Meet our favorite third-straight Ivy League Title winners and competitors in this year’s NCAA Tournament, the girls of the Yale Women’s Volleyball Team! Her Campus was thrilled to get a chance to sit down with the team to get to know them a little better and get a first-hand look into their season and their experiences as one of Yale’s most successful teams.
HC: What’s your favorite memory OFF the court this season?
“My favorite memory off the court this season was probably when we went to my hometown, San Diego, for pre-season. It was really cool to have all of my teammates at my house and local beach, but also be able to compete against some really tough competition while there.” – Karlee Fuller (2016)
“One night around the time of midterms Mollie and Mac made baked ziti and mac n cheese with these peanut butter and chocolate bars for dessert. It was amazing and so calming and de-stressing and we watched Halloween movies while we ate.” – Jesse Ebner (2016)
“Going to the Harvard-Yale football game as a team.” – Christine Wu (2016)
“Dance party on the bus ride after we knew we clinched the title [after winning the Ivy League Championship].” – Haley Wessels (2013)
HC: What’s your favorite memory ON the court this season?
“My favorite memory is winning the Ivy League at Princeton. We lost at Princeton both my freshmen and sophomore years so it was nice to know we could beat a really talented team on their home court.” – Kendall Polan (2014)
“Beating Princeton at home! I served the ball when we had match point, everyone in the stands stood up and was cheering. It was the best kind of pressure and an awesome experience!” – Christine Wu
“My favorite memory from this season on the court was Kendall serving a ball so hard it went through a girl’s hands on Dartmouth and hit her in the chest. We thought her hands were broken.” – Kelly Johnson (2016)
“Every time someone got hit in the face in practice – which happened a lot this season.” – Haley Wessels
HC: What do you think has made your team so strong?
“Our team has been successful because of our great chemistry. We all want each other to succeed and we’re willing to make sacrifices for the team.” – Kendall Polan
“We are a very close team, and we are constantly together. I think that our close relationship off the court has allowed us to trust each other and play well on the court.” – Mollie Rogers (2015)
“Everyone involved with the team, both players and coaching stuff, has high expectations. The coaching staff, our captain, and the older players have created a competitive, hard-working culture. Everyone wants to win and get better. As a freshman, adapting and buying into the atmosphere of the team came pretty naturally.” – Christine Wu
HC: What’s the biggest challenge your team overcame this season?
“I think the biggest challenge was having to overcome the outcome we had when we played a preseason tournament in California. We lost all three matches to teams we could have beat, however, I think we took a lot away from that trip and won our next fifteen matches.” – Kendall Polan
“I think our biggest challenge came during preseason. Because 3/4 of our team are lower classmen, we often played like a young team–without the cohesiveness and structure of a team that has been together for years. However, I think our trip to San Diego really sparked within us a desire to change this. Once we got all of the “freshman mistakes” out of our system, we really came together as a mature, well trained team.” – Karlee Fuller
“We have had a couple minor injuries this season, and that is always something that is difficult to overcome, for any team. We also did not have a very strong preseason because we played a lot of really talented teams and we weren’t polished yet. It was difficult to look past that and focus on winning in the Ivy League, and trusting that we were going to improve.” – Mollie Rogers
HC: How did you celebrate winning your third-straight Ivy League Title?
“With lots of happy tears.” – Karlee Fuller
“I think we ate some baked goods (we seem to have a never-ending supply of desserts) and went out together.” – Christine Wu
“We celebrated with a dance party on the bus ride back from Princeton, a steak dinner on the coaches, and the champagne room at Toads.” – Kelly Johnson
HC: Who is your biggest fan?
“Aside from the obvious choice of Gaylee Rogers and her delicious chocolate mint cookies, I would have to say that the world renowned dancer, cheermaster, and high-fiver Justin Appleman is our number one fan.” – Karlee Fuller
“We have a few sports teams, like the heavyweight and lightweight crew teams, that come to our games a lot (and yes… Gaylee is definitely up there, along with every other parent on our team! They all come to a lot of our games).” – Mollie Rogers
“Our seniors from last year would always text the team before big matches.” – Erica Reetz (2014)
“Harry Picone.” – Jesse Ebner
“Our biggest fans are probably our coach’s kids, Justin and Emma.” – Maddie Rudnick (2015)
HC: Do you have a go-to team song?
“What what, what what, what what, what what? dunna dunna dunna DAH.” – Karlee Fuller
“One of our team songs is definitely Thrift Shop because whenever it comes on everyone starts singing and dancing no matter where we are or what’s going on.” – Jesse Ebner
“Some of my favorites are Don’t Drop That Thun Thun, Gangnam Style, and All-Out.” – Christine Wu
“Go-to theme song: Thrift Shop, without a doubt.” – Kelly Johnson
HC: Do you have any team traditions? What are they?
“Before every game we eat at the same time, then we have a casual music session while we’re getting ready for passing before the match. Ten minutes before our team meeting and warm up we have a really intense dance party. It’s a ten-minute montage of songs that we get down to and we get really sweaty before our match. We probably think we are much better dancers than we actually are as we are just tall lanky girls.” – Gabby Bird-Vogel (2015)
“Our biggest team tradition, I would say, is the pre-game dance party in the locker room, which lasts 10 minutes and is sometimes a better workout than the game.” – Jesse Ebner
“Before every road trip everyone says “road trip” in different orders on the bus when we are about to leave, like shortest to tallest, oldest to youngest, etc.” – Christine Wu
HC: What‘s something most people don’t know about your team?
“We are not just tall girls with big appetites and floor burns on our knees and hips. We are much more than that–we are incredibly fun, talented girls…. that eat a lot.” – Karlee Fuller
“We love to eat. Like a lot.” – Jesse Ebner
“More than half of us are from California.” – Kelly Johnson