By Harry Minium
Madeline Rudd isn't sure whether she wants to be a doctor or a physician's assistant but is drawn to medicine because of her desire to help people. And she knows whatever path she chooses will require a rigorous undergraduate academic regimen.
So, when she was sorting through more than half a dozen Division I volleyball scholarship offers two years ago, she looked for a university that excels in STEM-H.
STEM-H stands for science, technology, engineering, math and health sciences, and those of you who didn't go to Old Dominion University or graduated a long time ago may not know this is an area in which ODU has become a national leader.
More than 40 percent of ODU's 24,233 students major in STEM-H and the University is the second in the state when it comes to the percentage of STEM-H majors who graduate. ODU either is set to open, constructing or designing nearly $230 million worth of STEM-H facilities, including new chemistry, health sciences and biology buildings.
"I have family in Virginia Beach and all I heard from everyone I talked to was how much they loved ODU," said Rudd, a redshirt freshman from Apex, N.C. "Once I looked up what they had to offer in STEM-H majors, I knew whatever I want to do is here."
She was the first volleyball player to commit to ODU and most of her teammates have similar stories. Seven of ODU's 14 players are STEM-H majors, including three who major in in biology. They aspire to become biochemists, nurses and engineers.
Three more major in business management or finance while three others are in international studies or political science.
Alessia Sgherza, a graduate student from Italy, is working on a master's degree in exercise science.
Guided by academic adviser Kristin Eden, the 14 volleyball players combined for a 3.72 GPA in the fall semester, by far the best among ODU's athletic teams.
Having all that grey matter in one locker room might help explain why ODU is the surprise of Conference USA volleyball.
Playing its first season, ODU's startup program was picked to finish last in the Conference USA East Division. That wasn't surprising. ODU had never played a game and the 14 players had all been together only a few months.
Yet the Monarchs are 7-6 overall, 4-4 in the conference and have won five of their last eight matches.
Coach Fred Chao has made it a point to recruit solid students, but he says the school is doing much of the recruiting for him.
"ODU has such a great reputation, it excels so much in those areas, that when recruits do their homework, they are drawn to us," Chao said.
Not only is ODU winning, it is doing so with poise. In their last home match, a 3-2 victory over UNC-Wilmington, the Monarchs rallied to win the last two sets, clinching the final set, 15-12, on a Sgherza kill.
ODU recently swept a home series with Florida Atlantic, again winning the last two sets in both matches. Sgherza had a career-high 24 kills.
Watching Chao coach and the Monarchs play in the final minutes of a close match could be a lesson for every team in every sport. Chao is composed and low key. His players don't appear anxious or stressed out. It's almost eerie how calm they are.
Part of that comes from Chao's coaching philosophy.
"We made a conscious decision to be positive," he said. "We didn't want to be punitive. When we make errors in practice, they are welcome because then you can have a teaching point.
"There's no added pressure. It's not like we've trained them to be anxious. We've trained them to be calm."
Rudd said that on occasion, Chao will tell a joke during a late-game timeout.
"All of his jokes are bad," she said.
That proved to be true in the late going against UNC-Wilmington. Chao said he was "digging" the music being played in the ODU Volleyball Center and when his team came together, he said: "Let's not be the singer songwriter out there. Let's be the rock and roll group and be aggressive."
As for his sense of humor, it's not that bad. It's not unusual for him to walk into practice to the sound of the "Imperial March," the Darth Vader theme from the Star War movies.
Rudd grew up playing volleyball and was a four-year starter at Apex High. She says the poise with which this team plays something she's never seen nor experienced.
When the pressure is on, "it's like a calmness comes over us," she said. "It's weird how it happens.
"We focus on our own jobs because we don't need to focus on anything else. We know our teammates are going to take care of their jobs. We're a very close team."
That togetherness on the court may be in part because of togetherness off the court. Although players come from Italy, Argentina, Australia, Russia and six American states, they have bonded.
Most of the team lives off campus and when they aren't in practice or studying, they're together. That's part of the "bubble" the team has formed during the pandemic, but it's also because the 14 players genuinely like each other.
"We love to cook for each other," Rudd said. "That's one of the biggest things we do together.
"And we watch The Bachelor together, too," she added with a laugh.
ODU has six matches left, including home matches on March 21 and 22 against Marshall. ODU must finish among the top four teams in the East Division to compete in the Conference USA tournament at Southern Mississippi the first week of April.
How far can ODU go this season? Chao said his goal isn't to chase victories but to improve every day. But suffice it to say that winning a conference title would be a Herculean task. Western Kentucky, the East Division leader, is 14-0 and ranked 21st nationally. The Hilltoppers come to Norfolk on March 26-27 for two matches.
"Our players have developed a culture in which we're pushing limits every day," Chao said. "We're working extremely hard and are playing volleyball the way I think it should be played.
"Hopefully, we will continue to win games."
As well as excel in the classroom.
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Future Biochemists, Engineers, Biologists and Business Leaders Play for ODU Volleyball Team
