Unless you are friends with one of them or sit next to them in class, you have probably never heard the names Lindsay Yacura, Amy Cregg or Mary Beth Saucher.
You should.
Let this be the first introduction to them and their 10 teammates on one of Boston University’s most successful teams: the nationally ranked women’s club volleyball team.
This team’s season starts the second week of school when about 50 players try out to make one of 13 spots on the team.
It continues until mid-April when the squad heads across the country to participate in nationals, which takes place in Kansas City, Mo., this year.
The players spend their season practicing three days a week and then participating in tournaments on the weekends all throughout New England.
With tryouts and tournaments, one may wonder what makes this No. 20 team stand out from other college sports teams.
Well, it’s simple.
These women perform for the love of the game.
They have no coach, just a president and a member of the men’s volleyball club who helps out.
They rely on bake sales and seek sponsors to provide money to travel to other schools.
They receive little publicity and have played their way to first place in their league with only three or four spectators at each meet.
But none of this matters to the team members.
“It’s hard with my schedule, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” said junior Michelle Plante, a third-year member of the team.
Senior team president Satoko Sasaki agreed, “It’s definitely my favorite thing to do at college.”
Their love for volleyball was visible this past weekend when the Terriers hosted the Yankee Tournament at Sargent Gym.
Thankfully, it was only a practice tournament as the team was without the services of junior setter Lauren Donovan, who was busy taking a practice MCAT test. The Terriers didn’t perform as well as they would have liked, but any spectator would have been unaware of this.
Instead, viewers witnessed such sites as freshman Kristin Bloomer continuously yelling, “Let’s go ladies. Right now!” to keep the team spirits up and sophomore Hannah Seo smiling while she pulled herself from the floor after sacrificing her body to save the ball.
After each play, whether in favor of the Terriers or their opponents, the women clapped hands at the middle of the court to keep the cheerful atmosphere and keep each other pumped.
And each time it seemed to work, as another rally saw sophomore Caroline Lyznik run frantically from the serve line to the net to make sure she was ready to do everything in her power to help her team win.
“We became a family because we see each other three or four times a week and do a lot of traveling,” Sasaki said. “We are all pretty much the same [talent-wise]. We all work together as a team.”
Her statement rang true, as in another game senior Heidi Matus made a spectacular save, followed by fellow senior Cristina Cown, struggling through a leg injury to reach for a far-off ball.
After their full Saturday of tournament play, the Terriers immediately return to practice this week as they gear up for the New England Women’s Volleyball Club League championships in two weeks, followed by nationals the following week.
But you won’t hear players like Kat Koverska or Nicole Gondar complain. This is a team that wants to play.
“We have a really strong team. Everyone is really dedicated,” said Sasaki, smiling, sweaty and glad to give a comment before hurrying back out on to the court to destroy her opponent.
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