After achieving her 500th career kill early this season, senior middle blocker Grace Cervenka became one of many women from Suffolk University’s volleyball teams to achieve a historic milestone as a player.
Reflecting on her time as a Ram, Cervenka noted that her four years is something she wouldn’t give up for the world.
“I’ve made friendships that’ll last a lifetime here,” said Cervenka. “I’m just extremely grateful for the people that I met and will continue to grow relationships with.”
Head coach Scott Blanchard praised the work ethic of his second-year captain, noting how the personality of players like Cervenka help create a winning culture.
“She’s not only a great player, she’s a great teammate,” said Blanchard. “She’s very conscious, has very good court vision, is a very smart player and she’s a great human-being.”
As a freshman in 2022 Cervenka got off to a scorching start, earning 199 kills over 30 matches.
The Rams won 20 games that year and came one set away from taking down top-seeded Gordon College in the Conference of New England semifinals.
Despite starting off well in her freshman year, Cervenka noted that moving across the country wasn’t without its struggles.
“It was a very big adjustment. I literally came up here knowing nobody, but ended up meeting all of my best friends. It’s very different culture wise, but it’s a lot of fun though,” said Cervenka.
Blanchard, having scouted Cervenka, noted her quick adaptation to the college game wasn’t unexpected.
“I wasn’t really surprised,” said Blanchard. “She played in an excellent club program, an excellent high school team where she actually didn’t play middle blocker, she was an outside hitter.”
Going into her sophomore season, Cervenka continued to play consistently, notching 169 kills across another full 30-game season.
Cervenka credited her consistent play to the support of teammates who quickly became her friends as she adjusted to a brand new life in Boston.
“I actually live with one of my teammates who’s my best friend, Aislinn Campbell, and she’s pushed me pretty far to be where I am today,” said Cervenka.
Going into her junior year, Blanchard named Cervenka a captain alongside the program’s all-time kills leader, McKenna Keowen.
“It was a good recognition, it was a lot to handle,” said Cervenka. “It was fun. I’m glad I got to have the opportunity early on to help for this year being a senior.”
Now a senior, Cervenka returned as a captain aimed to provide leadership to a young team that was hit by a slew of graduations, including that of her former co-captain Keowen.
Blanchard praised the efforts of Cervenka as well as co-captains Chloe Clement and Sami Shore for keeping the team afloat despite a rocky start to the season.
“She’s done a tremendous job,” he said. “They’ve really grasped ahold of the whole ‘this is our team’ thing and are focusing on making sure the team is as successful as possible.”
With 110 kills in just 16 games as a senior, Cervenka is on pace to surpass her career-high in kills for a season. Blanchard noted how much improvement he’s seen in Cervenka since her freshman year, where she set her career-high.
“Now she’s to the point where the game has slowed down for her. She makes the tough plays look really easy now,” said Blanchard. “She’s the middle of our offense and defense. Without a legitimate middle attack, we can’t be successful at all.”
With her final college games ahead of her, Cervenka reflected on how much being a part of this program has meant to her.
“It’s definitely been the highlight of my time here at Suffolk. It’s been so much fun being able to play the sport I love while doing school and having a life on the outside,” said Cervenka. “Being able to do that has been the nicest thing ever and I love it here so much. It’s been a breeze because I’ve been having fun while doing it.”
Giving advice to her undergrad teammates, she noted that they should treasure their time in college because it goes by quickly.
“I feel like I literally just moved into the Smith dorm yesterday. Don’t take any day for granted because it’ll be gone before you know it.”
