Athlete of the Week

Vanessa Herald, ES '02 Women's Volleyball Outside Hitter Born: Pasadena, Calif. Height: 5' 10" Favorite class at Yale: Portuguese 130 Major: Linguistics Favorite band: Indigo Girls Favorite movie: The Princess Bride Favorite sport: "Aside from volleyball, probably log running." Favorite Yale publication: The Herald

When asked to describe her feelings over how well she and her team have been playing, Herald replied with characteristic modesty. "Obviously, it's great...especially if we're bringing more people to our games." The volleyball team opens its highly anticipated Ivy League campaign against Columbia on Fri., Oct. 6, in Payne Whitney Gymnasium, and follows with a visit from Cornell on Sat., Oct. 7. Herald—a volleyball lifer who spiked her first ball in the fifth grade—hopes to rediscover the youthful exuberance that propelled her team to triumph over Dartmouth in the first round of last fall's Ivy League playoffs. "I can remember the dog-pile on the court after the match," she said. "It was only the first round, but there still was so much heart and passion at the time."

The weather forecast for this weekend, though seemingly irrelevant within the confines of Payne Whitney, bodes well for the Bulldogs. Catching a glimpse of the grey New Haven sky, Herald exclaimed, "I love playing in the rain." If all goes according to the meteorological plan, the sun doesn't figure to shine brightly on either the Lions or the Big Red.

A self-proclaimed "big nerd," Herald makes a second home on the seventh floor of the Sterling stacks, where she occupies her mind with phonology, languages, and various other linguistic complexities. Herald does not, however, thrive solely in isolation. When she feels particularly outgoing, Herald relocates to "one of those big, plastic, cheap-leather chairs" adjacent to the stairwells on the lower floor of Cross Campus Library. From her new, brighter vantage point, she engages fully in people-watching, her favorite hobby. A part-time job and community outreach comprise what little time remains of her extracurricular life. She fulfills her artistic nature through drawings and graphic designs, and she satisfies her daily cravings through multiple scoops of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream or the occasional Ben and Jerry's Mint Oreo Cookie.

The interview complete, Herald, surrounded by an air of contentment, finally relaxes in her chair, a humble smile on her face. "I'm basically a really happy person," she concluded. That she is, and much more.

Photo by Rebecca Rosenthal.

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