MILTON, Mass. - "Volleyball. It's a passion. It's a mindset. It's at Curry!"
That's what new Women's Volleyball Coach Roberta Stannard emphatically states when describing her sport.
"I'm here to build a new program and generate a lot of excitement for a sport I love. I'm confident that this program will be successful, largely due to the great support of Curry's athletic staff and college administration, as well as its facilities."
Coach Stannard is a product of Division I Volleyball powerhouse the University of Michigan. She was a walk-on athlete her sophomore year, was awarded a full scholarship, lettered three years and was co-captain her senior year. She is also a known quantity throughout southeastern Massachusetts, Florida and Nebraska having coached at the high school, junior Olympic club and collegiate levels. She also continues an active playing schedule herself.
To date, the women’s volleyball program has hosted several campus-wide play-dates. These are organized to give young women a comfortable arena to meet fellow students, play casually and see if it's a program they would be willing to commit their time and energy to.
"The largest obstacle is growing a team from scratch. I am actively recruiting, but the largest resource is here at Curry. We've held several play-dates to meet interested players. I've seen some very promising talent, but I'm still looking for more. I bet there’s a couple of untapped players here at Curry who would like to give it try. I've seen it before, a gal who's played another sport, or a casual player, gives it a go, and she's a natural. That's very fun to watch."
Play-dates will continue through January and February with a spring season starting after the basketball season concludes. Interested students should watch for announcements, or call/email the athletic department or Coach Stannard directly (
rstannar1009@curry.edu) for more information.
"I'm looking forward to developing a strong program, knowing attitude is a big part of the picture,” said Coach Stannard. "The greater challenge is having the patience and perseverance to guide a team through its growing pains. This is an enormous task and a great challenge, taking a team in infancy, guiding it through ups and downs, molding it, and building a program that proudly represents the values of Curry College. "