by: Jane Wilde

Humor Editor

Division III University of California, Santa Cruz Volleyball commit Sean Slover is setting up for success this year on the court and in the classroom. Slover’s interest in volleyball began in middle school when his sister, Hannah Slover, first introduced him to the sport. “I always watched her play tournaments,” he said. “We also have a volleyball net in our backyard, so she would have friends over to play, and I would join.” Shortly after, Slover started playing his own tournaments in club volleyball for Bay to Bay’s 18-1 team.
Slover has been on the high school team since freshman year and went into his senior year elected as co-captain alongside teammate and fellow senior Riley Nyguen. Stepping into the leadership role was no small feat for Slover. However, because he and Nguyen have been on the team together since freshman year, he says they work exceptionally well together as co-captains. Referring to what his favorite aspect of being a co-captain is, he said, “Having people look up to me, and when people ask me for advice or help on different skills.”
Slover loves high school volleyball for several reasons, one being because it “feels like another family.” His favorite memory with his team is when they defeated Santa Cruz High in the open Central Coast Section and qualified for Norcals. Before games, the tight-knit team listens to In and Out by Lud Foe and spends time in the team room. They are involved in many bonding activities, including after their senior night, where they had a meal and underclassmen gave heartfelt speeches.
After graduation, Slover plans to continue his volleyball career at UCSC while studying business management with hopes of going into the sales field. One of the biggest reasons Slover chose UCSC was the team atmosphere. “I really liked how the team looked on the bench. The whole team seemed really good,” he said. In addition to the athletic opportunities, Slover was drawn to the natural beauty of the campus as well as its proximity to home. Slover remarked that he liked being close to home because his parents could come watch games.

Slover is not shy to try all the things Santa Cruz has to offer; as he pointed out, “I’m just excited to be close to the beach, and to go mountain biking.” In addition to learning to mountain bike, Slover is interested in getting into surfing. “I don’t really go to Santa Cruz often, so it’s kind of a new area to me. So it’ll be fun,” he said. Outside of volleyball, Slover enjoys golfing at Los Lagos and Deep Cliff as well as playing beach volleyball.

Despite an overuse injury that sidelined him for the last few weeks of his senior season, Slover remains proud of what the team has accomplished this year, including defeating one of the league’s top teams. From the court to the classroom, Slover has a bright future ahead of him.