Freshman defensive specialist Erica Lowery explains the origin of one of her superstitions.
What are some activities you've taken up during quarantine?
"My dad and I, we've done a few projects. I've gotten a lot closer to my family obviously, just being with them, and I tan a lot. I used to be in an art class in high school, so I started doing that for fun again, too. … Mostly portrait stuff, that's mostly what we were learning, so I'm finishing these black-and-white portraits that we were doing when I was in high school."
Why do you wear two layers of socks when you play?
"I don't really remember when it started, I think it was in high school. After a normal day at school I'm wearing normal socks and whenever I was in a rush I would just start not taking my socks off and just slipping on my volleyball socks on top of them, and I just thought it made me play better, so I started doing that in club. Ever since then – it's probably been three or four years – I've never not played with two layers of socks. It just feels weird if I'm not wearing them both. … I don't really know if it helps, but it feels weird if I'm not [wearing both pairs]."
What is the team's attitude going into the fall?
"A lot of the team has anxiety for when we come back -- we obviously know we're not going to be as good as when we left. It's going to be a work in progress, so there's some anxiety about that. But for the most part, everybody's just so excited because of how much time we've had taken away from us, so when we're there, I don't think any of us are going to take anything for granted."
What are some activities you've taken up during quarantine?
"My dad and I, we've done a few projects. I've gotten a lot closer to my family obviously, just being with them, and I tan a lot. I used to be in an art class in high school, so I started doing that for fun again, too. … Mostly portrait stuff, that's mostly what we were learning, so I'm finishing these black-and-white portraits that we were doing when I was in high school."
Why do you wear two layers of socks when you play?
"I don't really remember when it started, I think it was in high school. After a normal day at school I'm wearing normal socks and whenever I was in a rush I would just start not taking my socks off and just slipping on my volleyball socks on top of them, and I just thought it made me play better, so I started doing that in club. Ever since then – it's probably been three or four years – I've never not played with two layers of socks. It just feels weird if I'm not wearing them both. … I don't really know if it helps, but it feels weird if I'm not [wearing both pairs]."
What is the team's attitude going into the fall?
"A lot of the team has anxiety for when we come back -- we obviously know we're not going to be as good as when we left. It's going to be a work in progress, so there's some anxiety about that. But for the most part, everybody's just so excited because of how much time we've had taken away from us, so when we're there, I don't think any of us are going to take anything for granted."