Former Ridgeview football star speaks softly, but carries a big message
Ava Palm had a much different vision for how her first semester of college would play out.
A former volleyball standout and 2020 graduate of Bakersfield High School, Palm took her talents nearly 1,000 miles from home, where she was set to compete for the University of Texas at El Paso this fall. Aside from playing at the Division I level, she also hoped to have the typical experiences one normally has as a college freshman.
But so far, things haven’t gone according to plan.
While Palm was able to attend school in person, she says the scene at UTEP has been anything but active, as strict COVID-19 guidelines have prevented her and the rest of the student body from having active social lives.
“It has definitely been a lot more boring than I thought it would be,” she said of the fall semester. “That’s understandable. COVID’s shut down a lot of different things for us. It definitely has been more isolating. It’s less social, which is good for social-distancing reasons, but it’s hard.”
Coronavirus restrictions have also greatly limited the amount of time she’s been able to spend with her teammates.
“It has definitely had a big effect on our team chemistry,” Palm said. “We can’t really do social things, we can’t have team bonding things together or go out to restaurants or hang out with other athletes.”
Luckily, COVID-19 hasn’t been able to keep UTEP off the court entirely, and Palm has quickly proven she belongs at the highest collegiate level.
While the Miners won’t begin Conference USA play until January, they have been able to take the court for an abbreviated fall slate, where Palm instantly proved to be one of their top offensive options.
After playing in just four of nine sets in two early matchups with Texas State, Palm took an active role in matches against North Texas and Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 3. She recorded 10 kills in a 3-2 win over North Texas, then added 13 more in a 3-1 loss to SFA.
She again had 13 kills in a 3-1 exhibition win over Angelo State on Oct. 10.
And while her net play has been strong, Palm has been even more impressive from the service line, where she recorded a team-best seven aces in the fall slate. Her best showing came in the win over Angelo State, where she had four aces, including a stretch where she recorded three in a row.
“That my serve is good enough to ace another D-I program is very gratifying,” Palm said.
With the fall portion of the schedule now over, Palm plans to spend the ensuing months getting stronger and improving her defense at the net, which she currently views as the weak point of her game.
Those in the program seem to have full confidence that she’ll be even better when January rolls around.
“She has been getting better in the gym every day at the attacking stuff. She knows how to score,” UTEP coach Ben Wallis told the university’s athletics website earlier this month.
“She’s got a long way to go defensively and blocking it, but she’s a young person you’ve got to be excited about, and excited for. Even though she’s a young person, she’s one of the most competitive people in our gym. She really likes to win, compete (and) play.”
Though she admits to not being a finished product, Palm seems fully confident she’ll continue to be a big part of the UTEP rotation when conference play kicks off in 2021, and she hopes to solidify herself as a big part of the program for years to come.
“Right now, I’m not at my full capability as far as strength-wise or playing-wise,” she said. “So by January, I hope to be a solid player in that lineup. There’s no second-guessing. (I want coaches to be) like ‘Ave will be on the court.’
“I’ve wanted to compete at a Division I level since I started playing, so this is exactly where I want to be.”