All eyes on Bukovec

The McMaster women’s volleyball team has a lot to look forward to this season. Although their season hasn’t kicked off the way they would have hoped, the women’s volleyball team had an outstanding preseason run, not to mention the fact they landed recruit Sophie Bukovec.

The former beach volleyball player has represented Canada in both the U19 and U21 championships and has now committed to play a little closer to home.

The Etobicoke, Ont. native began her volleyball journey at age 11 becoming truly committed to the sport in her grade nine year.

Standing at a towering 6” 1’ it’s no surprise that Sophie decided to play volleyball instead of soccer, a sport she was originally committed to.

“I started out playing soccer actually,” Bukovec said. “But I soon figured out I was too tall for the sport.”

With is it legal to bye viagra from canada playing volleyball for McMaster being a new thing for the first year, her form and ability to read the game shows that her adjustment from beach to court volleyball has not been a difficult task.

“Beach is very independent,” Bukovec said. “You’re kind of on your own and have your own responsibilities but in court it’s kind of more shared because there are so many more people on the court.”

“I really like the team feeling and the girls are amazing,” she added.

Her commitment to the McMaster volleyball team she says was not a hard decision and it was the community feel that made it an easy decision.

“Mac was the only Canadian school I was looking at. I was also looking at Columbia University in the States, I was looking at Indiana, I looked at Michigan State, I looked at Syracuse and those were my top choices,” said the first year.

“I didn’t even get to see any of the girls play before I committed here I just met Tim and some of the girls, didn’t even see any of the facilities I just committed.”

So far her experience with the McMaster Marauders volleyball squad has been one she cherishes, commending the community feeling that McMaster encompasses.

“McMaster is such a home, its such a family community,” she said. “I have a really bad shoulder and physio has been taking care of me like I’m their own child.”

With the ability to travel to Greece and Portugal for world championships, Bukovec was the youngest Canadian women’s volleyball player ever to play on the women’s world tour event, which took place in Thailand last year.

“It was amazing just getting to play next to Olympians and girls that just play on tour,” Bukovec said.

“Just getting the chance to travel was amazing.”

With volleyball being a main part of her life and something that she has been committed to for over five years, Bukovec is hoping to gain a social aspect when it comes to getting to know her teammates and others at McMaster who play the sport.

“I have always been very independent and volleyball has always been my life, so I have never really ever gotten a social aspect of anything because I have been so competitive.”

“I hope to gain a social aspect in terms of knowing the girls on my team and even the guys team, and even different sports teams in general.”

With hopes for an improvement this season and the chance to capture an OUA title, Bukovec along with the women’s volleyball squad hope to maintain momentum and continue to work together to achieve success.