Hope Bogle is a sophomore on the NYU women's volleyball team. She will share her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written September 6
With the grind of preseason behind us, and the first-match nerves a thing of the past, the NYU volleyball season is officially in full swing.
Coming into my second season, there were a lot of unknowns. How would our new coaching staff be? Did we have some good new talent coming in? Would we be able to come together and function as one unit? Fortunately, all of the unknowns seem to have turned out in our favor.
Looking back to a preseason filled with rigorous hours spent sweating profusely in Coles, conditioning on the beach and doing pike jumps in the pool, all our hard work was totally worth it. Even throughout all the intense workouts we had there was always something fun to look forward to. After spending two hours conditioning on the beach, doing tuck jumps in the sand and trying to shuffle across the beach while being held back by resistance bands, we looked forward to a delicious breakfast and a day spent at the pool afterwards. After a pool workout (which is a lot harder than it sounds), we had “leisure diving,” the act of jumping into a pool while holding a relaxing, suave pose and having a picture taken right before you hit the water. We of course tried to master the art of pretending to play volleyball in the air.
Even through the last days of preseason, when the ice baths no longer helped and the bruises on our hips just kept growing from diving, we had our surprise team bonding activity to keep us motivated.
After our last official preseason practice, we hopped on a subway and followed our assistant coaches up to Central Park. Standing outside of the American History Museum, our coaches divided us into two teams and handed out a two-page list of tasks to be completed. Central Park scavenger hunt. We had an hour to complete as many tasks as we could, all of different point values. Tasks included “planking” in different parts of the city, getting a picture in a Handsome Cab without actually paying for it, finding an NYU alum (with proof of previous enrollment), and having a conversation with someone in a different language. All fun things.
However, little did we know this was a three-mile zigzagging sprint through Central Park disguised as a scavenger hunt. And it was made clear to us that being late would deduct points…thus not an option. My team realized this after sprinting from Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park, down to the Plaza Hotel (located at the southeast corner of Central Park) to get a picture with a bellhop, and giving ourselves seven minutes to sprint back to the west side of the park through Columbus Circle (located at 59th street) and up to the American History Museum (located at 81st street). And, after a few minutes of panting, sweating, and finally catching our breaths, each team cracked up about the different tasks we had completed.
After heading back to campus, our final reward was a pit stop at Haagen Daz. As we snacked on our ice cream, we ended our preseason with a cheer: “PRESEASON IS OVER!” and were overjoyed that we’d finally be able to see all our hard work come together at our opening tournament.
Our first tournament gave us a chance to get out some start-of-season nerves and put into action all of the fundamentals, plays and goals we had practiced throughout preseason. We were able step on the court and play together. Even when things weren’t going our way we never let it affect us for more than a couple points before we turned it around. We beat each team 3-0 and won our first tournament of the season.
Although this is a new team with new coaches and a new philosophy, everyone has bought in to what we’re trying to accomplish. I know we will just keep getting better and better as we continue to work hard during our season, and I’m excited to see what we do next.
Julia Musto is a freshman on the NYU women's volleyball team. She will share her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written August 28
These first two weeks of preseason with the team have been challenging mentally and taxing physically. As a native Northern Californian, I found myself completely unprepared for the fast-paced living of the city. Plus, the high level of competition and training more than once per day was something I was completely foreign to (I am experiencing the resulting soreness right now). However, I feel like moving here was definitely the right decision.
I have been playing competitive volleyball since the seventh grade, and on almost every team I was on there was a disconnect among many of my teammates and myself. The women of NYU volleyball have made playing as a part of a team feel natural and fun. I know that I am supported by them both on and off of the court. Even as a freshman I have been treated as an equal (although, I still am required to do freshman duties).
This year, the program hired a new head coach (Jolie Ward) and two new assistants (Sarah Kirkwood and Alyssa Getzel). In my volleyball career thus far, I have never had more passionate, knowledgeable, or warm-hearted instructors. They make me want to be both a better player and a better human being.
We started off our two-week preseason with two days of Open Gym at the Palladium. The intention was to get any kinks out before the season and to let the returning players and “newbies” interact. We also had team meetings before our practices to explain all NYU and NCAA policies, responsibilities, and the way the team functions on a day-to-day basis.
On the first day of real NCAA practice I was somewhat nervous. I knew that I’d have to give it my all to compete with the girls on the team. But, as the practices continued I felt relaxed mentally and found it easy to enjoy the sessions. Eventually, the practices and workouts became a routine that I was excited about every day.
So far, the team has taken a trip to the New Jersey Shore for conditioning on the beach (see more pictures at https://www.facebook.com/pages/NYU-Womens-Volleyball/111463618927956?ref=ts), and will continue to train hard with pool workouts, yoga, strength training, and weightlifting. We have also continued bonding off the court with weekly pasta dinners at upperclassmen’s dorms and lunch in Central Park.
The team is currently ranked 21st in the AVCA Division III Preseason Poll, but we plan to claw our way to the top!
Ultimately, my time spent at NYU with the team has been fun-filled and exciting. Although it is still taking some adjusting to feel comfortable living in the city and being thrown into the life of a collegiate athlete, I really am starting to love it here. I hope that as the season and school year begin I will continue to have this feeling, become an even better athlete and grow even closer to my teammates.
