In her fourth and final year at F&M, Nicole Morano ’11 prepares for the upcoming volleyball season and is ready to give it everything she’s got.
In her fourth and final year at F&M, Nicole Morano ’11 prepares for the upcoming volleyball season and is ready to give it everything she’s got.
Last season, Morano had one of the most impressive seasons and was named All-Centennial and All-Region. She said it is a bit intimidating to come back from such a successful season filled with personal accolades.
“There are standards that I set for myself that now I have to live up to again,” she said. “And it only gets more difficult when everyone knows you are the first-option hitter. Ultimately, though, what matters most is the success of the team and personal success comes second to that. So although I’m always working to improve my own game because there is still a lot of room for improvement, my most important goals are team goals.”
Morano started her volleyball career later than most, joining the team her sophomore year in high school. However, it wasn’t until senior year when things began to click for her. Morano said her natural ability to jump well and athleticism led her to begin finding her talent for the sport.
“When I came into preseason my freshman year [at F&M], I was at a much lower level experience-wise than most incoming freshmen are,” Morano said when asked to describe her volleyball journey. “It wasn’t until I started playing my freshman year and working with the coaches here that I started learning the strategy and nuances of the game and could finally put all my raw athleticism to good use.”
Though she grew up playing basketball and softball, Morano instantly fell in love with the team dynamic of volleyball, and it soon became her favorite sport. In volleyball, teammates depend greatly on one another for every single play throughout the game.
“My favorite part of the game is having the time between points to celebrate with the other five players on the court,” Morano said. “In the middle of a good game, the energy and enthusiasm of that moment is contagious.”
Not only is the entire starting rotation of last year's Diplomats returning, the entire team from last year is also returning. This gives the team a huge advantage because everyone is very comfortable with one another and knows how individual players play on the court.
For the first time in Morano’s time here at F&M, the Diplomats are the preseason favorite for the Centennial Conference Championship. This will be the biggest change for the team, as they are no longer seen as the underdogs in the conference.
“This season will be different mostly because of the different expectations that we have for ourselves and that other teams have for us,” Morano said. “We are now the team with the target on our backs, so we have to play up those expectations.”
Though it is an honor to be seen as the best, it also leaves the team with a bit more pressure than in seasons past. Mary Kate Boland ’01, coach of the volleyball team, and the rest of the coaching staff reminded their players not to relax; they must constantly prove to others that they are indeed the team to beat.
A nice addition to the team comes with six new first-years. Morano said the new first-years give the team new depth at every position, which is a great bonus. She also mentions the first-years are hard workers and keep the upperclassmen on their toes.
With all that said, Morano said she is most excited to play with the girls on the team. She is looking forward to playing with her only fellow senior on the team, Pam Horner '11. In general, Morano is excited to enjoy her senior year and is ready to leave it all on the court without any regrets.
“This season I think we have the talent, confidence, and experience to take our season further than we have gone in the past 10 years,” Morano said. “The last time F&M won the Centennial Conference championship was when our coach, Mary Kate Boland, was a senior in 2000. It won’t be easy, but I really hope that we can win the regular season and host conference playoffs at F&M. I think that would mean a lot to us to play in front of our own crowd in what will undoubtedly be an exciting, competitive weekend.”
The Diplomats’ first home game is Friday, Sept. 17.
Sophomore Ellen Fonte is a senior staff writer. Her e-mail is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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