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After a seven-month hiatus from volleyball during her sophomore year, experiencing personnel changes and contributing to a positive change in Virginia Tech’s volleyball culture, Sr. Annabel Zier leads the way in fostering a strong work ethic and confidence in the team.
Most recently, the team’s three-set win against Boston College raised its overall record to 9-5 and was the team’s first ACC achievement of the season.
“I think it helped us a lot to build our confidence, especially since the season wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be last year,” Zier said of the season so far. “All the work we put in this summer and spring really showed this season, especially getting our first conference win.”
Zier explains that confidence remains a big part of a team’s ability to win, explaining how easy it is to slip into a challenging mental space after a loss. Specifically, she explains how the head coach Marcy Byers reminds the team to mentally put themselves in a better position to win.
“I think the biggest thing for us is our confidence individually and as a team,” Zier said. “Like confidence and belief in our skills that we’re good enough – confidence that we can win and have the ability to win games because that’s something we’ve lacked in the past. So, I think we’re kind of changing that mindset that we shouldn’t let them embrace us and lose us. We shouldn’t do that. We can win.”
However, the lack of confidence can also stem from something deeper. During COVID-19, the team went through a tough time, losing players not only to COVID-19, but also to mental health. In particular, Zier recalls the rise of mental health struggles during COVID-19.
During her sophomore season, Zier decided she needed to step off the court and focus on getting better, citing coming back stronger in the spring as one of her proudest career moments.
Zier now uses her experience to help others struggling with mental health and encourages them to get help.
“I think it’s hard for people to even admit that there’s something going on outside of volleyball that they need to take care of,” Zier said of the fears surrounding getting help. “And it’s even harder for someone to give up something they love to focus on themselves. So, just let people know it’s okay to back off. You will have support and no one will judge you or think differently about you and your sport will always be there for you to come back to.”
In women’s sports, Zier notes that there’s more pressure to look a certain way, which can have an additional impact on mental health — particularly confidence, self-esteem and body image. She notes that everyone needs to change the perception of these topics so that women don’t feel pressured to adhere to these standards.
But despite the added pressure in women’s sports, she also feels the support of the Blacksburg community.
“You see a lot of disparity between men and women in society all the time,” Zier said. “I think women’s sport is a place for us to work together as women and perform. And having a community behind us that supports all of our women’s sports shows that we’re supported and we’re capable of doing things regardless of what people say.”
Zier has also spent most of her career contributing to the team’s positive culture through her strong work ethic, which she sets an example for the younger girls on the team.
Recalling her high school volleyball coach approaching her, Zier, who is 6-foot-2, jokes that the coach said she should play because of her height. Zier started playing the sport for fun, but after realizing her skills and potential to play in college, she began putting in the hours to get to where she is now.
Finally, as Zier prepares to graduate in the spring, she and the other seniors gently nudge the younger girls on the team into leadership roles so they don’t feel rushed into them next year.
She also reflected on the personnel and program changes in volleyball throughout her career and how she wants to be remembered for her efforts to make the program better.
“I just want to be remembered as part of the group that took a step toward changing the culture of volleyball at Virginia Tech,” Zier said as he reflected on his time at Tech. “We went through a bit of a rough patch for a while, but with our new coaching staff we’ve had a complete change in the culture of the team. That’s been the majority of my career here — putting my time and skills into completely turning the program around.”
After leading the way with confidence, work ethic and self-care, Zier’s mark on Virginia Tech volleyball won’t soon be forgotten.
Writing a HERstory campaign
Coinciding with Women’s History Month in March and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Virginia Tech Athletics launched a multi-platform brand campaign celebrating the incredible achievements of its female student-athletes, both past and present, while inspiring the next generation of women who strive to achieve their dreams through athletics. In partnership with Truist, Tech will share stories about its past and current female student-athletes throughout the calendar year. The incredible moments and accomplishments of women throughout the years in Virginia Tech Athletics will be celebrated, ranging from podcast interviews to feature stories and more.
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supports Annabel Zier and the rest of her teammates by doing a Virginia Tech volleyball set bet.
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