Women’s Volleyball
Home farm advantage: Rayn Perry develops setting game on family-made court
Throughout the 2017-18 season, U SPORTS sits down with one key athlete, coach, and staff member of each U SPORTS athletic program in our new interview series “Getting to know…”
Name: Meseret (Mezi) Tamrat
School: University of Ottawa
Sport: Women’s volleyball
Position: Right side
Year of eligibility: Fifth
Program: Human kinetics
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.
1. What attracted you to uOttawa?
Head coach Lionel Woods does a great job of establishing a feeling of family on this team; he makes everyone feel included in the overall process and provides unwavering support to each of his athletes. That was the biggest draw for me to play at uOttawa.
2. What are your favourite memories, and your greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete?
My favourite memory is playing in the OUA final four in my first year, just being in that environment as such a young player was a great privilege. Understanding what my team went through to get to that point and witnessing that level of competition was such an inspiration to first year Mezi. My greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete is definitely being able to play my fifth year of eligibility and having the opportunity to lead such a potential filled team throughout this season.
3. Where are you hoping your path will take you after university?
I would love to work in the field of sports marketing and promotions, I am very interested in the professional stream of sports and understanding the business from that perspective.
4. Who’s had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
My family and various teammates have been the biggest influence in my athletic career. My parents taught me the value of discipline and hard work and transferring those skills and understanding to my day to day life. My teammates and their belief in me as an athlete and a leader has always been an inspiration to me and pushed me to continue pursuing my athletic career.
5. Who is someone in the sports world, past or present, with whom you’d love to have dinner with? Why?
Serena Williams. I’ve always wondered what her perspective is on being such a force in professional athletics as a woman. She faces so much adversity as a black woman and I resonate a great deal with her. I would love to gain her insight into the professional sports world.
6. What is your pre-game ritual? Do you have any superstitions/idiosyncrasies around preparing yourself for a game?
My biggest thing is during warm-up my jersey is always on the last chair along with my libero’s, Sabrina Roy. We’ve played together the longest out of all the girls (over eight years). Also, I’m really weird about seniority order, lineups (i.e. hitting lines, etc.) have to always be in order of seniority.
7. What’s your go-to song to get pumped up for practice or a game?
I don't really have one but anything hype that will make me dance is a good one!
8. What’s your favourite social media account to follow?
I love the Shade Room on Instagram.
9. If you could try another sport, what would it be and why?
I used to play tennis, so I think the idea of pursuing that would be really cool and I always wondered how far I could have taken that.
10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as an athlete?
That’s a tough one, I can’t really pinpoint a moment where I’ve felt embarrassed but I think we’ve all had our moments where we did something stupid in a game and you’re momentarily embarrassed.