The women’s volleyball team kicks off its first SoCon game this Friday, beginning the final year for senior player Sara Esposito (Pianiga, Italy).
Esposito’s teammate Lauren Hatch expressed her appreciation to have her as a teammate. “On the court, Sara’s a very instrumental part of our team. She has a very big impact on the team, so we depend on her a lot. Off the court, Sara’s actually funnier than you would expect . . . Very quiet, but also like has a strong presence.”
An international student from Pianiga, Italy, Esposito has been on the team since freshman year. She came to ETSU as a middle blocker, but now she mainly plays outside hitter, a position she is still getting used to. As the season progresses, she hopes to adapt to playing outside and to have more fun with the games.
“We love Sara for her slides. And her blocking, of course. She’s just an important person in the front row for us,” said Hatch.
Starting volleyball between the ages of 11 and 12, Esposito went on to rank eighth in the national championship in Italy and to be awarded the SoCon All-Tournament Team in her sophomore year. She practices three hours every day except for Sundays and loves her team. “I like them, and I like our coaching staff. I think it’s really hard to find a good coaching staff. So, they’re like all sweet, they’re nice. We have fun together.”
Esposito chose ETSU for its excellent nutrition program. “I like food, I like to cook . . . I wanna know more about like why this ingredient do this to our body, or what’s the best food for an athlete,” Esposito said. Her favorite dishes to make are pizza and tiramisu.
You can see Esposito and her team in action this Friday at 6 p.m. in Brooks Gym, where they will compete in their first SoCon tournament against Western Carolina University. The next day, they will play at Brooks Gym again at 4 p.m. against UNC Greensboro.
