By: Nicole Grazioli '12

More than half way done with the season, the Santa Clara volleyball team has gone through some ups and downs this season.  After winning handily their past two games versus LMU (3-0) and long-time rival USF (3-1), the Broncos have bounced back and look stronger than ever.  Junior Kayla Lommori (KL) has stepped up and helped the women to success.  The outside hitter has been an integral part of the team throughout the season scoring a high number of kills.  Lommori has been on fire recently collecting the highest amount of kills (14) in the game versus LMU and collecting 12 kills against the Dons.  

SantaClaraBroncos.com (SCU) spoke with Lommori about how it feels to make a kill, her personal goals for the rest of the season and what the team does for fun outside of volleyball.    

SCU: What did you do in the off-season to prepare for your junior year?
KL: In the winter we did a lot of individual work with weights and conditioned with Coach Forbes every day.   In the spring, we were able to participate in more spring tournaments which were very beneficial.  The team worked very hard in the off-season to get ready for the fall by making a commitment to show up six days a week with an attitude to get better one day at a time.

SCU: Who were you looking forward to playing this season and who are you still looking forward to playing?
KL: I was really looking forward to going to Texas for our pre-season tournament, but in general, I look forward to playing every team in our conference because every game is a challenge.

SCU: How do the coaches keep you motivated throughout the season?
KL: The coaches keep us motivated by making our practices a competitive environment.  We know that we can always get better, and they have taught us that every day is an opportunity to be better.

SCU: You consistently have a lot of kills during games.   How does it feel to make a kill?
KL: Our team has a lot of talented attackers so it's awesome that we can have so many options to get kills.  I think that a good clean hit is the best feeling and it can change the momentum of the game.  Any kill from our side of the net will always create positive energy for us and it makes the game really exciting.

SCU: What are your personal goals for the rest of the season?
KL: My personal goals this season are to play a consistent game and create energy out on the court.  Fundamentally, I want to improve on blocking and serving.

SCU: The team has had a couple rough matches throughout the season.  What do you work on to bounce back to success?
KL: We continue to have the attitude that every day is an opportunity to be better and we try to find what defines us as a team.  We continually work hard in the gym and know that success will come.

SCU: Outside of volleyball, what does the team do for fun?
KL: Aside from school work, the team will go to soccer games together.  We also have had game night which is always fun.

The Bronco women's volleyball team will be playing its next match versus BYU at 1pm on October 29.