In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding Wesleyan athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention. 

Bianca Ortiz Diaz ’24 is a libero on the Wesleyan volleyball team. On Monday, Sept. 11, she became the first Cardinal of the Fall 2023 season to be awarded NESCAC Player of the Week. Ortiz Diaz currently leads the conference in digs with 147 total and an average of 6.13 per set. She sat down with The Argus to discuss the team’s recent clean sweep of reigning NESCAC champion Tufts, figuring out her role as a team captain, and how the team gets hyped for their matches.  

The Argus: Can you introduce yourself?

Bianca Ortiz Diaz: Hi, my name is Bianca Ortiz Diaz. I am a senior at Wesleyan. I’m a major in molecular bio and biochemistry. I play volleyball, and I’m a DS [defensive specialist] libero.

A: When and why did you first start playing volleyball?

BOD: I started playing volleyball when I was around 10 years old and some of my friends were also playing at the time and I thought, “Ooh, this would be fun.” So I went to tryouts and then from there, it’s history. I’ve been playing ever since.

A: What would you say your favorite part of volleyball is, and what would you say the hardest part of the sport is?

BOD: I’d say the best part of it is that you get to contribute that little grain of salt to this bigger picture. You function as a unit. You have to do well, but also everyone has to do well, so it has to be a combination of things. But on the downside also, if you have a good day and someone else doesn’t have a good day, it doesn’t really work out. If someone’s not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and you are, it just gets hard.

A: How did you end up deciding to come to Wesleyan?

BOD: My older sister played volleyball at Trinity, and I also went to boarding school in Massachusetts. I went to the Winchendon School and I knew I wanted NESCAC and I knew I wanted to play ’cause I wanted the experience. But I just fell in love with Wesleyan and I toured, and I was like, “Yep, this is the place for me.” And I just applied, I got in, and that’s it. I’m here four years later. 

A: So for the 2022 season, you guys had one of your best seasons in a while. You were 9–1 in conference overall during the regular season. And then you hosted NESCACs and you made it to the NCAAs.

BOD: We also hosted NCAAs.

A: How would you describe the 2022 season overall? What was that like for you?

BOD: I’d say it was a bit of a roller coaster in the sense that we had this perfect record that we kind of had to keep up in a way, and people were getting hurt. We had a lot of downs on the team. A lot of key players were out for some practices at the end of the year. And we were kind of practicing with half of the team; half of the team was resting. But overall, it was a great season being able to host all of these important events. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to win any of them, but that’s okay. We’re coming for it this year. I think we learned from going too hard in the beginning, and this year we’re taking it a little bit slower and resting. 

A: You’re a captain this year. What has that experience been like for you so far? 

BOD: So I haven’t been a captain up until now. I’ve never really thought about being a captain, but now that I am, it’s good. I didn’t think I was going to take the role on too well because I’ve played volleyball all my life, but I’m from Puerto Rico and I played it in Spanish. So having to play it in English, it’s kind of hard to make that switch. And that’s why I didn’t know how I would fit into that role of captain because I’m always like, “What do you even say in a team setting? How do you motivate someone?” But I’m not really much of a vocal person, more of a doer, like demonstrating what needs to be done rather than having to say it, which is easier for me because of the language thing. 

A: You were NESCAC Player of the Week, and you are only the third libero ever from Wesleyan to earn that. So when you saw that, what was it like to get that honor?

BOD: I was not expecting it, just because I wasn’t really paying attention to that. We had four games and after that fourth game on Saturday night, I was exhausted, and I just couldn’t even move. So I was just shut off. And then on Monday, my teammates start texting me, they’re like “Oh my God, congrats” and I’m like “What?” I didn’t really realize because the week was very long and by the end of it we were so exhausted, I was just like, “Oh my God, okay, now I can rest” and then it’s like, “Oh, I actually did pretty well.” I was excited.

A: You guys recently played Tufts, who beat you in the finals of NESCACs, and you beat them in three sets. Could you describe what that was like?

BOD: We had been prepping for this match the whole week. We were game planning and making sure we were doing what we were supposed to be doing on our side of the net before thinking about their strategy, which I like because sometimes it’s easier to perfect what you’re doing rather than try to learn their way of playing when you learn that while playing. I was very anxious all week because this is a huge game. We always have this feud with them. But Friday came, and we went over, and we start playing really well as a team. Everyone did what they were supposed to be doing. No one was slacking. And we keep going, we keep pushing, and we can’t even believe it. We were preparing for a five-set match, and then we just sweep them in three. We get to go home an hour and a half in, we’re like, “What?” I couldn’t sleep that well ’cause I was very anxious even after the game ’cause I thought it was gonna be longer. So I was still hyped and pumped, like ready to fight at 10 p.m. But it was very rewarding after a week’s worth of preparation.

A: As a senior, what does it feel like looking at your four years with the team here at Wes?

BOD: I feel like I’ve learned so much as a player, being able to grow in the game, but also with my teammates ’cause there’s girls that have been with me since freshman year. It’s very bittersweet being in the last year. Everyone’s like, “Oh, that’s your last one. It’s so much fun.” Yeah, it’s fun, but it’s also your last year. I’ve never had a time in my life where I haven’t been playing volleyball. So I’m coming to the end, ’cause after this I’m done, I’m retiring. I don’t know what my life is gonna be like without having a team or the sport to fall back on.

A: What would you say your hopes for the season going forward are?

BOD: Continue to get better and better every day as a team. Learn how to play as a unit, doing our responsibilities within each of our positions. I hope we can finally win the NESCACs this year. After putting in the hard work, we’ve been making it to the final match and we keep falling short at the end. I hope this year we can prepare well enough and be in the right headspace. Also, make it to the NCAAs and hopefully make it to the elite eight. 

A: Do you as a team have fun pre-game traditions or superstitions that you guys do together?

BOD: So this year we started a pre-game tradition where we’re in a circle and someone’s screaming in the middle “Who’s gonna bring the blood and pain” and then we [say back] “Black and red, black and red” and she starts increment[ally getting louder] until we’re screaming [and] getting really, really pumped. 

If you would like to nominate a Play(er) of the Week, please reach out to ebyerly@wesleyan.edu, ejlee@wesleyan.edu, sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu, and ochukwuemeka@wesleyan.edu with either the athlete’s name and one sentence about why they deserve to be nominated, or the team, date of the game, players involved, and the segment that you would like to highlight.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.