North Carolina State University Athletics
Photo by: Greg Mintel
‘Serve and Pass’ with Teni Sopitan
8/1/2017 4:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
With the start of the 2017 NC State Volleyball season rapidly approaching, GoPack.com will be catching up with each member of the team to see how she is spending her summer and how excited she is to start the season. Periodically a Q and A will be posted to the website titled 'Serve and Pass', giving fans an inside look at each player on the squad.
Teni Sopitan
Laurel, Md.
MB
How has your summer been going?
"This summer has been very different than my previous summers since we were able to start training as a team at end of the spring semester and start of summer session I in preparation for the trip to Italy. I really liked having that opportunity to train with the freshmen and get them acclimated to what preseason practice will look like. Everybody was getting to know each other and it's so much better than having a crash course when preseason starts.
"I think that will help with our team chemistry a lot because I know the freshmen a lot better than what I thought I would at this point. We've been getting so close as a team."
Have you taken any vacations or do you have any planned?
"I actually went to Miami to this huge music festival with my friends from back home in Maryland. I had never been to a concert and I feel like I hit the ground running by going to one of the largest concerts."
Where would you go on a dream vacation?
"I've always wanted to go to Hawaii or somewhere like Japan or China. I really like being exposed to other cultures."
How excited are you to start the season?
"I'm so excited. I am so excited. It's so much fun to get the season started and to see all of our hard work pay off. We have a really strong team and I think we can definitely be among the top teams in the country."
How do you build off a strong sophomore season in which you were second on the team in kills?
"I was shocked. I didn't think it would be me, especially going from my freshman year when I didn't really play a lot. Once I started learning more and becoming a better player, I realized that I could be an impact player on the team as well. I'm excited for this year. I'm in a new position but I'm doing what my team needs me to do and I'm hoping to have an even better year than I did last year."
How does it feel to be a junior on the team?
"It's scary. I feel like I just started college and was just a freshman. Looking back it, I've grown so much and I'm not the same person that I was. I still don't see myself as a junior yet, but I'm an upperclassman and I need to be a positive role model for the younger girls."
What are your goals for the team and individually this season?
"As a team, I want us to be a top-25 program and I know it's possible if we keep doing the correct things. Individually, I just want to give my teammates my all no matter what position I'm playing."
Was there anything in particular that you wanted to work on this summer for the season?
"I've been focusing on my eye-work when blocking to be able to key on more than one hitter."
What age did you start playing volleyball?
"I started playing my sophomore year of high school."
How did you decide on your jersey number 30?
"I love the number 3, but it was already taken so I picked number 30 to keep a 3 in the number."
What's your favorite sport other than volleyball?
"I like to watch basketball and also gymnastics. I would love to be a gymnast. It's a hard sport and I think they're so legit."
What's something people don't know about you?
"I used to think that I could sing well enough to be on American Idol."
Teni Sopitan
Laurel, Md.
MB
How has your summer been going?
"This summer has been very different than my previous summers since we were able to start training as a team at end of the spring semester and start of summer session I in preparation for the trip to Italy. I really liked having that opportunity to train with the freshmen and get them acclimated to what preseason practice will look like. Everybody was getting to know each other and it's so much better than having a crash course when preseason starts.
"I think that will help with our team chemistry a lot because I know the freshmen a lot better than what I thought I would at this point. We've been getting so close as a team."
Have you taken any vacations or do you have any planned?
"I actually went to Miami to this huge music festival with my friends from back home in Maryland. I had never been to a concert and I feel like I hit the ground running by going to one of the largest concerts."
Where would you go on a dream vacation?
"I've always wanted to go to Hawaii or somewhere like Japan or China. I really like being exposed to other cultures."
How excited are you to start the season?
"I'm so excited. I am so excited. It's so much fun to get the season started and to see all of our hard work pay off. We have a really strong team and I think we can definitely be among the top teams in the country."
How do you build off a strong sophomore season in which you were second on the team in kills?
"I was shocked. I didn't think it would be me, especially going from my freshman year when I didn't really play a lot. Once I started learning more and becoming a better player, I realized that I could be an impact player on the team as well. I'm excited for this year. I'm in a new position but I'm doing what my team needs me to do and I'm hoping to have an even better year than I did last year."
How does it feel to be a junior on the team?
"It's scary. I feel like I just started college and was just a freshman. Looking back it, I've grown so much and I'm not the same person that I was. I still don't see myself as a junior yet, but I'm an upperclassman and I need to be a positive role model for the younger girls."
What are your goals for the team and individually this season?
"As a team, I want us to be a top-25 program and I know it's possible if we keep doing the correct things. Individually, I just want to give my teammates my all no matter what position I'm playing."
Was there anything in particular that you wanted to work on this summer for the season?
"I've been focusing on my eye-work when blocking to be able to key on more than one hitter."
What age did you start playing volleyball?
"I started playing my sophomore year of high school."
How did you decide on your jersey number 30?
"I love the number 3, but it was already taken so I picked number 30 to keep a 3 in the number."
What's your favorite sport other than volleyball?
"I like to watch basketball and also gymnastics. I would love to be a gymnast. It's a hard sport and I think they're so legit."
What's something people don't know about you?
"I used to think that I could sing well enough to be on American Idol."
Players Mentioned
MB
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