The women’s volleyball team is currently riding a three-game wining streak, with decisive victories over Ivy League foes Dartmouth, Columbia and Cornell. A large part of its success can be attributed to senior rightside hitter Taylor Carroll. Carroll is currently fifth on the team in kills, with 25, and third with a .144 hitting percentage. Contributor Abby Levene caught up with the ultra-versatile Carroll to discuss quirky teammates, pre-game rituals and everything in between.
Q: What was your ‘welcome to college’ moment?
A: Before I went to my freshman athletic physical in Caldwell, I looked at a campus map to plan my route from Forbes and decided that taking Faculty Road on a bike was definitely the fastest way to go. I ended up battling the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto on the hilliest pedestrian path on campus and was soaked when I finally got there.
Q: What is the greatest highlight of your sports career?
A: During my sophomore year, when we became the first team in Ivy League history to go 14-0 in the season.
Q: Who is your quirkiest teammate? Why?
A: That would be Ms. Polly Alice Korbel, one of our lovely freshmen. Her Russian accent is so good she actually almost had us all convinced that she is originally from there and went to boarding school in Texas. Also, she doesn’t like wearing shoes, especially at breakfast.
Q: What has been your most embarrassing moment at Princeton?
A; Whatever it was, it’s been repressed because I can’t think of anything right now. I guess I’m what you might call clumsy?
Q: What’s the best part about being an athlete on campus?
A: Having at least two hours set out each day during which I have to play my favorite game in the world with a bunch of girls that I absolutely love.
Q: What’s the worst part about being an athlete on campus?
A: Taking those two-plus hours spent at practice out of the time I get to sleep in order to stay on top of schoolwork.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not practicing?
A: Making impromptu trips to Carousel for anytime-breakfast, catching up on my favorite blog (cuteoverload.com) and sleeping in my cave of a bedroom.
Q: If not volleyball, what other sport would you play?
A: I actually really wish I could play beach volleyball. It’s much harder physically than indoor and totally a different game strategically. But all volleyball aside, I also played basketball growing up, so I’d probably still be involved with that.
Q: What would you do if you were the coach for a day?
A: Exactly what my dad used to do when he coached my softball teams growing up: Take the team to the 7-Eleven across the street for Slurpees and Sour Punch Straws!
Q: What’s your favorite class of those you’ve taken at Princeton so far?
A: My freshman seminar, FRS 138: Cultural Revolutions of the Sixties taught [in spring 2007] by Professor Wilmerding, who used to be the curator and deputy director of the National Gallery. Our class drove a luxury short bus down to the gallery for a field trip!
Q: Do you have a particular pre-game ritual?
A: At home, we dance to the “Sweet Caroline” techno-remix right before game time.
Q: Is there any music in particular that inspires you?
A: Not in particular, but “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & The Gang is always nice to hear on the warmup playlist.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
A: I have that Tila Tequila single from a couple of years ago. I don’t know how it got on there, but it is.
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