AHA Citizen Journal

In California: Notebook: RCC volleyball player a quick learner

“After the first taste, I was hooked,” said Catanese, who played recreationally and at a home-school tournament before eventually joining a club team at 16.

Outside hitter Dorothy Catanese, who was home-schooled and didn’t join a club team until she was 16, has become a key member of the Riverside Community College women’s team. Catanese has since found her way to RCC and into the starting lineup.

“It was a little frustrating at times,” Catanese said of her development. “I’d had problems not knowing where to be rotationally and some issues with basic volleyball skills I hadn’t experienced yet that they got in high school, so it was a lot of catch-up for me.”

Catanese credits the discipline she developed while being home-schooled with helping learn the sport. Her natural athleticism didn’t hurt, either.

“Nobody’s quicker in this gym than Dorothy,” Coach Monica Hayes-Trainer said. “She’s just catching up to the game where she has the confidence and ball control. … She wants to learn; she’s a sponge.”