Before the regular season, Stanford women’s volleyball junior outside hitter Elia Rubin was kind enough to sit down with CardinalSportsReport.com and share her thoughts on the upcoming season. Stanford is coming off back-to-back runs to the Elite Eight with the hopes of making a run to the Final Four in 2024.
A lot of change has happened to the program since last season. In addition to the move to the ACC, key players like Kendall Kipp, Caitie Baird, and McKenna Vicini have graduated. That makes for a whole new season in more ways than one. Rubin is excited to show that they are still an elite team and that they can compete in the ACC.
“I’m excited,” Rubin said. “There's a lot of new stuff that's gonna be going on with our team and also there's just the conference. So, I'm excited to be in a new conference and we're, yeah we're just excited for all the new things that are to come for us.”
Rubin likes the way this year’s team has come together in preseason workouts. With it being such a different team, she likes the dynamic they have and the way everyone is gelling with one another.
“Yeah I think it's been really great so far,” Rubin said. “It's a completely new dynamic, but so far it's been in a great way. I think we're all getting along really well off the court and that's showing on the court. We're playing some incredible defense in practice. It's been fun. We’re just flying around all over the court and so that's been really awesome.
“But yeah I think the main thing is just how close we've been. We're really making it a point this year to be well-rounded and on and off the court, just getting along really well and just having that show on the court. So yeah, it's been cool to see the new identity of this team start to form throughout the preseason and we're excited to see kind of where that goes throughout competition play.”
As for the freshmen Lizzy Andrew, Sidney Duncan, Taylor Yu, and Malyssa Cawa, Rubin feels like they’re all doing great. She recognizes they’re being asked to do a lot in their first years and admires the way they have all stepped in and done what is asked of them.
“Yeah, they're all doing awesome,” Rubin said of the freshmen. “I mean it's so fun to see. I remember when I was a freshman it's all so new and there's a lot and it's overwhelming like we're basically learning volleyball in a whole new way. So everyone's doing a great job being like sponges and absorbing all the new information which is a lot but I think particularly like Lizzy is coming into a big role in the middle, so she's doing a good job kind of you know learning all the new stuff and also letting it translate into her play and like the six on six service stuff. So that's been really cool to see, but yeah, everyone's doing a great job and all the new players are put into a tough role, but they're doing a great job so far.”
With so many changes, Rubin has had to take on more of a leadership role on this year’s team. She’s enjoying the challenges that come with that and the opportunities for her to grow as a result.
“Yeah obviously we lost some seniors who are in key leadership positions, so a big part that I'm stepping into is a leadership position which I'm excited for,” Rubin explained. “But also on the court just obviously improvement in every aspect of my game is always the goal every day in practice. So nothing really specific, but just overall improvement.
“Yeah I mean, it's cool. It's obviously, there's it's a different kind of vibe for me but it's been fun to step into that role and take control into a more leadership position. Using my voice a little bit more and also leading by example.”
Building on that, while she is embracing more of a leadership role, Rubin doesn’t feel like she has to do too much, either. She knows she has big shoes to fill with being the primary outside hitter now that Kipp and Baird are gone, but she also feels like she has a lot of great pieces around her, making it easier for her to just play her game.
“Yeah, yes and no,” Rubin said of whether or not she feels more weight on her shoulders. “I mean obviously they were incredible players who carried a lot of the weight, but I think something that's special about this team is it’s going to be more spread out. Like, the so-called pressure, I guess.
“So I think it's going to be cool to be able to lean on each other and we're all going to be holding different responsibilities, but I think if we're just able to work together and lean on each other then you know no one person should feel a particular amount of pressure. Yeah, I think that's going to be cool about this team. We're gonna be very well-rounded. So yeah, no pressure will be on one person particularly.”
Two teammates that are particularly helpful for Rubin are senior setter Kami Miner and fifth year libero Elena Oglivie. Having veterans who are more experienced than she is at those positions really does help to make her life easier when she is on the court. She’s grateful for their leadership and the way they play their respective positions so well.
“Yeah that's definitely huge,” Rubin said of having Miner and Oglivie. “I mean, Elena is such an anchor of our defense and our serve, receive and all that stuff. So it's cool to have her experience and she's the most like calm, like easy person to play with because she's just like so grounding in that sense. And then also Kami running an offense with the experience and talent that she has, I think we're very lucky to have that. So yeah. Very very lucky.”
