Volleyball player digs deep for record-breaking year
Date: 12/29/2009
By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
WEST SPRINGFIELD -- West Springfield native Rachel Cervone eats, sleeps and breathes volleyball. Years of dedication to the sport paid off this season as this senior student-athlete helped the Western New England College (WNEC) women's volleyball team smash the previous 22-victory record, while setting a few of her own.
The WNEC Golden Bears finished the season with a 27-10 record and Cervone, the team's captain, led the team in kills with 419; tallied the second highest number of digs with 411 and service aces, totaling 60. She finished third in the league in kills, fourth in digs and fifth in service aces.
Her performance earned her a spot on the All-Conference Team as well as the award for Most Valuable Player at the Fall Sports Banquet on Dec. 12.
"Rachel was extremely vital to the success of the team this season," WNEC Women's Volleyball Head Coach Kaitlin Kozak said. "As a player, she contributed both offensively and defensively. Her serve reception was consistent and solid, which is a very difficult skill to acquire and is often not recognized as an important factor in a match. "Offensively, we often relied on her as our go-to player. She was set the most frequently and produced the most kills for us," Kozak continued. "She was able to display versatility with her shot selection and movement across the net.
"As a captain, Rachel displayed poise and positivity throughout the season," Kozak added. "She was approachable and welcoming to our newcomers and always led by example in the classroom."
Cervone told Reminder Publications she credits her success to her first-year head coach and her teammates.
"She pushed us really hard and set high standards for us, which hadn't been set before," Cervone said of Kozak. "She told us, 'Don't be content with a win if you didn't play well.'"
When asked if she felt pressure to ensure a winning first season, Kozak said, "No, I was more anxious and excited to build relationships with the players and to be able to teach them skills and tactics of the game so that we could learn and improve as individuals and as a team. I had very high expectations for the program and for myself from the start. I believed we could win the conference from day one."
The team placed second in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) with a record of 9-1 and won the WNEC and Salem State Invitational Tournaments.
Cervone attributed the team's overall success in league and tournament play to the player camaraderie and willingness to set high expectations for each other on the court.
Cervone ends her collegiate volleyball career as the college's overall leader in digs with 1,287 and fourth highest number of kills with 1,132.
She said she will continue playing in community leagues and is considering a coaching career. Cervone will complete her studies in the spring, graduating WNEC in May with a bachelor's degree in business management.
When asked if Cervone leaves behind a hole in the team's lineup, Kozak said, "It will be very difficult to recruit an incoming student-athlete that can be as impactful as Rachel. It is not common to find someone that can play effectively the whole way around."
Despite losing key players to graduation, Kozak explained she has great hopes for the program.
"Next year's schedule will be more competitive and challenging for us, which will only help us to improve as a team," she said. "I am working hard to add depth to our roster and to bring in quality players. I will feel some pressure but I also understand the recruiting process and the challenges that we will face as a team. I am excited for next season and confident in our abilities."
