Letters from alumnae: Jen (Carvalho) Bailey
Each Thursday this summer, Bryant University Volleyball alumnae will reflect on their experiences as a student-athlete at Bryant and playing for Coach Garlacy.
This Thursday's installment is from Jen (Carvalho) Bailey, who played at Bryant from 1994-97.
"I am lucky enough to have known and worked with Tree before I came to Bryant. What a COMPLETE and divine coincidence to find myself, years later, playing for her as the starting setter my freshman year.
"What a relief it was to have a familiar face during the beginning of such an amazing time in my life. Even though I was a 'local,' I felt so far from home and her presence made Bryant my new home. I've never known her to be anything BUT honest, supportive, and consumed by her calling.
"I always refer to volleyball as the VERY BEST relationship that I have ever had in my life. I still feel that way. It has and always will define me. My self-worth, confidence, and work ethic were ALL born from the sport. On-court lessons become off-court values. Everything from my leadership skills, tenacity, and my grit to get the job done have all been honed and fine-tuned in the sport. You hopefully take with you the ability to stay humble, remain coachable, and position yourself as an eternal student of life, just as you made yourself a student of the sport. Volleyball was and is so very good to me so I will always honor it.
"If you're lucky, and I mean VERY lucky, you'll find yourself with a coach like Tree, at the helm of your team, who has an unyielding passion from both a coach and a player's perspective. In her, I found and still have a champion for ALL that I aspire and accomplish. She's been on my sidelines during every job change, every relocation, and every child I've brought into the world. She has opened her home and her heart as a common practice to all that pass through the Archway. She is why we come back year after year to cheer on our legacy. She is the engine behind all of our donations to the program and she is the pulse of the women's volleyball team. I am blessed to still call her "Coach" to this day."
Bryant begins its 2019 season Friday, Aug. 30, when the Bulldogs face San Diego State in a tournament hosted by FGCU in Fort Myers, Florida. The Bulldogs' home opener will be Friday, Sept. 6, when Bryant hosts North Dakota in its first match of the Hampton Inn-vitational.
Follow Bryant University volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.