Last Tuesday Siena beat Merrimack 64-54 in the MAAC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Saints made 3 NCAA tourney appearances in a row under Coach Fran McCaffery from 2008-2010 but had to wait 16 years to get back there this month. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Siena dancer Julianna Volk about being a captain and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Rotterdam, NY: what made you choose Siena? It is a close-knit community. I own a dance studio, and a lot of the parents whose kids are enrolled went to Siena.
You are majoring in management with a track in sports management: how did you choose those subjects? The dance studio I grew up in was a family-run business. I played a few sports as a kid so I find sports management very interesting: my professor was also a big influence on that.
You are a SR: what is the post-graduation plan? I will be going for my masters’ in business administration.
You are captain of the dance team: what is the key to being a good leader? Listening to everyone else to see where they are coming from. Our coach makes sure we look good, so I just try to understand what everyone is going through.
You made the Dean’s List a couple of years ago: how do you balance your work on the dance team with your work in the classroom? Time management is the key. Practice is from 7-10 and school comes 1st: our coaches are very adamant about us getting our work done before we show up.
Last Tuesday in the MAAC tourney title game Siena had a 10-PT win over Merrimack to clinch the title: what was your reaction when the final buzzer sounded, and what has the reaction been like on campus this week? As a senior it feels like a great ending to my college career. People doubted this team, but they showed they could fight back and win. We are having a selection party on Sunday so there is a lot of hype/excitement on campus.
In 2024 the Saints only won 4 games: could you have ever believed back then that just 2 years later they would make it to the NCAA tourney? Yes…with a new coach in Gerry McNamara. He incorporates the fans/alumni, puts his best foot forward, and wants all of us to support the team.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? We decide by seniority/skill so I will be going with my fellow seniors. We are excited to see some history go down!
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for next week? Not yet: just waiting to see where we are going, but we will put on a very good performance.
Any predictions for next week? Everyone is just hoping we are going somewhere warm!
