June 1, 2005
Erin Treadway was UD's second-ever volleyball All-American while leading the Flyers to their first Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and berth in the 2003 NCAA Tournament during her senior season. The Flyers were 26-10 during her final year at Dayton including a 3-2 victory over Michigan State on its home court in UD's first-ever NCAA Tournament match.
Treadway was honored for her achievements both on and off the court as she was the only athlete in any sport in Atlantic 10 Conference history to be named Player of the Year, Student-Athlete of the Year and Most Outstanding Performer of the A-10 Championship. After the academic year, Treadway was awarded with Post Graduate Scholarships from both the A-10 and NCAA. She is making good use of both those scholarships and her UD education while pursuing her Master's Degree in Physical Therapy while living in Cincinnati. She plans to graduate in December 2006 and pursue a career in physical therapy working with collegiate or professional sports teams.
"My experience at UD on the court and in the classroom has been so beneficial for me in the classroom and I would love to carry that over into future work," Treadway said. "I can't imagine staying away from sports!"
Treadway noted that the challenges she faced on the volleyball court have taught her how to deal with the challenges of the working world as well.
"After my time with UD volleyball, there is no challenge I am unprepared to meet," Treadway proclaimed. "I have learned so much about myself, about working as a team, about pushing myself to the limit, about being tough when the game or life calls for it."
The biggest challenge for Treadway has been adjusting to life without her teammates, roommates and friends she made in Dayton when she moved to Cincinnati to continue her education.
"I wish I was still on the court," Treadway said. "Those were the best years of my life up to this point. Since my last match at Michigan State, the biggest change in my life has been moving to Cincinnati and away from my teammates who I lived with, worked with, and played with for the last 3 years. Though we have gone our separate ways, we are still there for each other and pushing each other along the way."
Although she has left Dayton, she is still part of the UD volleyball family and makes her way back to campus to watch the Flyers as much as possible.
"My UD teammates are my best friends," Treadway noted. "We are a family with a common connection: we've worked to the limit for the game we love and we accomplished ALL of our goals along the road. No one can break the bonds of family and that's how I feel about my team."
One thing that hasn't left Treadway is her competitive nature. Although she her days in a Flyer uniform are over, she still works to make herself the best at anything she does.
"People who know me, know that I will compete for anything," Treadway said. "It's not always about winning (when I was playing it sure was!), now it's mostly about the competition. I may not always win, but I can always compete and that can only make a person better."
Another thing Treadway carries with her is pride. She was part of the best team in UD single-season history as the beginning of two-straight A-10 Championships and berths in the NCAA Tournament.
"I take pride in the accomplishments of our team," Treadway said. "Working hard is something that has been engrained in my head since I was six years old helping my dad with work at his shop. But what would I be without my team? NOTHING. I pushed and they pushed harder. I was nothing without them."
