It would have been understandable if Lindsey Yamasaki had opted to relax and enjoy some down time after finishing her rookie season with the Miami Sol. Instead, the 6-1 forward headed back to Stanford University to finish her degree and suit up for the women’s volleyball team, the defending NCAA Champions and a perennial powerhouse.

Yamasaki is back in the Pac-10, where she ended her basketball career last spring as one of the top scorers and three-point shooters in Stanford history. A two-sport star as a freshman, Yamasaki earned All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honors in volleyball before opting to focus on hoops for her final three seasons.

“It has taken me the majority of the season to reacquaint myself with volleyball, and I wouldn’t say I’m completely comfortable out there yet,” said Yamasaki, who will earn a degree in urban studies in December. “Reacquainting myself with Stanford has been a different story. Within my first few hours on campus I was back in the swing of things with my friends, classes and practice.”

The 22-year-old is no stranger to the demands of life as a college athlete, but her time management skills are getting perhaps their best workout ever. Her days are filled juggling classes, practice, games, travel, homework … and hair.

“It is true, I’m the ‘hairdoer’ on the team,” laughs Yamasaki, who dons her trademark bows and styles many of her teammates’ hair on game days.

Ribbons and hairdos aside, however, the Cardinal is all business when it steps on the court. Led by senior Logan Tom, a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 2000, the team has climbed to fourth place on the USA Today poll after defeating No. 1 Hawaii on Nov. 10, one week after upsetting previously top-ranked USC. With a record of 24-3, Stanford is in contention to defend its title as the NCAA Tournament nears, with first-round action set to begin December 5.

“Volleyball and basketball are two sports that compliment one another very well,” said Yamasaki, who plans to play in a pro basketball league in Europe in January. “It keeps things interesting.”

In the meantime, she is enjoying the opportunity to be back with friends and in the high-energy atmosphere of a college campus.

“I fee like I’ve gotten another chance to have my ‘final days’ here at school, and I love it,” she said.

(Volleyball photo courtesy of Dave Gonzales, Stanford Athletics; WNBA photo by Fernando Medina/WNBAE/Getty Images)