Everyone in their family has a cool aunt that they can joke around with.
She makes the family laugh time and time again, but every once in a while she also doles out good advice. The spirit of the joking and caring aunt on Pace’s volleyball team is embodied by senior media and communications major Tamilee Webb.
When Pace’s volleyball team set, spiked, and bumped their way to the NE-10 semifinals, Webb was the one that you saw shouting words of motivation at her teammates. While she also put up 267 kills on the year, it was Webb’s words of encouragement that contributed to the team in a larger way.
“I would say motivating is my most important role on the team,” Webb said. “It is important to help get everyone’s spirits up especially when we’re down. You want to be angry but it doesn’t help and if everyone’s emotions are down it becomes a lot harder to win.”
You couldn’t get Webb to say anything bad about her teammates if you tried because of the family-type bond she has with several of them.
Take the relationship between Webb and senior elementary education major Nora Rugova, for example. Webb and Rugova have spent the last six years of their lives playing volleyball together. And according to Webb, she and Rugova will each tell you the other is a better player.
“Nora is one of the most humble people you will ever meet,” Webb said. “We’re best friends and roommates, we see each other every day, and we argue about whom is the best, but we each always say that the other is better.”
In fact, Webb said that she might not even have come to Pace if it was not for Rugova. Webb was still undecided about where to play volleyball, but her club coach at Ardsley High School and Rugova convinced her to become a Setter.
Those who are still not convinced need only to talk to Webb about the play of her teammate senior biology major Elyse Rowland. For the Hartsdale native, there are few people that she trusts as much as Rowland.
“It’s a good relationship,” Webb said. “I trust her to be behind me, we have a saying that I protect her face and she protects my back.”
The relationships Webb has with her teammates stretch from the summit of seniors to the base of freshman on the team. With a total of seven freshmen on the roster, Webb sees herself as a person who helps focus the seven different personalities through leadership.
“If you show them that you’re willing to work hard they follow that example,” Webb said. “They are all funny and have their own personalities; it makes you learn how to adhere to each other.”
When Webb is with her volleyball family, winning the game matters more than personal accomplishments. Webb recalled tearing her ACL in a game against the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University her freshman year; all for just one point in the third set.
“We were down and I really wanted to get that kill because we were almost out of it,” Webb said. “I did get the kill and we went on to win. I was happier that we won than I was worried about my ACL.”
Even though her season is over, there are other goals Webb has in mind. While her major is communications, Webb said she wants to be a nurse for her career after school. While Webb would have majored in nursing if she had the chance, it would have prevented her from playing volleyball.
Whatever studies come after graduation in May, Webb will forever have the memories of dinners and discussions with her family away from home.