SAN MARCOS, Texas – In the latest States Up podcast, Texas State volleyball's Janell Fitzgerald dissects the impact of the last two seasons, how her family has influenced her on and off the court, and what it is like to do NIL deals and develop a personal brand as a college athlete.

Fitzgerald is one of best outside hitters in the Sun Belt as evidenced by being the conference's Offensive Player of the Year last year as well as a three-time All-Sun Belt First Team honoree in her career. She has helped the Bobcats win three Sun Belt titles in her four years so far to go with a runner-up finish in 2021. The Mansfield, Texas native is already a member of the program's 1,000-career kills club.
 
She is also one of the most followed Texas State student-athletes on social media and has been active in the NIL space since the rules allowed NCAA athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness starting in the summer of 2021.
 
In the podcast, Fitzgerald goes into the decision of coming back for a fifth year, what kind of motivation the team has coming off last year's loss to South Alabama in the Sun Belt tournament, the type of support she receives from her family, and what pieces of advice she would give to other student-athletes when it comes to building a personal brand and getting NIL deals.

The podcast can be heard on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and Google.
 
Fans can also access the podcast at https://txstatebobcats.com/podcasts.

Hosted by Brant Freeman, the new States Up podcast is focused on the personalities that make up Texas State, from athletes to coaches to more, and allows fans to get to know the people they cheer for and watch compete even more. 

New episodes of the States Up podcast are released each Friday.