jump for a kill on a set by her old high school teammate Kyndal Williams, or she is working on her post play with the women's basketball team, the 6' 1" Montana City, Mont., native was born to excel athletically. With that much given, it is still somewhat of a surprise that she is able to do so in two different sports at the Division II level.
 
"I have always wanted to play both in college," Grimsrud said about her dual role as an outside hitter on the volleyball team and a forward for basketball. "The thing that let me know I could do that was my sophomore year of high school when I was playing four sports at once. I figured if I could make it through that, then two wouldn't be that bad."
 
Not only is Grimsrud's time management tested regularly as a student-athlete, but the fact that her two sports overlap makes the task of performing well in both extremely difficult. "Monica has handled the transition between the two sports excellently, as she misses all of our preseason skills and early season practice work," said MSUB women's basketball head coach Kevin Woodin, who initially recruited Grimsrud out of Helena High School. "Monica is a wonderful athlete who is very team-oriented and she has made a positive impact on our team both on and off the court."
 
While Grimsrud misses early-season activities for basketball, she is working on closing out her volleyball season and competing through the end. Yellowjacket volleyball head coach Lisa Axel reiterated Woodin's sentiments, describing Grimsrud's ability to adapt to the schedule of both sports.
 
"It is very rare to be able to play two sports at a high level in college," Axel said. "Monica has done a great job of balancing her academics and her athletics to be able to have a huge impact on both programs."
 
Growing up with an older brother and a younger sister, Grimsrud tested her hand at just about every sport she could as a kid. "I started playing basketball in first grade, volleyball in sixth, ran track through high school and played fastpitch softball until I was about 17," Grimsrud remembered. "My sister and I played basketball together and our dad coached our traveling teams."
 
Torn between volleyball and basketball as her college search drew near, one of the things that drew Grimsrud towards MSUB was the notion that she wouldn't have to choose between one or the other. "It was one of the few places that would let me play both sports, and that's the main reason I chose to come to MSUB," Grimsrud said.
 
"I initially started recruiting Monica for basketball during her junior season of high school, as she was a tremendous player," Woodin said. "I was aware that she had Division One volleyball offers and might decide to pursue that, however I thought she might be interested in playing both sports at MSUB."
 
While the chance to prolong her career in both sports was reason enough for Grimsrud to commit to the navy and gold, the familiar connection to the school and to the city of Billings was another factor that held weight in her decision. "My mom went here when it was Eastern Montana College, and my dad went to Rocky," Grimsrud said regarding her parents Gayle and Vernon Grimsrud. "I think I was a little better at volleyball but I wouldn't have given one of them up. It feels good to have stuck with both of them all the way through."

Now as a senior in volleyball, Grimsrud has moved into fourth-place all-time in the MSUB record books in kills with 1,319. With two games remaining, she sits 32 terminations shy of tying the third-place mark of 1,351, held by Devon Crotteau (2007-09). "Monica is close to breaking the all-time kills record here at MSUB," Axel said. "She has taken a lot of swings for us and has been an impact player all four of her years on the volleyball court."
 
Grimsrud is now on the cusp of etching her name into the MSUB record books, but there was a time in high school when the thought of continuing her volleyball career, let alone becoming a collegiate career leader, was brought into question.
 
"During my junior year I developed Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and I was told that I might not ever play volleyball again," Grimsrud said regarding the medical condition that involves severe pain in the neck and shoulders.
 
After having her first rib removed and working through blood clots in her arm, Grimsrud was determined to make her way back onto the floor for her senior season. "I made it a goal that I was going to prove doctors wrong and get back to playing," Grimsrud said. "I didn't play for almost ten months, but then I came back and we won state my senior season and I came here to MSUB to play. That was definitely the biggest thing I've had to overcome."
 
Helping Grimsrud throughout her entire journey through college has been her father, who she cited as a major role model and an example figure she continuously turns to. "My dad was a dual sport athlete in college as well, as he played baseball and basketball at Rocky," Grimsrud said. "He has always been there to coach me and help me through everything."
 
Serving as a role model and a person Grimsrud could relate to directly, her former teammate at MSUB Brooke Tolman was also a dual-sport student-athlete who played volleyball and basketball. "My freshman year having Brooke helped me a lot," Grimsrud said. "She helped me figure everything out and how to stay caught up with everything."
 
Grimsrud's teammates in both volleyball and basketball have been widely accepting, helping her to transition smoothly between the two. "It could be really hard but all of the girls on both teams are really encouraging," Grimsrud said. "It's really nice to have that family that welcomes you back in."
 
One player in particular who has made the transition to the college game feel natural for Grimsrud is Williams, who also graduated from Helena High one year after Grimsrud. "Kyndal and I played together in fifth grade and she was my setter all through high school," Grimsrud said. "It has been a really cool experience being teammates with her for all these years."
 
After Grimsrud's first season as a Yellowjacket, she helped capture Williams's attention and influence her towards playing at MSUB too. "I talked to her some, trying to convince her to come here," Grimsrud said. "Our last two seasons have been great, and we have upped the chemistry of the team. We have a whole different atmosphere here now than when I was a freshman, and we are a family now. We are one unit, and I love every single one of them like they are my sisters."
 
In terms of basketball, Grimsrud redshirted last season and still holds two years of eligibility which she plans to utilize. The 2015-16 season will mark the first for Grimsrud as a one-sport college athlete, and the idea of devoting all of her time to one sport is something she looks forward to. "I am excited to finish out this season with the girls I started here playing with," Grimsrud said regarding basketball. "I'm also excited to be able to focus on basketball and do the preseason next year. I won't miss a bunch of games at the beginning, and it will be a nice break to be able to focus on improving in basketball."
 
"Our team and I are very excited to have Monica join us soon," Woodin said. "She definitely would have helped us a year ago but I am very happy to have her for the next two seasons. I believe she will make an immediate, positive impact on our team this year, and next season she will be even better."
 
Grimsrud is a human performance major, and while she is keeping her options open in terms of career path, her passion for athletics will undoubtedly come into play at some point. "I enjoy working with kids and I actually recently added a coaching minor," Grimsrud said. "Another idea I have is going back to school eventually to study occupational therapy."
 
For now, teammates, coaches and fans alike will observe as Grimsrud chases the all-time kills record in volleyball, before lacing up her basketball shoes as winter falls upon the Magic City. In the end, no one will have more total career games played on the floor of Alterowitz Gym than Grimsrud. "I'm thankful for my experience and that I have been able to do this."