Sultemeir makes most of her opportunity

BURNET — A year ago, Burnet High School athlete Eden Sultemeir was a shipwreck.

She doubted her athletic abilities. But everyone around her saw a diamond in the rough.  Lifelong dreams seemed impossibilities. The imposing 5-foot-9-and-a-half-inch competitor felt she had been overlooked and misplaced on the junior varsity volleyball squad. 

“I was heartbroken,” she said, acknowledging that she had grappled with the thought of forsaking the sport.

Teammate Ashley Perkins, who had transferred from California that year, befriended her. Perkins encouraged the dejected sophomore and made her see the tremendous potential she possessed. The pair established a strong bond. As a result of Perkins’ encouragement, Sultemeir went on to become a team leader and a dominant front-row player for the Lady Dawgs junior varsity team. 

“I worked hard — really hard — but it was not easy,” said the Burnet native. 

In hindsight, she said former coach Julie J. Brown did the right thing assigning her to the junior varsity. 

“I wasn’t ready,” said Sultemeir, a junior. “I just wasn’t ready.”

Following the 2007 volleyball season, she continued her commitment to work hard. She shined as an agile power post player who relieved Felicia Kennedy for basketball coach Mike Cavender and helped the Lady Dawgs capture their first winning season in five years. In the spring, she qualified for the regional track meet in San Antonio as one of the top shot-putters in District 25-4A. 

A year of success and maturity has resulted in Sultemeir setting loftier goals and competing with soaring confidence. The junior is an indispensable fixture on Burnet’s District 8-3A varsity volleyball team.

Her older sister, Genesis Sultemeir, first planted the seeds of athletic competition during her elementary school years. She tagged along with her mom, Sarah Sultemeir, to catch a glimpse of her sister who was playing for the middle school team at the time. Inspired, she attended volleyball camps held at the high school. Before long, she found herself as the middle blocker on the Burnet seventh-grade team along with outside hitter Laura Servise, another aspiring athlete seeking her niche. The two, among the strongest on the squad, guided their team to an undefeated season. Today, those two volleyball hopefuls are bookends as dangerous outside hitters for Burnet coach Bethany Grissom. 

As a member of a senior-laden squad, Eden Sultemeir has found a family of support.

“The seniors on the team have really been encouraging, helpful and tell me how important I am to the team,” she said.  “And coach Grissom has been a big help.

“I’ve worked so hard, and it’s finally paying off,” Sultemeir added. “Volleyball has been absolutely crazy. We’ve got fans, lots of them who have been crazy, loud and supportive. I don’t want to disappoint them, and I want to do it all.”

She had one of her best games Oct. 10 against Llano in a district  home-court match where she recorded 10 kills and aced two serves.  One of her favorite moments, though, was serving the final point in the upset win over Wimberley, the defending state champion. 

Colleges have begun to take notice of her athletic abilities and tremendous potential but graduation is still a year away. The Burnet student plans to continue competing in basketball and track but one activity she truly relishes is drama. Playing the role of an old lady, Sultemeir was voted the Best Actress by appreciative classes as part of an introductory theater course. Eventually, she hopes to pursue a career as a journalist. Photo by Jennifer Fierro