Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early will become more isolated after midnight. Low around 75F. SW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..
Thunderstorms, some locally heavy early will become more isolated after midnight. Low around 75F. SW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Allison Gould moved from Chicago to Arizona with a torn meniscus before her junior season. She took on the role of manager for the Thunder volleyball team where her teammates fell in love with her positive attitude. Now healthy, she’s a captain on the team and someone everyone looks up to. (Dave Minton/AFN staff)
Allison Gould moved from Chicago to Arizona with a torn meniscus before her junior season. She took on the role of manager for the Thunder volleyball team where her teammates fell in love with her positive attitude. Now healthy, she’s a captain on the team and someone everyone looks up to. (Dave Minton/AFN staff)
Allison Gould was determined to make a good first impression at Desert Vista when she and her family moved to Arizona from Chicago last year, just before her junior season.
She didn’t waste any time introducing herself to first-year coach Audra Slemmer during the Thunder’s first summer open gym session. Slemmer joked Gould barely let her walk through the gym doors before she was greeted with a wide smile, outreached hand and an infectious personality.
But that’s how Gould is, no matter the circumstance. And that’s why despite her having to take on the role of team manager last year due to a torn meniscus that left her unable to compete, she embraced the opportunity. She knew her time would come. Slemmer, the other coaches and her teammates did, too.
“I was like, ‘Next year will be your year,’” Gould said. “I knew if I just kept coming day in, day out it would pay off. Thinking back, I’m grateful to my past self for pushing through it.”
Gould was excited for her move to Arizona. She was excited about the opportunity to make new friends and experience volleyball outside of Illinois and Chicago. But shortly before her move, she suffered the torn meniscus.
Thoughts of despair immediately ran through her head. She felt volleyball was the only way she would make friends at Desert Vista. She thought the team wouldn’t accept her because she was injured. She was on a good path heading into her junior season as she saw improvement in her game.
Then, she felt the pop.
“When I first felt the pop, I thought to myself, ‘This isn’t happening,’” Gould said. “I actually kicked my leg and put it back into place and played for a couple of weeks and basically tore it again.
“(Rehab) was long. It was a struggle.”
Even when Gould wasn’t able to play, she became a vocal leader. Her teammates fell in love with her positive attitude and relentless push for them to be the best versions of themselves on the court. It’s what she wanted for herself, too.
Her personality became infectious among the team. Her teammates began to root hard for her return, and she fed off that energy. So much so that when she was cleared by doctors, Slemmer and the staff had to dial her back during open gym training sessions.
“We were like, ‘Okay, you need to relax here,’” Slemmer said. “She tried out for club, she made a ones team at Storm and played for them. She came back in open gym, and we were like, ‘Holy cow, we did not expect this.’
“She’s that kid that you love telling the story because she’s that servant leadership for the whole season and she just carried her team with energy off the bench. Now she gets to be rewarded on the court.”
Since her return, Gould has ditched the knee brace and is back to 100%. Her positive attitude on the bench last season has transitioned well to the court, where she helped lead Desert Vista to a win in its season opener against Mesa at libero on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Just like she did when she was initially cleared, she flew around the court and dove for balls. After each point, whether it went to Desert Vista or not, the smile returned to her face as she continued to motivate her team through high fives and words of encouragement.
Slemmer said Gould has the same mindset in practice. Which is a major reason why her teammates voted her a captain this season.
Simply put, she’s the ultimate team player.
“She is such an energetic person like, you see her anytime on the court, on the bench, walking around campus, she always has a smile on her face and her energy is contagious,” senior Gabbi LeBlanc said. “She’s relentless. She’s diving into walls and always gets up with a smile. It’s inspiring to play with someone like that.”
Desert Vista’s team this season is young with just six seniors on the roster. Most of the key contributors from last year’s team graduated.
The Thunder were looking for standout players who can take over as a leader for the program. They found that in Gould. And it’s a role that she has come to love, along with the Desert Vista program as a whole.
Slemmer gave her an opportunity. The entire volleyball community has started to embrace her for her passion, infectious positive attitude and her eye-opening skill.
It’s exactly what she had hoped would happen when she moved from Chicago.
“If you guys hadn’t welcomed me and loved me like you did, I probably wouldn’t have come back here,” Gould said to Slemmer. “They welcomed me with open arms, and I am really thankful for that. This is what I wanted.”
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