Suffolk freshman and volleyball starter Rachel Fancy has taken the team by storm.
The team’s outside hitter and defensive specialist has been persistent on leaving her mark on the court. Originally from the suburban town of Agawam, Mass., Boston has been quite a change for Fancy, but according to her, it’s a good one.
“I really like the city, [being from] a suburb it’s very different. [There is] definitely more noise but I like that there’s always things going on and all the opportunities the city has [to offer],” said Fancy.
The young player began her volleyball journey after watching her hometown friends play and figured that she should give it a shot on a travel team when she was 12 years old. She has not turned back since.
In Fancy’s mind, she has earned the right to be named one of Suffolk’s starters.
“It’s probably due to my hard work at practice and my coach’s belief in my skills,” she said.
Freshmen teammate and friend Dorothy Mensah gave a birds-eye view on what it’s like being Fancy’s teammate.
“Rachel is very enthusiastic and a lot of fun to play with,” said Mensah.
“She’s always encouraging people on and off the court no matter the situation. She may not be our best athlete, but her attitude and excitement makes her all-around amazing.”
Along with a new team, there will also be a new coaching staff to adjust to.
“I love playing for Coach Bonny [Ducharme],” said Fancy.
“She has this intensity at practice that really gets me and the other players going and even though the season isn’t going exactly how the team wants it to, Coach Bonny continues to push because she knows how great we can be as a team.”
There is, however, still a lot that Fancy and the team have to work on.
“I feel like I definitely need to work on my timing and the whole team needs to work on communication,” Fancy said.
Fancy self-reflected on what she brings to the table for the team.
“Definitely my intensity. I make everyone so excited with my hype after every point,” she said.
“She’s a little crazy but we need her craziness on the court. When she does go crazy, I’ve come to observe that this gets the team pumped and excited,” said Mensah.
Rachel tries to model her game to Olympian beach volleyball player April Ross.
“She’s just an all-around great player and that’s why she’s so good at the game she loves,” said Fancy.
Although they are a new team, Fancy explains that they are a young team, and with a new coaching staff getting started tends to be difficult, especially when adapting to their own diversity.
“We are all from different places so we are always laughing about our different mannerisms,” said Fancy. “I had to explain to a few teammates that a ‘grip’ means ‘a while’ if you’re from Eastern Mass.
Fancy plans on majoring in applied legal studies with aspirations of attending law school after graduating from Suffolk but always plans on being a Ram.
“I’m excited for the future of Ram volleyball. I plan on being a Ram until I graduate,” she said.
