Alumni Athlete Spotlight | Cydney Pierce ’14
March 13, 2017
As a Ram, Pierce ’14 played in the outside hitter position.
During her time at Cate, Cydney Pierce ’14 helped lead the girls varsity volleyball program to new heights. The outside hitter pushed the Rams to a 24-4 overall record and a berth in the CIF-SS Finals, where they eventually fell in a five-set thriller to Pacifica Christian. However, the loss didn’t end the Rams’ season, as Cate marched on to its first-ever state playoff appearance.
After leaving the Mesa, Pierce ’14 went on to continue her volleyball career at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. In 2015, Pierce ’14 was named to the All-CCC Second Team and the AVCA All-New England Honorable Mention Team. Now a defensive specialist, the former Ram has tallied over 1000 digs in her college career.
Pierce ’14 said that with the increased level of competition and multiple team workouts and practices, adjusting to the college game can be tough. However, extended time together as a team has led
Pierce ’14, center will lead the Endicott women’s team this season.
to great chemistry for the Endicott Gulls. “The time spent together has made me create great friendships with many of the girls on my team. This has been super nice considering how far away from home I am,” said the Carpinteria native.
Even though she was a day student during her time on the Mesa, Pierce ’14 said that one of the most important lessons Cate taught her is the ability to be independent. “Even though I wasn’t a boarder in high school, the concept of living out of the house without having your parents nearby wasn’t new to me. Also, I think that Cate prepared me to be self-reliant and not just follow what everyone else is doing, which has definitely served me well in college,” adds Pierce ’14.
The ability to play multiple sports during her time at Cate has also paid off during her college career. “When I played sports such as soccer and basketball, which I wouldn’t say I was great at, I learned how to be a good teammate. My more experienced teammates during those seasons taught me how to support people in the aspects of a sport that they may not excel at,” says Pierce ‘14
She will take that knowledge and experience into her upcoming and final year at Endicott, where she was recently named a captain for the Gulls. “This has also been very important as I am going into my last year of volleyball and was recently named a captain. Now I get to use what my Cate teammates taught me to help better support and ultimately lead my team to another championship like this year.”