Column | Finally, I can be a fan again

There were only so many challenges that my former editors Stephen Thompson and Dalton Coppola could prepare me for when I first started writing just under two years ago.

They told me that I’d use passive voice incessantly, especially in my early articles — they were right. They told me that I’d be a little freaked out in interviews and that I’d disagree with some edits — again, they were right. 

But those are the challenges I subconsciously anticipated from the start — I think it’s natural for a new and unfamiliar position. I’m still eternally grateful for Stephen and Dalton’s guidance and kindness early on. They’re the reason I pursued becoming an editor in the first place. 

Still, even with all the warnings and training they could provide, there was one thing they couldn’t fully prepare me for — dropping my fandom. 

It’s hard to accurately describe what it’s like covering white-knuckle volleyball games or triumphant basketball victories and having to just sit there in silence and write. I’ll admit, I’m far from perfect — sometimes the crowd and the moment are too much to resist. 

I’ve fist pumped, and even audibly cheered during games. Not to mention the sometimes overly optimistic wording that finds its way into my articles when I’m feeling extra enthusiastic. Unprofessional? Yes, but I’m still a student after all, let me have some fun!

As a brand new writer, I took on the volleyball beat in my first semester with TPN. Did I know anything about volleyball or the rules of the game when I volunteered? Absolutely not. 

In fact, the moment after Stephen and Dalton let me know I’d take over the beat, I hopped off our Zoom call, turned to my girlfriend, Eva, who played in high school and point blank asked her to give me a crash course on the rules. 

All I really knew about Pitt volleyball was that they were incredibly good and that I’d be able to separate my fandom from my work pretty easily considering my unfamiliarity with the team. Or so I thought. 

I remember my first live coverage vividly — No. 4 Pitt vs. No. 12 BYU in front of a completely filled Fitzgerald Field House. I’d prepared for hours before the opening serve, but I quickly realized that it’s kind of hard to research a volleyball game when you hardly know what a kill is. 

Still, I sat there nervously in the first row of the makeshift media section in the bleachers with my laptop on one leg and notepad on the other. Pitt won with relative ease, I got my first of many interviews with head coach Dan Fisher and I left the Field House with a new favorite sport. 

For the rest of that season, I was more often than not the only writer in those first three rows of bleachers reserved for the media. Despite Pitt’s dominance on the national stage, it seemed as though the volleyball beat wasn’t just mine for TPN, but for Pittsburgh sports media as a whole. 

The press row became much busier for their NCAA tournament run to the Final Four, but I felt that for the whole year the team deserved coverage that parallels what teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin get from their own local media. 

For that reason, I wrote what I figured was just a run of the mill volleyball column the following summer after the season. The story didn’t make any crazy proclamations, but rather asserted what every NCAA volleyball fan like myself felt following an incredible 2021 season. 

“There may not be a sport on earth that is as exciting on a point-to-point basis as volleyball is, and it’s time for mainstream sports media and investors to realize that.” 

With every year that NCAA volleyball continues to grow, my sentiment grows stronger. I recommend that anyone who hasn’t watched volleyball before, just give it one set — you’ll be hooked in no time. 

I covered the team again last season, this time as editor, and found another volleyball-crazed journalist and friend in former Pitt Newser Dominic Campbell. I’ll proudly say we gave the team the coverage they deserved, and hopefully the sports media in Pittsburgh will continue shining a spotlight on the wonderful players and coaches that make Pitt volleyball the spectacle that it is. 

But as for me, I’m hanging up my spikes — or my notepad — and I’m more than ready for my next chapter in sports. 

Covering Pitt volleyball unexpectedly gave me so much joy and purpose outside of the classroom that I couldn’t have dreamt of two years ago. I think a fear student journalists sometimes have is that they won’t be viewed as “real journalists.” But my editors, readers and volleyball sports information directors Carly Weisenbach and Anthony Brandt made me feel as though my role was important from day one. 

Next year, I’ll be back in Pittsburgh, but this time in the stands as a volleyball season ticket holder. 

I’ll still watch with the analyzing eye of a former writer, and maybe I’ll even tweet an opinion or two mid-match. But I think I’d rather do it with a beverage and a snack in hand, standing with the fans at match point against Louisville. 

I’ve loved every second of my time at The Pitt News, both as writer and editor. I couldn’t end this thing without thanking Rebecca Johnson and Betul Tuncer for their guidance, flexibility and patience throughout this wild year of Pitt sports along with all my former editors and writers who made this experience so enjoyable. Thank you also to anyone who’s taken the time to read my articles — especially my mom, dad, aunt, girlfriend and other friends and family, who gave me the motivation to continue writing. I also want to give a special shout out to my Twitter volleyball friends who further welcomed me into the world of NCAA volleyball.

As I depart, I know the sports desk is in even better hands with my dear friends Brian Sherry and Jermaine Sykes at the helm. I can’t wait to read what the staff and the next volleyball beat writer will publish next year.

But finally, after two fun, but challenging, years of writing, I’m ready to just be a fan again. I can’t wait to see you all at the Fitz for next year’s season opener!