Female athlete of the week

Name: Michelle Rossi Sport: Volleyball Year: Sophomore Major: Undecided Favorite Oakland spot:… Name: Michelle Rossi Sport: Volleyball Year: Sophomore Major: Undecided Favorite Oakland spot: Antoon’s Favorite food: Pizza Favorite sports besides Soccer: Skiing Favorite movie: “Now and Then”

For Michelle Rossi, volleyball started as a family affair.

“My sisters both played and my mom coached,” Rossi said, “so I started going to my sisters’ practices and tried to play with them for as long as I can remember.”

Now the sophomore, who says some of her favorite hobbies are skiing, swimming and shopping, is an instrumental part of the volleyball team’s success in its own home, the Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers are 9-1 at home this season.

Rossi is also the second Panther to play the libero position in the history of the school.

The position allows “a defensive person to play the whole game and be considered a starter,” Rossi said. “I don’t have to be substituted in and I can serve for one person.”

She also said she is used to going in and playing the back row for both of the Panthers’ middle hitters, Meagan Dooley and Jessica Moses.

After an impressive freshman season, where Rossi finished the year 10th in the Big East in digs per game, she has already made strides of improvement in her second year. Averaging 5.3 digs per game, she is currently first in the Big East in digs per game this season, with no one else in the conference averaging more than 4.95.

Rossi, who said some of her favorite TV shows are “Law and Order,” “CSI: Miami” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” has played stellar defense this year, frustrating many opposing players with her digging abilities.

Her effort, which consists of her diving to save a volley or racing to all ends of the court, is a big reason for her success. It also doesn’t go unnoticed by the fans, who often cheer her in mid-volley.

Rossi and the Panthers now stand at 14-13 and 7-6 in the Big East, which places them 8th in the conference.

“We have had a very shaky season so far but we’re getting towards the end [of the season], and that’s when it really counts,” Rossi said.

The Panthers finish the regular season this weekend at home against Saint Louis on Friday and Rutgers on Sunday.

“Everything we have done up until this point has just been to prepare us for now, when it really matters, and I think we will finish the season strong,” she added.