Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Ava Bogan, Loyola volleyball

Ava Bogan is a senior middle blocker for the Ramblers. She will play for Cornell University in college.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

So I always carry around these really big noise-canceling headphones to listen to music before every match, just to get zoned in. All my teammates want to check out the headphones because they are super-noise-canceling. It’s definitely something that helps me.

2. Why is Cornell a good fit for you?

I just felt like, after I went to campus and was talking to coaches and met all the girls on the team, I felt I really wanted to be there and belonged there. It’s a great school and coaches will give me the best opportunity to be better at the sport while getting a really rigorous academic experience.

3. What do you want to study at Cornell?

I am planning in majoring on biological studies and I want to go pre-med. Something I have always wanted to do since I was really young was to be a doctor. So most of my career-choosing is just what kind of doctor I want to be. Figuring out how things work is really interesting to me.

4. What is your favorite thing to do off the court?

I love to cook. I baked a crepe cake with friend the other day. One of my love languages is cooking foods and giving them to friends and family to show I care. I like tackling new recipes.

5. What is your go-to recipe?

I do this shrimp pasta bake. Any kind of pasta really and I take shrimp and season with white sauce and Mozzarella.

6. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

I think it would be rowing. A lot of people ask about basketball. I used to play, but I prefer rowing to basketball. It puts so much physical strain on the body really fortifies the mental aspect. I did it freshman year. It was pretty tough.

7. Who is your favorite athlete?

The first person that comes to mind is Serena Williams. Because she just retired, but her love of the game and how she plays it just inspires me and she is a really strong female athlete, so I love to see that.

8. Walgreens with a couple bucks what are you buying?

My friend’s always clown me for this, but I love candy corn. I buy it right when the season hits. Always.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I really love puzzles. I love a good puzzle — 1,000 pieces, sit down with music or a good show and crank it out. It’s really fun.

10. Midway through the season, how are you feeling about where the Ramblers are right now?

This year we have a really great group of girls. Every day in practice we’re working to get better. It’s something I am really proud of and we’re seeing a lot of progress. If we continue to work hard every day in practice, it’ll push us to our goals and bring us to where we need to be.

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