Last year was a tough season for the Lady Macs volleyball team. A long break for the High Holidays and a rebuilding year for both new and returning players set the girls back a few steps in both the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) and the Skyline Conference. But what really made the season rough was the small, and sometimes nonexistent, fan base at the home games. Any athlete can understand the importance of having fans at games. Fans encourage players and motivate them to give their best performance possible. Every sports game holds endless possibilities for each athlete involved. This could be their moment to score a goal, swish a shot, or ace a serve. The sound of the fans pulsating through the stands brings that fantasy to life and transforms these imagined great athletic feats into real possibilities.
The good news is that for the upcoming Fall 2013 volleyball season coming to games will be far easier for the fans, while getting to practice will be more convenient for the players.
For practices, a new venue has been sought out. Just one block away from the Brookdale Residence Hall on 34th Street is a gated, brick building that Stern students pass every day on their way to class. This building is home to Norman Thomas High School (NTHS), a local charter school with a gym on the ninth floor. The Volleyball team will be able to practice at NTHS instead of at the usual Baruch College venue on 25th Street and Lexington Avenue. The gym is bigger then the practice gym previously used at Baruch and will hopefully bring practices to the next level.
However, the most exciting and most important element of the upcoming Lady Macs Volleyball season is the high percentage of home games being played at Baruch College. No longer will a far bus ride to obscure schools in New York State prevent fans from cheering on the Lady Macs. With over fifty percent of the volleyball games being played at home this season, the Lady Macs hope to see (and hear) their fan base grow with each game.
So next time you get dropped off for that study session, job interview, or even a date, tell the shuttle to make a stop at the Schottenstein Residence Hall. Walk down four blocks and stop by Baruch to cheer on the Lady Macs Volleyball team. Who knows, maybe your YU spirit will push the team to a record-breaking season!