Can You Dig It? The Return of Club Volleyball

By the time she was starting high school, Christine Asher ’15 knew she wanted to play collegiate volleyball. She transferred to Conn specifically to play. After she transferred her sophomore year, Asher played varsity volleyball but found she was more often stressed than having fun and enjoying the sport she loves. Last year she tried women’s rowing, which she said was a great experience, but she found she really missed volleyball as a sport.

Everything reminded her of it and she just wanted to play. She knew there were so many other Camels who had quit or been cut from volleyball and were missing the bump, set, spike life just like she was. “Usually when people get cut they give up,” Asher said, but she had found passion in volleyball and wasn’t about to let that go. Her goal was to find a way to create and develop a healthy, passionate, supportive environment for other volleyball lovers so they wouldn’t have to lose something that means so much to them. Thus, Club Volleyball was reborn.

Sitting down with Asher, the senior co-president of this year’s revamped Club Volleyball, she couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with such a strong group. Asher’s co-president is Paul MacMullin ’16, who plans to take over when Asher graduates this spring. In addition to the two who started the club, there are four more staff members: Eleni Papadopoulos ’17, Thalia Perez-Macias ’17, Anthony Kwok ’16, and Jessica Weldon ’15. “They’re a great team, working wonderfully together to rebuild Club Volleyball,” she says, hopeful that the club can continue.

In the past there was a volleyball club, but it fell apart because of issues regarding consistency and gym space. This time, Club Volleyball is going for it hard—the staff members are completely dedicated and united by a passion for the sport. Because the club is new and not yet funded by SGA, money has been a challenge. To combat this, the group sold T-shirts at Harvest Fest and made a lot of money, which has been helpful.

The biggest challenges for Asher and her team of Club Volleyball leaders are funding and autonomy. Members often have to either bring their own ball to play with, or the club plays with volleyballs that have been left out in the past. So much of what they have done has been accomplished on their own. Although they’ve had encouragement from the volleyball coach, he has been pretty hands-off allowing them to make the club their own. Asher believes that having to do a lot of it on their own has only made her crew stronger.

Club Volleyball has 68 members on ConnQuest already and they’re ready for more. People of any and all skill levels are welcome to go play whether you’re already in the club range, a first-time player, or quite experienced and competitive.

Practices are twice a week in the gym, and are structured to make sure everyone is improving and having fun—usually starting out with skill drills and moving through until they end practice with actual games. In between the drills and the scrimmaging, the group splits up into groups based on skill level for more practice. The group has even spent parts of practice using visualization methods to meditate and focus and improve by practicing mentally. “The environment during practices is incredible,” Asher said.

A lot of the people in the club are students with considerable skill already, who got cut from or left the varsity team. A fun part about Club Volleyball is that it’s co-ed. “It’s a great mix of guys and girls,” Asher stated. “I knew a lot of guys who loved the sport or played in high school and there was nowhere for them to play here. Now there is.”

Sometimes Navy competitors show up to play, which adds a fun, competitive edge to the games during practice. People with more experience are mentors to those who have just found their interest in the sport. Everyone is supportive and works together without judgment or pressure. The vibe changes based on who shows up each week, but there is always music playing in the background, and people are always smiling and glad to be there.

The future is bright for the club, according to staff and members. Asher credits her staff for being supportive and really working as a team to build the club up from the bottom. They have come a long way, and there is a lot of potential for the club to become consistent through the years, especially being so fueled by passion. •