Zoe Guzman never planned to play college volleyball.

The senior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, played the sport in high school, but she didn’t think she was good enough to compete at the Division-I level. Guzman was accepted to Syracuse, and as her high school graduation approached, her mother encouraged her to send game footage to former head coach Jing Pu. Guzman sent the tapes and, to her surprise, Pu offered a tryout.

Guzman thought she would get an answer after her first tryout, but the process was far from over.

“They told me they’d like to invite me to keep trying out,” Guzman said. “I didn’t know what that meant.”

The Syracuse coaching staff wanted to see Guzman play for an extended period of time before it made a decision. She practiced and worked out with the team for the entire fall semester, but she still wasn’t officially added to the roster. Guzman worked and persevered, and the tryout ended in the spring when she was told she made the team.

Guzman has been a solid contributor in her first three years with the Orange. Though she comes off the bench, the senior defensive specialist has provided consistent play in key moments this season. Syracuse will need her defensive presence when it takes on DePaul at 2 p.m. Saturday in Chicago.

Guzman came to Syracuse from San Juan determined to work through the cultural gap in her new home. Guzman knew basic English, but she struggled to write essays or participate in class.

“I would be in class and have no idea what they were talking about,” Guzman said. “I would have so much to say but I didn’t have the words to say it.”

Guzman worked hard to teach herself the language. She watched movies like “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Wizard of Oz” in English with Spanish subtitles, matching sounds with meanings. Guzman said she watched the movies so many times that she knows almost all the lines.

Eventually, she started grasping the language.

Guzman has applied the work ethic she used to make the team and learn English in her freshman year to her role on the team this year.

She came into the season as a starter, but sophomore Melina Violas overtook her for the starting job a few games into the season. She continued to work hard, though, and it shows when she gets the chance to play.

In Wednesday night’s win against Niagara, the Orange struggled receiving serves and playing defense. The sloppy play caused head coach Leonid Yelin to bring Guzman into the game toward the end of four sets.

Her steady, consistent play helped the Orange to a five-set victory.

“We were struggling the back row,” Yelin said. “And we know we can put her in there for passing on the back row.”

Violas said Guzman is a reliable teammate she can count on every game.

“If I’m on the court and I’m not having my best game, I know she’s always there and she’s got my back,” Violas said.

And Guzman is happy to step in and provide a spark for the team down the stretch.

She said her role as a senior is to contribute any way she can, and she will continue to work hard so she’s ready to steady the Orange when it starts to struggle.

“I won’t give up because it’s my senior year and I’m not starting,” Guzman said. “I’m going to keep working and practicing. I’ll just do what I can.”

Published on September 29, 2012 at 11:17 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu