Vera Giacomazzi walked off the volleyball court after a hard practice, ready to watch film with her team inside The Convo.
As she and her teammates walked toward the locker room, they were joking, laughing, giggling — a typical sight for the Bobcats volleyball program.
Like with many other players, the volleyball team has become Vera’s family away from home as she wades through her freshman year of college. But for her, that aspect is different. It’s a family far away from home — further than any other female athlete at Ohio.
Because home is 4,537 miles from Athens, in San Vendemiano, Italy, a small town of about 10,000 people in the province of Treviso.
So how does a then 18-year old transition from life in northern Italy playing club volleyball to college volleyball in the Appalachian region of the U.S.?
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If there is one person Vera can be herself around in Athens, it’s Tia Jimerson.
A freshman middle blocker from Sugar Hill, Georgia, Jimerson has an interesting relationship with her setter, Giacomazzi.
Giacomazzi is from northern Italy, and Jimerson is from a suburb of one of the largest cities in the Bible Belt. Giacomazzi sets for Jimerson on the floor, both trying to navigate the defenses opposite them at the net.
Off the floor, they’re roommates trying to navigate the struggles of a first-year college experience.
But Giacomazzi is easygoing with her roommate, always carrying a bubbly personality off the floor.
“She’s very giggly,” Jimerson said. “But on the floor, don’t take her for granted. She can get down (to business).”
That down-to-business attitude was displayed in a recent practice. When Jimerson killed a ball during a drill, a loud shout was heard.
“There you go, Tia!”
That’s Giacomazzi, just cheering on her teammate, her roommate.
Whether it’s down time just to hang out or whispering cues on the floor, it’s always a good time when the two are together.
“We have a rotation when we’re stacked right next to each other,” Jimerson added. “Vera will always whisper in my ear like ‘Go get this ball!’ and ‘I’m like, OK we’re about to slam this.’ ”
While the people around her have helped to ease the transition, playing volleyball at a high level aids that as well.
Giacomazzi played volleyball at the club level with four different teams from 2007 to the time she arrived on campus this year. Her teams had success in Italy, winning four different provincial championships with Giacomazzi serving as a team captain.
So when she first committed to Ohio, coach Deane Webb was excited to add her to the program, citing her volleyball experience and intelligence on the floor.
“When I watched her play, I saw someone that appeared to think and see the game at an advanced level,” Webb told the Ohio Athletic Department after she committed. “After spending significant time with her on her visit watching and talking volleyball, that was confirmed. She will be working hard in the next few months on increasing her jump so that her block height is at the level it needs to be. Once that happens, she will be in position to compete for playing time."
But Giacomazzi wasn’t interested in competing for playing time. She was ready to start.
So when the Bobcats traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, for their first invitational of the season, it was made apparent that she would be the starting setter. She was named to the All-Tournament team and was honored as the most valuable player of the Courtyard by Marriott Invitational.
But she didn’t stop there. Through Ohio’s first 16 games of the season, Giacomazzi has 583 assists, which is 32nd nationally. She has also solidified herself as the Bobcats’ starting setter. She is averaging 9.88 assists per set.
Webb knows there’s plenty of room for improvement in Giacomazzi’s game, especially in blocking at the net. But the calmness she brings to the floor is reassuring to Webb as the Bobcats find their way through injuries and every-day struggles of the long season.
That calmness allows Giacomazzi to do what she loves: open the floor for everyone else.
“She is at her best when she is orchestrating the offense,” Webb added.
But Giacomazzi credits her teammates, saying it’s easy to open the floor when she is surrounded by talent. While that’s true, she makes opening the floor look easy.
Her best has shown to be quite successful for the entire team. She’s not just effective with offense, but also with confusing the defense on what will happen as plays develop.
“When we have scrimmages and I’m on a separate side of her, as a middle blocker, it’s easy to read the setter for me, but Vera’s a whole different type of player,” Jimerson said. “Where you think she’s going back, she’s going forward. It’s just fun to see her open up the court like that.”
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As Giacomazzi and the Bobcats leave the floor for practice, they continue to laugh and make jokes.
Coach Webb follows behind them, ready to go break down game film.
And Giacomazzi is right there in the middle of the jokes and laughter, with her bubbling personality. She continues to grow and transition with her teammates, her family.
She’s still 4,537 miles from her home, in the northern countryside of Italy. But home doesn’t feel as far away now that she has the volleyball family in Athens.
So how has Giacomazzi transitioned from life in northern Italy playing club volleyball to college volleyball in the Appalachian region of the United States?
A relationship with her team, especially her roommate. Success on the floor. Her upbeat personality.
“I love this place,” Giacomazzi said. “I love the people here. They are very welcoming so yeah, I’m feeling the difference between Italy and here with the different culture, but I like it.”
