Senior libero Christina Martínez Mundo answered some questions ranging from why she is transferring to her favorite weird smell.

Q: Do you prefer beach volleyball or indoor volleyball? 

A: “I prefer indoor volleyball, but I will say this: beach really, really helps you [with] indoor. Like you’re faster, stronger. You read the play better, and you’re just able to get more balls so I will give credit to beach volleyball for helping indoor, but I still prefer indoor volleyball.”

Q: What are your goals for the season?

A: “For beach, we’re actually doing really good, and I think we have a pretty good chance [of] upsetting some teams in the OVC tournament. At Illinois, I’m just very excited to step into a new role, and I’m embracing it. I’m excited to grow in that aspect because obviously I can’t be the same person I was here. [U of I is] a different team, so I’m excited for that. I’m excited because I’ll be playing at a different level, not only in games, but also on a daily basis in practice. But for EIU, I’m really excited too because some new players are going to be stepping into new roles and I’m excited to see how that goes.”

Q: Favorite meal before a game?

A: “I usually go for a chicken sandwich for every game; try to keep it light.”

Q: Post-game meal?

A: “Chicken Alfredo is my go to. If not pizza.”

Q: Why are you transferring?

A: “I was really trying to see a future and me playing for EIU another year, and I just didn’t. I think I expect a little bit more of myself and I want to bet on myself at a higher level. Not saying the level in the OVC [was easy], I give all the credit to that. I just kind of have a little bit of a bet on myself because I have certain expectations for my career in volleyball that I wanted to fulfill, and I feel like Illinois can maybe help me get to that point.”

Q: Apple juice or orange juice?

A: “Apple juice; it’s healthier.”

Q: Do you think the Earth is round or flat?

A: “Round.”

Q: What is your favorite weird smell?

A: “Okay, this is weird. I love gas, but I do love when you go in your car [and] you turn on your car the first time the air goes out.”

Q: What volleyball athlete do you look up to?

A: “Zoe Fleck. She’s just insane. Literally, she’s a libero. I look up to her just because she just makes it look so easy and I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to make volleyball look easy and she just has a way of reading the game of passing the ball, moving so neat and clean. There’s also a girl from back at home. She’s also a libero. Her name is Debora Seilhamer. She’s really good, [and] she plays for the club I would like to play if I ever go pro back at home. She’s just insane.”

Q: Do you have any superstitions before a game?

A: “I’m a very superstitious girl for everything, but for the second game, if I had a good game whenever the first game was, I either use the same sports bra or I use the same socks for the second game. I also can’t play with braids because they’re bad luck for me.”

Q: What sport would you do other than volleyball?

A: “I played basketball, softball and table tennis growing up in high school, but I definitely would have stuck to softball if I wasn’t playing volleyball. I can still hit the ball.”

Q: Ice Mountain or purified water?

A: “Ice Mountain, but preferably Dasani.”

Q: Pancakes or waffles?

A: “Pancakes.”

Q: What are your career goals?

A: “So, I really want to pursue a professional volleyball career after I’m done with my eligibility. And if that doesn’t happen, I have made peace with that fact that if it doesn’t happen, I can start my life. I have a very good academic standing with my public relations major in my pre-law minor and my internship. First things first, obviously volleyball, but also at some point, volleyball is going to end so I’m happy that I maintain the balance within the two but yeah, volleyball career for sure.”

Q: What is your secret talent?

A: “I don’t know if it’s a secret, but I can dance. I don’t do it often. I just play volleyball.”

Q: If you could have a super power what would it be?

A: “All of them. I want all of them. I just want to be like a super super girl.”

Q: How do you balance being a student-athlete?

A: “I have my ups and downs, I’m not gonna lie. I don’t like school. However, I care about it. There’s a difference, and I’m a really good student. But [there are] ups and downs. For the most part, I make a list of the things I have to do before the week starts like on Sunday, and that keeps me on track.”

Q: What is your favorite season? 

A: “Summer.”

Q: What’s your favorite holiday?

A: “Easter because that’s when we celebrate God.”

Q: What is your favorite memory of the team?

A: “Oh, definitely winning. I’d say that that was my favorite memory because then [the team] all came to my house, and we were just so happy after the game, and I think that’s something that will definitely stick with me forever. And I’m so happy I’m going to be close because I still have my core friends.”

Q: Who is the funniest person on the team?

A: “Kaitlyn Flynn and Kate Dean. They are the funniest people I know.”

Q: Who would you give the aux to on the team?

A: “Julia Stanev. She’s Italian and also speaks Spanish, and she’d [play] Spanish music and Portuguese music. It’s like a vibe.”

Q: What would you tell your younger self?

A: “I’ll definitely tell my younger self that she’s perfect, and that there’s going to be a lot of things that people are going to expect her to do. Keep everything on your own timeline. It’s your own process. Nobody [has] to rush you into anything. There’s definitely going to be a few bumps in the road and people that don’t want the best for you, but you are going to grow out of places and embrace that, and don’t be scared of growing out of places and growing out of people. Embrace it.”