CCNY: Where Culture Meets the Volleyball Courts
- thepaper6
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
By: Nafissatou Yattassaye
Division III athletics is a cultivated environment. At this level of competition, coaching players in this conference comes with a few challenges—many have jobs to attend, 15-credits classes on their schedule, or family responsibilities that may need them more than the game. Despite coming from diverse backgrounds and commuting from all five boroughs, according to head coach Perla Sanchez of the women’s volleyball team, athletes are bonded by their love for the game in return of long-lasting experiences rather than a scholarship.
For many, attending City College means constantly being surrounded by students who are creative, career-driven, and dedicated to achieving new heights. According to Sanchez, “This is what makes CCNY special. It’s a team built on heart, diversity, and pride.” City College’s women’s volleyball team has gone through “many ups and downs,” Sanchez tells, but the program has “always represented perseverance and pride,” two central themes that have remained throughout the team. During this current era of “not just rebuilding, [but] redefining,” City College’s volleyball coach, a Dominican American who played volleyball and once competed against CCNY as a student-athlete, shares her love for the game, the philosophy she teaches to her players, and her goals. CCNY’s women’s volleyball team is currently ranked 4th in CUNYAC with a 2-2 record. Their resilience shows in their performance.
To coach here at City College was a full circle moment according to Sanchez. She states, “CCNY is an underdog story, just like me, and I want to help make a name for this program,
bringing it to the top where it always should have been.” Drawing back to her experiences when first playing volleyball, Sanchez faced adversity when it came to this sport. She speaks about her high school experience and not making the team at first. However, “that moment lit a fire in [her]
and [she] started practicing every day in gym class, took a ball home, and trained with [her] mom at the park.” Her mother, who played volleyball back home in the Dominican Republic when young, inspired Sanchez to play with all her heart and bring grit and passion to the game. This is what she carries to CCNY.
City College is known for its diversity throughout campus, but we also see it through Sanchez’s volleyball team. “Our team is a reflection of New York City. We have players from all over the world, and I love that… I make it a priority to create an environment where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported. Different cultures, languages, and backgrounds come together on this team, and we learn from each other everyday.” There is a sense of unity amidst the diversity on the volleyball team here at CCNY, and that is what makes it special. They play for one reason only, a common goal beyond all language barriers and indifferences: The goal to win for one another. “That’s what teamwork really is; unity in diversity,” Sanchez says.
Sanchez’s philosophy for this volleyball program—amongst two other amazing assistant coaches, Lester Martinez and Alexa Guedez—revolves around the theme of playing for each other. It is grounded on the idea that “[they] build people, not just players,” as she states. The volleyball team prides themselves on discipline, body language, energy, and control. Sanchez
shares, “I tell my athletes that volleyball is a reflection of life. Every rally, every comeback, every mistake is a lesson.”
Sanchez’s hopes for the CCNY women’s volleyball team is to reach the highest ranking in the CUNYAC conference “not just for wins, but for culture and consistency.” Sanchez and her program are developing a team that will create student athletes, leaders, and a welcoming environment for future recruits to come.
Nafissatou Yattassaye is a freshman at City College, majoring in Communications with a
concentration in Journalism. Writing allows her to escape reality and enter a realm where
she is free to express her creativity through words and phrases with simply the ink of her
pen!