Student athlete spotlight: volleyball superstar Sophie Srivastava

After missing a crucial junior year for her athletic career, senior psychology major Sophie Srivastava looks to finish off her time at Chapman on a high note. MAYA BRAUNWARTH, Staff Photographer

Sophie Srivastava may be a household volleyball name in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) now, but before that, she was just another girl growing up with athletic dreams. With her athletic career coming to a close, she is now reflecting on her volleyball experiences and what this season will mean to her. 

Growing up in Belmont, California, volleyball wasn’t Srivastava’s first sport.

“I thought soccer was gonna be my sport. I was playing both (soccer and volleyball), but I reached a point where it was too much,” said Srivastava, who is currently a senior psychology major at Chapman. “Eventually I switched fully to volleyball, which was surprising to a lot of people because they all thought soccer was gonna be my future.”

At Carlmont High School, she made the junior varsity team as a freshman and eventually was one of two sophomores to play at the varsity level. She became an All-League honorable mention her sophomore year, which effectively concreted her name in the league. As an upperclassman and team captain, she was a first-team All-League player in her junior and senior seasons. 

Even with all her accomplishments at the high school level, it was never a plan for Srivastava to compete at the collegiate level. But, at the level she was playing, by the time she was a high school upperclassman, it started to look like a potential reality. 

“I didn’t think I was gonna play volleyball in college at all; I was really only interested in doing academics,” Srivastava said. “By the time my junior year came around, I opened up to the idea of maybe looking around. When I was interested in Chapman, my college advisor recommended I reach out to coach Mary (Cahill), and now I’m here.”

The decision came down to either attending a bigger school with no volleyball program or attending a smaller school like Chapman and extending her volleyball career. 

“It’s funny, (coach) Mary was like ‘Are you really about to give up volleyball for the next four years?”’ Srivastava recalled. “That put it in perspective for me, and I was like, ‘You’re right, I’ll just come here.’”

As soon as Srivastava began her volleyball career at Chapman, her decision to play was validated by her big numbers.

During her freshman year, she led the Panthers by ranking second on the team with 270 kills and 508 total assists. She also tallied 67 total blocks, which ranks third all-time in a single season at Chapman. 

To top it all off, she got a first team All-SCIAC mention and won the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Award her freshman year. 

As if it was possible, Srivastava outdid her freshman year as a sophomore. She led all of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III with 11 triple-doubles and had the second-most triple-doubles across all three divisions of the NCAA. 

But, as it seemed everything was going right on the court for Srivastava, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Srivastava’s junior season. The team tried their best to continue bonding exercises in an online environment, but according to Srivastava, building those connections wasn’t easy with the team apart.

“We tried to do zoom team bonding exercises, but it wasn’t the same,” Srivastava said. “We tried to do as much as we could to continue playing; we even set up on the football field to get reps in.” 

It has now been two years since Srivastava and the Panthers were on the court, and the nature of college sports is that there is a quick turnover in terms of who remains on the roster. This season, almost half of the team has never played at Chapman. Like most sports this year, they are playing with a completely new roster from their last real season in 2019. 

“There are so many underclassmen — and they’re great — but it’s naturally nerve wracking, because (many team members are) coming into their first collegiate season,” Srivastava said.

With all of the obstacles of the past year, Srivastava mentioned how there is a special connection among team members this year because of all they had to go through — especially for the seniors. 

“The senior class has always been super close,” Srivastava said. “We have always wanted to win together. Especially after missing this last year, we are very determined to get through that goal.” 

With all the events that have been missed over the past year and a half, Srivastava and the upperclassmen have placed a greater emphasis on staying united as a team in order to accomplish their goals. 

“My class has always been close with the juniors, and with all the new players, we really are focusing on bridging that gap between upperclassmen and underclassmen, '' Srivastava said. “We reach out to them to organize hangouts — both remote things and in-person things — to make sure they’re adjusting okay, because being close as a team is really something we want to do this year.”

While reflecting on her volleyball career both at Chapman and prior, Srivastava said she is  trying to soak up every last ounce of competitive volleyball. 

“I’m going to miss just playing, because once you graduate, the role the sport plays in your life changes,” Srivastava said. “This is our last chance to be really playing competitively. After this, it’ll be like an adult league where we try not to hurt ourselves. So, I’m trying to make the most of it.” 

Srivastava and the Panthers played their last game of the Trinity University National Invitational Tournament in San Antonio, Texas Sept. 18. They will resume conference play Sept. 21 by hosting the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.