Trying to manage college sports and school is no easy task, but trying to do that plus having your dad in Iraq makes it even harder. This is what sophomore volleyball player Alyssa Hampton has had to deal with this season. Mark Hampton was called up in February and left for Iraq in September on a 12-18 month mission. “I was very surprised honestly, because he holds a high rank in the military. He is a colonel and being in the National Guard, you never think he is going to be called up,” Hampton said about when she found out her father was being deployed.Hampton started playing club volleyball in the sixth grade with her girlfriends and began playing more seriously in high school when she played both varsity and club volleyball. The Parkville, Mo., native was recruited by Kansas, Kansas State, Virginia, Wake Forest and Denver in her junior year. DU was the last stop on her recruiting trips and she fell in love with the school and campus.”My dad loved that I was a girl and I was into athletics because back when he was a teenager, athletics wasn’t big for girls, and he tried to make it to as many games as possible despite his crazy schedule,” said Hampton.Hampton’s dad not only has a parttime job in the reserves, but also has a full-time job as vice-president of marketing for a family company called Hilliards.”Right now I have talked on the phone with him every other week, it is hard with my schedule and the time change, but e-mailing is the main form of communication,” said the sophomore.The nine-hour time difference plus the hectic volleyball schedule makes it hard for father and daughter to communicate.”When I talk to him, he always asks me about the games, but I usually try to take the focus off of volleyball, because it is really the last of my worries when it comes to him and what he is doing.””I definitely miss him, it is just very odd for my family to be so separated. We are a very close knit family fortunately, everything from e-mail’s to phone calls we try to make the best out of the situation.”The family consists of mother Carrie and Hampton’s brother Mark. Mark Hampton was surprised to get called, but at the same time was very excited about the opportunity to get to serve for his country.”After he found out, I saw this change in him. I guess you could say he felt a lot more confident about things and was really excited. You could hear it in the tone of his voice, I found myself being very excited for him to take on this mission,” said Hampton. Hampton plans to major in business and was one of just eight players last year to be named a Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also named to the Hornbeck’s scholar list. This means she maintained a 4.0 GPA last year while taking at least 15 credits and playing a college sport. She was also valedictorian of her high school class and a four year letter-winner at Park Hill South High School and conference player of the year in her senior season.”I am pretty much a nerd. I spend a lot of time in the library. It is something I am really passionate about. I try to make room for both of them in my life.”Last season Hampton played in 21 matches, starting in 12 and recording 116 kills on the season. This year has been a little different as she has only played in 10 matches with 24 kills. “It is always tough to not play, but it has definitely has taught me a different role of the importance of being a good teammate whether you are on or off the court,” she said.This season has been a little different in a few ways for Hampton, especially with her dad being in Iraq.”He tried to explain it to me in a game-like analogy, ‘Alyssa, it is like practicing for 30 years and never getting to play. Alyssa, this is my game time.'”