Melissa Rabe is no longer a starter for the volleyball team. Her coach was hesitant to even talk much about her play this season on Monday, saying it’s not a good time to write about the senior setter because of her scant playing time.
After talking a little bit about the senior’s response to a more limited role this season, coach Charita Stubbs said she was just guessing as to how her player is doing.
“That’s just me taking a stab in the dark in regard to that,” Stubbs said, after saying Rabe was responding well and helping freshman Allison Davis adjust to the starting setter role.
But regardless of what happens for the rest of her senior campaign, life doesn’t begin and end with volleyball for Rabe. Sure, she still would like to play for fun after school, but she said she doesn’t have a professional career or even a coaching job in mind.
“I’m going to stay in the sport. I’m not really planning on coaching as of right now,” Rabe said. “But I will continue to play recreationally.”
After seeing scattered playing time her first two seasons alongside other setters, Rabe took over the starting job as a junior last season. She held down the job throughout the year.
But this season Davis, a freshman captain on the team, has been starting, and Rabe has been coming off the bench. Rabe insists she’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win matches after being part of only one ACC win in her first three seasons.
“I’m very supportive of that [be]cause we’re looking to put the best six out on the court and get some wins this year,” Rabe said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
But when the season’s done and when she receives her undergraduate degree in biochemistry, she said she plans to attend the UNC School of Public Health for graduate school.
She plans to use her time there to prepare for a career of improving public health and combating obesity.
“My ultimate goal is to improve the cafeteria foods and vending machine foods and also physical education programs that are in our elementary through high school system, just improve the health of those kids, to work with childhood obesity,” Rabe said.
It’s something she said has been of interest to her since high school.
“With my studies in biochemistry and nutrition and also with being an athlete, I realize how important eating healthily is,” Rabe said. “So with the obesity in our country right now, I think it’s one of the biggest problems in this country that needs to be addressed.”
Rabe said being a student athlete has taught her how to juggle responsibilities and manage her time better. It’s an experience she said will benefit her after she moves on from school.
“And even if you’re not playing a sport professionally in your career that every lesson that you learn as a student athlete, you’re going to take with you through whatever job you get later on in life,” Rabe said.
And for Rabe, that job entails helping people, something being on a team has taught her a good deal about.
“You’re going to have to deal with people and be a communicator,” Rabe said. “And obviously that’s something that you learn through practicing a sport — is the concepts of cooperation and respect for other people and listening to their ideas.”
But for now, she’ll keep on working with her team, doing what she can to make a better future for a program in which she’s invested her whole college career.
“I see improvements in myself and in the team over the years, and it’s just unfortunate that we haven’t been able to come out with a strong ACC record yet,” Rabe said. “But we’re still working toward that.”
