Abby Fay Stewart only played one season for the Lipscomb Bisons volleyball team, but she had a positive impact on the program. With one year of eligibility left, she transferred to Lipscomb to obtain her MBA after graduating from Kansas State. She was a member of the ASUN All-Tournament Team and the ASUN All-Academic Team as the Bisons won the 2011 tournament title to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Abby spent some time this week talking with Lipscombsports.com
What years did you compete for Lipscomb, and who coached you?
I played the 2011 season. Brandon Rosenthal was my coach.
What teammates were most memorable, and why?
The whole team. We had a really special team. I think Brandon would echo this too. I never played on a team my entire life where everyone truly got along so well.
Katie Rose and Charlyn Ursell and I were captains. They were super special. It was a fun dynamic.
Caitlin Dotson and I competed for a setting spot and we ended up running a 4-2 (two setters). She is still my very best friend today.
What degrees have you earned, from where, and when?
Bachelor's degree in marketing, Kansas State, 2011.
MBA from Lipscomb University, 2012.
Why did you attend Lipscomb?
I had a very good experience at Kansas State, but I lost a little bit of love and passion for the game switching from setter to defensive specialist. I grew up playing club volleyball with Meghan Hinemeyer, Jake Pease and Alex Kelly.
My last semester at Kansas State I didn't play volleyball. I took a trip to Nashville to visit Jake, Meghan and Alex.
I saw the program and watched the girls play. I had lunch with Brandon. It ended up being a God thing. A scholarship opened up. I wanted to play my fifth year somewhere and it worked out where I could come to Lipscomb and play for Brandon. I knew him because he was always around on the court watching club teams.
What is your favorite athletic memory at Lipscomb?
When Louisville came to Allen Arena, and we beat them. I am not sure if they were ranked at the time or not, but they were really upset we beat them. That was a really fun match.
Who influenced your athletic career at Lipscomb?
I would say Brandon Rosenthal. What I loved the most about Brandon is he trusted me, my knowledge of the game and my athletic ability. I had never been a technical player and he was like just go and play. He helped me rebuild my confidence as a player. He trusted me to go out there and get it done.
But I would also attribute lot of it was Alex Kelly who persuaded me to come to Lipscomb, and told me how much she loved it at Lipscomb.
And there was Philip Hutcheson, the athletic director. Coming from a big school like Kansas State I interacted with the athletic director every now and then. But Hutch is so present and actually has a relationship with the athletes. I had a relationship with him myself and I think that was a really cool thing as well.
What do you remember about Lipscomb campus life during your time here?
My personal experience on campus was very different for me because I was in grad school. I lived in the village. I was in class with a lot of students in their thirties. It was very much a graduate school experience.
I loved going to the cafeteria and eating with my teammates, getting to know other people and hanging out with other athletes.
It is a beautiful campus. The buildings are stunning. The landscaping is beautiful.
It is smaller and more intimate which I think is great for building relationships. It was nice to be able get anywhere you wanted to go with a five-minute walk after having to walk 20 minutes in a Kansas winter.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned in your time at Lipscomb?
It gets back to that confidence thing. Lipscomb was that for me. I had a lost a lot of it when it came to my playing ability. I think confidence is so crucial to whatever you do in life.
I learned and realized how important it is to have confidence and to instill that in other people. There is a lot you can do to help others find it within themselves. As a teammate and captain, I was able to help do that.
I want to make sure my children always feel confident in themselves.
Who were your favorite professor and why?
Dr. Perry Moore was awesome. Accounting was a little difficult for me. I would miss his class because of games at times. He was great in helping me catch up on things and get me back on track.
He took the class to one of our games which was great.He was so interested in me as a person and a player.
Where did you grow up?
Kansas City, Missouri.
Where do you live, and what do you do now?
Nashville, Tennessee. I co-own a company with Kelsey Knott called The Spark Collection. We launched it in April of 2021. We are a welded jewelry company. We take 14-carat gold chains and weld them on a piece of jewelry. We craft the chains into bracelets, necklaces, anklets and rings. It is really picking up. We have 20 employees.
Tell us about your family.
I am married to Taylor Stewart. He was catcher on the baseball team. We were married seven years ago. We didn't date at Lipscomb. I went out to celebrate my last grad school class and met him that night.
We live in Inglewood. We have a two-and-half-year-old named Miller. Then we are having another little girl in the next couple of weeks.
FAST FINISH:
- Favorite food: Sushi
- Favorite TV show or movie: Remember the Titans
- Favorite Bible scripture: I Corinthians 2:9
- Favorite sports team: Kansas City Chiefs
- Pet peeve: Negativity
- Person I most admire: Brandon Rosenthal
- Person I'd most like to meet: Basketball coach Roy Williams
- Ride or drive? Ride
- Pick one – salad or dessert: Dessert since I am pregnant, but usually salad
- Dream vacation spot: Southern coast of Italy
- Early morning or late-night person? Early morning
