Hometown: Dix Hills, NY
Major: Biology/ Pre- Med
Campus Activities: Member of Women’s Volleyball Team and a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority
Q: Can you briefly explain how you started volleyball? How was your experience on the volleyball team in high school?
A: I got into volleyball primarily though my parents, who met playing volleyball. Additionally, my aunt played for the University of Washington so the sport has been a huge part of my family forever. When me and my sister were old enough, we tried out for the youngest club teams on the island and since then its been volleyball nonstop. In high school, I was a three-year varsity player, and for one of those years I had the chance to play with my sister while she was a senior. Because of that, year we now know that we can’t stand being on a court together. My senior year playing with my highschool team was probably the best, because we finally had qualified for playoffs for the first time in years (we weren’t very good), I got to serve as team captain with one of my best friends, and I received the coaches’ award at the end of the season.
Q: How has your experience been playing at Union College and the differences between high school and college?
A: Playing at Union has definitely been a step up from my high school. The game is very different from the matches we played back then; the hits are harder, the sets are quicker, and overall everyone has a different attitude towards the game. On my high school team, only about three girls played on outside team, myself included. This means that unfortunately sometimes everyone’s head wasn’t in the right place for us to be a winning team. At Union, all the girls on the team are on the same page when it comes to winning and you can see that everyday when we’re on the court or at lift.
Q: Do you have any Pre-meet rituals?
A: My favorite thing that we do is after our stretching we all make a circle in the middle of the court where one of my teammates tells a joke just to lighten the mood and get everyone smiling. After the joke, we all go around in the circle and say one word that we feel will help us win the match (for ex. Mine is “heart” while other words include “determination” and “respect”).
We also have a mini-ritual that is in our warm-up playlist. There’s a particular song that after the main chorus, we will stop whatever we’re doing and just stomp on the ground. It usually gets us fired up.
Q: What are your favorite things about being on the Union volleyball team?
A: The best part of being on the team is the family that we have. It’s nice to know that at any point in the day you can just write in the groupchat asking if anyone is down to go get lunch or if anyone has a spot in the library. My freshman year it was awesome to have upperclassmen who were experts at balancing the student athlete life, and would answer any questions you had day or night. Lastly, everyone just has everyone’s back. It can get stressful during season with the amount of little time we have to do our work, so one of the perks is having fourteen other girls around you who are going through the same thing and will be there to pick you up when you think you’re struggling.
Q: What has been the highlight of your athletic career so far?
A: One of the best moments in my athletic career was during my freshman year when we took one of our biggest rivals, Clarkson, to five sets and won. We had lost to them earlier in the season 0-3, so when we dropped the first two sets we literally had our backs against the wall going into the third set. We took the next three obviously, but the energy that the entire team had during that game was amazing and everyone was just fired up.
Q: what is one thing people would be surprised to know about the volleyball team?
A: One thing would just be that we used to have a huge obsession with Moana. So much to the point we put a remix of one of the songs into our warm up, and on our way to one of our away games last year we watched it twice, back to back, on the bus. At this point, I think everyone is slowly getting over it, but if we even hear a Moana song we won’t hesitate to start screaming.
Q: How do you think playing a sport has influenced your experience at union?
A: I think playing a sport has let me have an awesome and unique experience. Not everyone gets the chance to have a solid group of friends right from the start of your freshman year to your senior year, and in some cases even after that. Without volleyball, I don’t think I would have made the same amount of friends that I have now. Additionally, it was really important to perfect my ability to time manage, which is an awesome skill to have when you graduate. Starting things early was something I learned really quick due to volleyball, because I would have the mindset that I would need to finish my work before practice or lift, knowing I would be way to tired when I got back.
Q: What is your favorite thing to eat on campus?
A: Easy, west eggs. During preseason it was always a mad dash from the gym to the egg line before the football guys got there. Some days i’ll be adventurous and put things in my eggs, but most days I go the classic mozzarella/cheddar combo.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Union?
A: My favorite thing would have to be the endless amount of things to get involved in. Obviously i’m a member of the volleyball team, but I am also the secretary for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and a member of SDT. I used to also be involved in the german club, but that was short lived after I found the german language wasn’t for me. It’s almost hard to not get involved in something, since there are is so much.
Q: What’s your favorite restaurant
in Schenectady and why?
A: I would have to go with Peter Pause as my top choice, with Zen as a close second. Going into Peter Pause on a saturday or sunday morning is just an adventure in itself because odds are you’re going to run into someone you know and just start talking. I also love taking my parents in there when they visit me because the entire place just screams Union. At Zen, I always order the same thing (sesame chicken), and the playlist they have is fire (if anyone has it send it my way).
Q: what is a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
A:My go to fun fact is that my Grandfather was a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, and was apart of the original “Purple People Eaters” defensive line. He made it to 3 Super Bowls in four years, and my family is currently trying to start a petition to get him inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Most of my friends know this, since during football season I always have my eye on the Vikings’ games.
Q: what are your interests outside of volleyball ?
A: My biggest passion is watching the youtube compilations of old vines. Additionally outside of volleyball, i’m a huge reader. Unfortunately during school, I don’t have as much time as I would like to read, but during the breaks my favorite thing to do it just read a good book. Also, I love watching movies, good or bad, and that’s what probably drove me to take two film classes this term.
Q: who/ what serves as your biggest inspiration?
A: Don’t tell her, but my biggest inspiration would have to be my sister. It was always that sibling rivalry that drove me to continue pushing myself either in the classroom or to go out and do adventurous things. She played Division II volleyball in college, and while she was setting records on the court, she was also excelling in the classroom, graduating with honors. If she can do it, why can’t I?