Club volleyball gears up for a competitive season
Staff Writer
A few Thursdays ago, over 30 excited USD athletes waited anxiously by their cell phones, willing them to ring. Of those, 17 picked up to hear the women’s club volleyball team captain Erica Granger’s excited voice.
“Congratulations, you made the team!” she told them, their contagious enthusiasm bringing a smile to her face.
After having three weeks of practice under their belts, the women of USD’s still-young club volleyball program await their first tournament with bated breath.
In just a few short weeks, the USD women’s club volleyball team will play in their first tournament at neighboring San Diego State University.
Only beginning their second year back as an official AS-funded club, the captains have high hopes for the upcoming season.
“It’s all about commitment, dedication and discipline,” Granger said. “If we can achieve this, we’ll have a team everyone wants to be a part of.”
USD women’s club volleyball, not to be confused with USD’s varsity volleyball team, came into being with the goal to have a competitive team with a significantly smaller time commitment than the university-funded scholarship team. But what the women of both teams do share is a passion for the sport.
“I played volleyball all through high school, and I loved it,” sophomore team captain Lindsey Mertens said. “When I came to college, I wanted to play competitively, but without all the stress and pressures that come along with being on varsity. This club seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
In fall 2006, after watching the club volleyball program go on hiatus and retiring to intramurals, current club president Francesca Farinacci recognized an increasing demand for the club team to start up again.
“I had to take matters into my own hands, and in doing so I was able to create a team that is fun and competitive,” Farinacci said. “Our goal is to create a long-standing club that will continue even after we all graduate, and the other captains and I have spent a lot of time and effort to make sure we have a solid foundation.”
After last year’s rocky start-up, the team is now well- equipped with veteran players and coaches who have a solid sense of direction.
“Last year was a good stepping stone for us to bring back a club that never should have left,” head coach Dominic Scarfe said. “This season, we have a lot more athleticism and dedication, so we can only grow from here.”
This year, the team will travel nationwide to compete in tournaments against over 100 club volleyball teams from around the country. At the end of the season, nationals will be held in Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, games in Las Vegas, Minnesota and Arizona will help the team prepare to take on the best of the best.
Though the club receives some funding from AS, the women will host several fund-raisers throughout the school year in order to aid in travel expenses.
The most forthcoming is the Midnight Madness tournament, scheduled for Oct. 27 in the Athletic Center for any team of four to six players who wants to enter.
“Our efforts really need to cover the full spectrum; from fund raising, to conditioning, to promoting student awareness and rallying support,” Granger said. “I’m excited to see the volleyball club grow and become a well-known organization in the USD community.”
The Vista, October 25, 2007