Q: When did you start playing volleyball?
A: “I started very late for someone who plays at the collegiate level. I was around 14 or 15 years old. I was initially a basketball player. Then when basketball began to conflict with club volleyball, I decided to commit to volleyball.”
Q: How did you become interested in Fairfield?
A: “The initial draw was volleyball. I wanted to do nursing and Fairfield was the only school that would let me do nursing and volleyball. I was determined to stick with what I wanted to do and Fairfield is a very competitive Division I program.”
Q: How does it feel to be undefeated against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season?
A: “We treat every opponent the same. However, we set out a list of goals at the beginning of the season. One of them was to be undefeated in conference. We knew it was a lofty goal, but everyone telling us it was a lofty goal made us more motivated to make that happen.”
Q: What is your motivation as an athlete?
A: “I get it from my teammates. What’s helpful is that everyone has the same internal goals of coming in and working hard everyday. It makes everything easier because we can all hold each other accountable. With other teams, not everyone is on the same page as to what the team goals are, but here we are all on the same page. We have a mentality of not just winning every game, but winning every practice. I think that has also helped us stay motivated throughout the season.”
Q: Does the team talk at all about your (14) game win streak?
A: “I don’t think we’ve ever even talked about it. After every game we start with constructive criticism and we end with a positive. The positive is always ‘great win,’ but there’s a lot more constructive criticism because we want to improve. The win streak is awesome, but it’s not the focus of our culture.”
Q: How do you feel about how the team has grown over your four years here?
A: “I think it has grown tremendously. I came into a successful program as a freshman. I think that the mentality of the team is completely different. When I was a freshman, we struggled to be on the same page of what we wanted the team goals to be. I’m so proud and happy to see how this team has grown. In the past, people very easily got comfortable with the position that they were in. Now there’s a lot more competition, everyone fights for their role.”
Q: How does it feel to be nominated for the Senior CLASS Award?
A: “It’s a huge honor. I’m honored to represent the school. I love that the award recognizes off-the-court achievement. I’ve always prided myself on being able to do nursing and volleyball; it’s something so many people told me wouldn’t work — that I’d drop one of the two by the time I was a sophomore. That award was the most special to me because it recognizes everything I’ve done on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”
Q: What are your plans for after you graduate?
A: “I’m currently planning on moving to Boston with my friend who lives in Cape Cod. I would like to get a job in the city. I don’t know how I’m going to do it because I have no money, but that’s the goal.”
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