Being a member of two Centennial Conference championship women's tennis teams at Muhlenberg served Sarah Niebler '04 well. So did her experiences off the court.

Today, Niebler is an assistant professor of political science at Dickinson, once one of her rivals as a tennis player. In her current world, Muhlenberg and Dickinson are on the same team, partnering with three other Pennsylvania colleges on exit polling this fall.

Niebler was one of the first crop of interviewers when Muhlenberg's nationally acclaimed Institute of Public Opinion began polling in 2001. Under the guidance of Chris Borick, professor of political science, she enjoyed the rare opportunity to have hands-on experience with a well-respected public-opinion polling center as an undergraduate.

A political science and philosophy double major, Niebler returned after graduation as a Lehigh University Community Fellow during the Bush-Kerry election.

"That was my first taste of what it would be like to be a political scientist during a presidential election year," she says. "I got to watch Borick do that in 2004, and then I was being asked to do a lot of the same things at Dickinson 12 years later."

Advantage, Niebler.

After leaving the Lehigh Valley, Niebler earned both a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University.

Niebler is currently in her sixth year at Dickinson, where she teaches courses with relevant titles like Public Opinion, Campaigns and Elections, Political Behavior and Polarization in American Politics.

Niebler, whose scholarly work has been published in numerous political journals, has been predictably busy during this midterm election year. And that's where she can draw on her Muhlenberg experience.

"As a student-athlete at Muhlenberg, I learned so many things that are still relevant to my life today," she says. "It sounds cliche, but time management and the ability to switch back and forth between projects were two of the most important. In season, we spent at least 20 hours a week practicing and at matches and it was crucial that I be able to plan ahead to either do work on the road during away matches or leave enough time to complete it when I returned. Now, I go back and forth between teaching, advising, research and meetings and I have to make sure to prioritize the things that really matter.

"Second, I learned how to engage with people who were different than I was. Despite any differences we had in terms of friends, other activities on campus, religion or politics, we found common ground — working hard and winning tennis matches. The ability to interact with many kinds of people continues to serve me well as I have students from all different backgrounds in my classes and we talk about contentious political issues all the time."

Winning tennis matches was something Niebler got to enjoy plenty. The Mules went 45-11 during her four years, tying for the CC title in 2002 and winning it outright with a perfect 10-0 league mark in her senior year. She ranks among the program's all-time wins leaders with her career record of 84-33.

An Academic All-District selection, Niebler enjoyed similar success off the courts in various extracurricular activities. "I learned to be engaged and to work toward making the world a better place," she says. "I had so many opportunities to do this — being an RA, doing civic engagement work, volunteering and working in downtown Allentown and researching public opinion at the polling institute.

"Voting certainly isn't the only way to be involved, but on this Election Day, fellow Muhlenberg student-athletes, VOTE! Let your voice be heard and work toward making a difference in the world."

Note: This article contains excerpts from "The Polling Place," an article on Muhlenberg's Institute of Public Opinion that will appear in the upcoming alumni magazine.