What motivates an athlete?

Is it the thrill of victory? Maybe it’s the state of prime physical condition or the sense of camaraderie that comes with being part of a team.

For some, it’s sibling rivalry.

“My sisters were always into volleyball,” Christie Gardner said. “I wanted to be better than all of them.”

Setting and spiking run in Gardner’s blood. The high school senior comes to NU as the fourth and youngest daughter in her family to play volleyball at a Big Ten school. Her mother, Deb, is the assistant coach of Christie’s team at West Bend East High School in West Bend, Wis., as well. But Gardner said she never felt any pressure to be a volleyball phenom, other than from herself.

“If anything, I think that it’s harder for my daughters to be on my team,” Deb Gardner said. “Not because of any pressure from me, but because they feel that they’re in the spotlight and they just want to do well.”

The 5-foot-9 outside hitter isn’t just riding on the coattails of her famous family. Gardner has the stats and awards to back up her genetics. She helped West Bend East win a pair of state championships in her sophomore and junior years. Named to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel All-Area team twice, Gardner has also received three high school All-America honors.

In addition, Gardner broke the division record for kills with 88 in the 2001 Wisconsin state tournament and digs with 84 at the 2000 event.

But the highlight of her high school career, she says, came with her club team, the Milwaukee Sting. She led the Sting to the 2001 under-17 Junior Olympics national title, racking up MVP honors along the way. The Sting finished ninth in 1999 and second in 2000, with Gardner named to the all-tournament team both times.

With so many accolades to her name, many universities were after her. But Gardner had NU in the back of her mind all along because of the school’s combination of athletics and academics. She e-mailed the Wildcats’ volleyball staff last year expressing interest in playing for NU. The coaches quickly headed north to watch one of her high school matches, and in November, she signed with the school.

“I’m looking forward to having a great season,” Gardner said. “Northwestern volleyball is on the rise. We’re going to surprise everyone.”

Don’t think that Gardner is just a volleyball player, however.

A well-rounded athlete, she is also a standout soccer player. In the past two years, she’s been named to the All-Little Ten Conference first team in soccer.

“Soccer is a good distraction for me,” Gardner said. “I’ve been playing it since kindergarten, so it helps me make volleyball not my whole life.”

Gardner’s parents couldn’t be happier that their youngest daughter chose to wear the purple and white.

With two daughters at Wisconsin – Jamie graduated in 2000, and Korie is a current sophomore for the Badgers – along with daughter Laurie, the starting setter at Indiana, the Gardners enjoy being well-represented across the Big Ten.

“Northwestern is a great choice for her,” Deb said. “We wanted her to make her own path, but it’s nice she stayed in the Big Ten.”