Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Andi Jackson
Favorite team: Nebraska Volleyball
Favorite memory competing in sports: A unique memory during my career was celebrating my teammate Izzy Goebel setting the new school assist record. I had the opportunity to play amongst some of the best athletes in WTGVB program history. It was a home match, the whole gym was excited, and there’s nothing better than celebrating a teammate who deserves all the love and recognition.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One of our freshman middles dove headfirst into the ground while pursuing a ball in defense. The whole bench along with the entire varsity team laughed and it was a memorable bonding moment. (she’s totally fine and she laughed too)
Music on your playlist: My all-time favorite pre-game song is “Pump up the Jam.” I played it so many times on the bus that it became the team hype song this season.
Future plans: I hope to study political science and pursue a career in constitutional law.
Words to live by: “Trust God and His timing!”
One goal before turning 30: A dream of mine is to live in Washington DC and immerse myself in American government and politics as much as possible. Moving away from the Philly area and all my family would be hard, but I hope to spend at least some of my young adult life down in the nation’s capital.
One thing people don’t know about me: Although I love to get my team hyped with a big speaker in the back of the bus, there’s a few songs I tend to exclude from the team playlist. Reserved for my headphones only is the Hamilton soundtrack. I love musicals, especially Hamilton. If you ask my family, this wouldn’t be much of a secret, I often walk around the house belting song lyrics.
By Mary Jane Souder
Ava Stracuzzi is a student-athlete who is making a difference.
The William Tennent senior was a standout member of the girls’ volleyball team in the fall. But talk to Tennent athletic director John Creighton, and it’s abundantly clear – Stracuzzi’s fingerprints are on a whole more than just the volleyball team.
“She’s in athletic council, she’s in student government, she’s in Athletes Helping Athletes – she’s at seven or eight different places at one time,” Creighton said. “She just has so much drive. She’s a breath of fresh air.”
Stracuzzi is president of her senior class, and unlike politicians who routinely promise to improve the quality of
life of those they serve but too often forget that promise when elected, Stracuzzi’s first loyalty is to her fellow students.
“Coming off COVID, a lot of our upperclassmen when I was a freshman and sophomore – they didn’t really experience the events fully because it was all the weird COVID stuff,” Stracuzzi said. “We didn’t really have anyone to harp on us to get involved because they didn’t even know what it was like. Our class was really key – at least at Tennent – in bringing back those spirit events and things like that.”
Stracuzzi is a catalyst, making the most of her leadership role.
“I’m heavily involved in extra curriculars at my school,” she said. “I’m class president, I’m president of athletic council. The two of those are probably my most passionate activities.
“Through those, I’ve kind of been able to spearhead projects I’m interested in just through the relationships I made with different teachers and advisors at school and our administrators. I’ve gained a lot of relationships to the point where now I’ll send emails late at night and say, ‘Oh, I saw this on-line’ or ‘I have this idea – can we start this at Tennent?’ It’s been awesome the past couple of years of getting to plan different things.”
Mention Stracuzzi’s name to volleyball coach Brian Bassler, and the veteran coach acknowledges her role on the team went beyond her contributions on the court.
“Ava is all business,” he said. “We have our Panther Camp every summer where the fourth graders through incoming ninth graders are eligible to come to summer camps for a week.
“We really promote our girls. The coaches are there as directors, but we want our girls to run it. Ava would be the kid that gets out there – led the stretches, lined up the girls and got them in their places, started setting up drills.
“We had 115 campers this past summer from all over the place. All our girls are amazing, but Ava was at the forefront, for sure. She just has tremendous dedication. She’s a kid that comes in – if I wasn’t there, she could have ran the practice probably.”
Volleyball a late arrival
Softball was Stracuzzi’s sport of choice as a youngster.
“That stemmed from my parents were baseball and softball players,” she said of Ashley and Kenny Stracuzzi. “I feel like most kids played soccer when they were younger, but that was never me.
“It was t-ball and then right into softball. When I was 10, I started playing travel competitive softball, which is
year round for the most part. I was playing indoor in the winter and then fall we were still outside. I never really had time for other sports.”
Until, that is, she was encouraged by her parents to give volleyball a try.
“My parents graduated from Tennent and knew Bassler from their years at Tennent,” Stracuzzi said. “They wanted me to try something new as I was entering high school. Fall is the lightest season for softball.
“I played volleyball on Klinger’s middle school team, but it was the COVID year, so we did a few outdoor clinics, but there wasn’t really a season, so I didn’t really have much experience at all. I went to camp that Bassler hosts for middle school age girls going into my freshman year. That was the only experience I had.”
Stracuzzi earned a spot on the JV team as a freshman.
“All the other girls that made the team from my class had a ton of club experience, and they were all pretty seasoned volleyball players already,” she said. “(Coach Bassler) said, ‘I’m taking a chance – you’re an athlete, so we’ll see how this goes.’
“Even then as I started to develop my freshman year, he would razz me all the time – ‘Why don’t you drop softball?’ It used to bother me, and I’d be like, ‘No, softball is my thing. I want to keep softball.’
“The softball world is really tough. If you’re not all in, it’s really hard mentally. Just with parents and coaches and the kind of external factors other than just playing. That became a little bit too much. It kind of outweighed my passion for the sport.”
As a sophomore, Stracuzzi was a swing player for the volleyball team.
“After that season, I went to my friend’s club tryouts (with Pinnacle Volleyball Academy),” the Tennent senior said. “I couldn’t commit to the team fully because of softball, so I ended up making the coach’s A team, but I was only practicing with them, and I went to a few tournaments.
“Softball during that club volleyball season had dwindled away for me, so that’s when I quit, so I was able to become more involved in volleyball.”
