Sonja Newcombe
Sophomore outside hitter
Oregon Daily Emerald: Now that volleyball’s starting to have some success, are you recognized on campus?
Sonja Newcombe: Occasionally, yeah, in the bookstore too sometimes. They’ll ask how the season’s going and congratulate us.
ODE: What’s it like having a Pit Crew at the matches? You see it at basketball games, but now you see it at volleyball games.
SN: It’s great. We love to have the fans here as much as they can, especially our Pit Crew boss. They help pump up the crowd and work on other teams.
ODE: How’d you get the nickname Bonj?
SN: Carly Bergquist, actually, that was here last year. It came from my club team senior year. They were messing around one day trying to rhyme here and there so that’s what came up.
ODE: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
SN: I actually don’t. I actually usually spend my time in the treatment room. It’s the one place I can be by myself and just kind of get my thoughts together.
ODE: What’s the worst smell in the team locker room?
SN: That’s definitely when we come in after a good, hard match and take your shoes off, or if you open your bag from traveling actually is pretty gross.
DE: What’s the fun thing to do in Eugene when you’re not playing volleyball?
SN: I like to hang out with my friends, go to movies. I love just walking around campus, down by the river and just taking in the scenery. It’s a lot different from where I live at home right now so I really like to enjoy just being outside.
DE: What’s your fun thing to do when you’re back home in California?
SN: Go to the beach or my aunt has a house in Palm Springs so we usually go down there.