Perhaps more than anything, Rubin is grateful to have Kevin Hambly as head coach. She’s loved playing under him and growing as both a player and person. She appreciates how much he cares about them and the way he puts his players first.
“Yeah I think he's such a special coach and the fact that he really cares about us as people and players,” Rubin said of Hambly. “Obviously like who we are as volleyball players is really important for the program, but he really takes time to get to know us and care about us as people. Which I think, I couldn't have asked for anything other than that because I think you know sometimes the way college volleyball is right now, it's become like very intense and all that stuff, but it's important to not lose sight of us as college students and human beings and Kevin does such a good job really caring about us off the court. Which I think translates also onto how he coaches us and it's just, I don't know, we feel very supported and cared for, which I think is important.”
Regarding the ACC, Rubin is thrilled to be competing in that league. While the Pac-12 was an amazing league to be in, she knows the ACC was a great landing spot for them. She can’t wait to face new teams and go to places that she hasn’t been to before.
“I'm excited. I think obviously the Pac-12 was an awesome conference to be a part of but there's a lot of cool stuff to you know not only just go see new places but also the competition,” Rubin said of joining the ACC. “We're excited about the top teams in the ACC, but also just across the board it's gonna be fun to play new teams and kind of just see different teams.
“Yeah, I mean obviously Pitt and Louisville are top four teams. So that's going to be exciting playing in the gyms over there, but also having them come here will be cool. I have two old teammates on Pitt, so I'm excited to see them and play against them.”
Looking back on Rubin’s first two seasons at Stanford, they have reached the Elite Eight back-to-back seasons. They’ve been competitive and really close to making the Final Four. She hopes that the lessons they learn from those NCAA tournament runs will help them make the Final Four this year.
“Yeah we're trying to find a new identity that's just you know has a lot of intensities that's fearless,” Rubin said. “You know we've made it pretty far throughout the past two years, but we're trying to get over that hump of losing in the Elite Eight and I think a lot of that comes with just being fearless and having a lot more intensity and being very intentional with every rep and that every point matters. All that stuff.
“So yeah, we're definitely trying to kind of find our identity and it's a completely new team. So a lot of that has, you know, a lot of intensity and focus throughout practice then also will translate into games as well.”
As for her freshman season in particular, Rubin learned a lot from that experience. Two years later as a junior, she has seen a lot of growth in herself and feels much more confident.
“Yeah I mean my freshman year it was it was a big position that I was filling and I kind of felt that pressure I think,” Rubin said. “But I've just gained more confidence in who I am as a player and also I think with that like that leadership role is something that I've always kind of like, I've enjoyed to be part of a leadership role. So I think yeah, just the confidence in myself has grown a lot over the past two years so I'm excited to see kind of where that takes me this season but yeah mostly just confidence in my play. You come in as a freshman not particularly confident to play, you know, girls that are much stronger, taller, older than you, but over time that just kind of that fear and anxiety and you know pressure kind of like settles in.”
One obvious change from her freshman year to now is that as a junior, Rubin has had to declare her major. After exploring different options, she has settled on her major and excited to dive deeper into that.
“Well I just declared at the end of the year. Sophomore year is when you have to declare your major,” Rubin explained. “So I declared Science, Technology, and Society with a concentration in communications and media; and I just think I took the first two years here at Stanford to take a whole bunch of courses and explore my interests; and yeah this is just a lot a lot of my older teammates have taken this or picked this major and so it's really nice to have their advice through what classes to take and which classes not to take. So yeah, I've just found to really enjoy the classes that I've been taking and a lot of them are geared towards my major, so it's been really cool.”
Overall, Elia Rubin has loved everything about her Stanford experience: Her teammates, coaches, and all the opportunities that Stanford has to offer. She’s proud to represent the Cardinal on the court and contribute to the high standards that have come before her. It’ll be fun to see how she performs in 2024:
“I think just the opportunities here at Stanford are incredible. Like, they're really endless, but also I think most importantly just the people that I'm surrounded by. Surrounded by some of the coolest people that are doing amazing things in the world in a classroom, but also just I think the athletic department is so special and it has such a standard of excellence that I've always, you know that's why I chose to come to Stanford: the standard of excellence. So yeah, I mean I think really just the people I'm surrounded by push me to be better every day.”
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