Pepperdine transfervital to Aggies
Casual fans of the Utah State women’s volleyball team, probably aren’t too familiar with outside hitter Lisa Borom. After all, this is her first year in the program.
Inexperience and freshman jitters under pressure might come to mind when thinking of a newcomer.
The fact is Borom is anything but this, said USU head coach Burt Fuller, not to mention anything close to resembling an inexperienced freshman.
While Borom is in her first – and last – season as an Aggie, Borom is a senior with a wealth of experience after playing three years with perennial national power Pepperdine University.
When describing the stability Borom brings to the program Fuller said, “It’s the difference between coaching a mature senior and a freshman. She’s a grownup and it’s nice to have grownups out there to help people through stuff.”
An honorable mention all-West Coast selection while a sophomore at Pepperdine, why would Borom decide to leave a team who is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20?
The answer is rather simple and had nothing to do with the Waves’ program – her fiancee is a native Utahn and the move was an easy one financially.
“The move was easier for me than it was for him, so financially it was easier for the both of us,” Borom said.
While the decision to leave behind three years of memories and friendships would be difficult for some, it was a no brainer for Borom. Sacrificing and caring for those around her is an attribute Borom possesses, Fuller said.
“Sitting up in the stands, you’ll never know how nice of a kid she is to her teammates,” he said. “She is just a quality person who cares about people and that’s a high attribute for this team, not to mention life in general.”
Not only has the Las Vegas, Nev. native been a vital cog in unifying the team, she has been a presence on the court. Borom and fellow outside hitter Erin Cartwright lead the team with 125 kills.
Over the last three matches, Borom has been on a terror, averaging 19 kills a match. In the University of California, Santa Barbara match, Borom torched the Gauchos with a career-high 23 kills, 18 digs and an astounding hitting percentage of .400. Not bad for an outside hitter.
Borom is quick to deflect credit.
“I don’t think it’s me,” she said. “Seriously I think it’s my team doing things that make it easier for the rest of us.
“Everyone is working as a team better.”
In addition to being a big fan of smaller towns, Borom said the move to Cache Valley has been a good one because of the enthusiasm for the game this Aggie squad has.
“Everyone [on the team] loves volleyball,” Borom. “I think a lot of times with the really good teams, people love volleyball, but you get people who are doing it because they have to.”
Borom said the biggest difference between playing for the Aggies as opposed to playing for the Waves is tackling a bigger offensive load. At Pepperdine the outside hitters all received about the same number of attack attempts, she said, so the opposing team couldn’t effectively scout them.
“I probably get 20 more sets a game than I did there, just because everyone on our team was big,” she said.
One of the biggest reasons Borom is a primary option on the offensive side of the ball is her ability to maintain a calm demeanor when the game is on the line, Fuller said. She handles adversity well and is a “very steady” presence on the court, he said.
“She comes in with a pretty high level of experience,” Fuller said. “She doesn’t get rattled and that’s the thing that’s really nice about her.”
When asked who was instrumental in getting her involved in athletics, Borom said her family, especially her father. Borom is the second of four children in the Borom family. She has an older sister, a younger sister and a younger brother.
Although there isn’t any one player Borom patterns her game after, she said former Pepperdine teammate Melissa Snow was a player she learned a great deal from.
“One of my teammates at Pepperdine, Melissa Snow, she always had a great attitude and always played the same regardless of how we were doing,” Borom said. “You could always depend on her.”
When not playing volleyball, Borom enjoys snowboarding and is a river guide during the summer.