The Justice

Media Credit: Julian Agin-Liebes

It's hard not to commiserate with the volleyball team's outside hitter Paige Blasco '11, who spent her rookie season recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in her knee, a torn meniscus and a torn labrum in her shoulder.

While the injuries forced her to the sidelines, she took on the role of manager for the Judges last season, which allowed her to travel and be on the roster, but it was still merely a consolation prize.

"Sitting on the side sucks, but I think I was able to see what needs to be changed and what kind of leader our team needs, which was kind of motivating, and [I] still got to be a part of the team," she said.

Inserted into the starting lineup immediately this season, Blasco, who leads the team with an average of 4.03 points per set, started contributing from the season's opening match. Despite admitting to being nervous in her first match, Blasco led the Judges with nine digs in her collegiate debut Aug. 30.

Blasco carried her success through last weekend's Brandeis Invitational, where she made the all-tournament team. She established a new career high with 19 kills in the match against Williams College and had a team-high .485 hitting percentage with 18 kills and two errors in the Judges' victory against Trinity College. Blasco also tallied two double-digit dig games during the tournament.

Opponents had to deal with her strong hitting from the back row, aided by her twin sister Abby Blasco's '11 sets.

"[Abby and I] definitely have a weird kind of connection that comes from playing together for so long," Paige Blasco said.

Now that she's back on the court, Blasco is determined to lead by example.

"I want to be a strong go-to player for the team and a good leader that doesn't necessarily have to be talkative but can lead through making good plays," she said.

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