A remarkable transformation
Stracuzzi’s transformation in volleyball was immediate, and as a junior, she was the starting middle for the Panthers.
“That changes everything when you play year round,” Bassler said. “When she came back (junior year), she was an automatic varsity starter and contributor.
“Again, she’s just the type of kid you can plug in and play. By her senior year she really could play any position. Gosh, if you ever saw a kid in ninth grade to 12th grade – I’ve never seen a bigger jump than her. Other coaches would even come up to me and say, ‘Holy cow, is that the same kid? That kid is unbelievable.’ That’s who she is, and she’s the same way in the classroom. She strives for excellence.”
Stracuzzi and her close friend Isabelle Goebel were named captains as both juniors and seniors, and if Stracuzzi has one regret, it’s that she didn’t begin playing it seriously sooner.
“I definitely regretted in hindsight because of how much I love volleyball now,” she said. “I feel like I lost my passion for softball in middle school, but since I had played it so long – it was hard for me to give up because of how much work I put in. I wish I had taken a leap of faith sooner.”
As much as she loves playing the sport, it’s the culture surrounding volleyball that is even more significant.
“It is just so different,” she said. “I was trying to convey this to some of my teammates, but they didn’t really have a comparison.
“They’ve always been volleyball players, but being in the softball world – at least in my experience – it became really toxic. The better you got in softball the more toxic the environment was just because everyone’s trying to get to the top.
“Every sport has its level of intensity, but volleyball – the culture around it is so positive. Even I think it can be pinpointed in how we high five after every point. People who don’t play volleyball are like – that’s so excessive or it’s wacky, but I really think it’s representative of the culture surrounding volleyball. It’s always uplifting each other. It’s just a very positive environment, so that alone is kind of what was captivating to me at first.
“Softball I played so long that I kind of plateaued at a point. Volleyball I was making such strides because I went from raw and brand new, and I was making big steps. I just became obsessed with going to practice and getting better because I was seeing the improvement day by day. I feel like all of those factors combined – I loved every minute of it.”
She credits volleyball for setting the tone for her high school experience.
“I made all of my best friends from Tennent volleyball,” she said. “I met my teammates before I even set foot in Tennent because my freshman year – our preseason started in July, so I got to know so many girls before even walking through the doors, and that was great for me.
“Izzy Goebel has been one of my best friends my whole high school experience, and it goes back to – we met before we even started. That was awesome.”
Stracuzzi does not plan on playing volleyball at the next level, but she’s not quite through with volleyball. She will be the manager of the boys’ volleyball team this spring.
“Since I don’t intend on playing at the collegiate level, I started practicing with our boys’ volleyball team,” she said. “I love the sport and now I get to continue to get reps even after my career has ended. And for that opportunity I would thank Jim Creighton the head coach of the team.”
Off the court
In addition to her leadership roles in student government, Stracuzzi is an excellent student and has taken seven AP classes. She is a member the National English Honor Society, the National Social Studies Honor Society and the National Honor Society. She is part of the Future Business Leaders of America, and her involvement with Athletes Helping Athletes has led her to joining the Unified Bocce team, comprised of students with and without intellectual disabilities.
“It’s been a great experience,” she said. “I see 12th grade students most of the day where now I’ve had the opportunity to go into the special ed gym classes. It’s people I would never otherwise meet. It’s just awesome because it really does make such a difference.”
Stracuzzi is also part of a group called Student Forum representing Tennent at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.
“Thanks to Athletes Helping Athletes and things like that, I’ve really found a passion there,” she said. “I’ve been able to bring ideas how to include those kids even more. I really found a lot of fulfilment through doing things like that.”
Stracuzzi has not chosen a college but plans to major in political science on the pre-law track with an interest in constitutional law.
“I feel like people joke – you’re either math/science or social studies/English, and I’ve always liked the social studies/English side of school,” she said. “Not only is that what I’ve enjoyed, it’s where I’ve had success.
“I feel like I’ve been saying I wanted to be a lawyer since fifth grade. It sounds very ambitious. It’s a long road before I’m a lawyer. If all goes well, hopefully, law will be my future.”
A debt of gratitude
Stracuzzi could not talk about her journey without thanking those who’ve helped her along the way.
“At home, my parents have always supported and accommodated my busy schedule,” she said. “I often bite off more than I can chew and it’s my parents who help me swallow it.
“At Tennent, I’m surrounded by the most supportive adults. There’s something so special about the teachers at William Tennent. Each teacher, administrator, staff member holds a special place in my heart. A few that have stuck with me throughout my entire career are Mr. John Creighton (athletic director), Mrs. Kim Slaninko (athletic secretary), and Mr. Paul Veltre (my history teacher and “school dad”). Each of these adults have provided me with resources, support, and advice. They are my biggest cheerleaders, motivators, and influences.”
According to Creighton, the Tennent senior showed up in the athletic office as a freshman, and she’s never left.
“Ava has spent four years keeping us on our toes, making sure the voice of the students is heard because she’s in student government,” Creighton said. “She’s a go-getter, she’s proactive, and it’s never about herself.
“She makes bulletin boards that are better than anything else in our school, again on her own time. She just did one for me for our Slip & Slide for Special Olympics. She has such drive and motivation. She’s one of the best overall people we have in our school.
“I see things through a different lens, I see it from a student perspective. Could I have done a little better next time? Little does she know she has this impact on people that are far greater in age than her. She’ll probably be very surprised to hear this because she only hears me saying, ‘Get out of my office.’”
While it’s a safe bet Stracuzzi will leave Tennent with no regrets, she will leave a definite void.
“I’m very proud of her, and we’re going to be sad to see her go because then I have to figure out who’s the next one who’s going to keep me in check,” Creighton said.
*Action photos courtesy of Ethan Colon & Angelo Lafratta.
