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09/02/2021 12:00 AMSofia Cullina returns to the Valley Regional girls’ volleyball squad this year as the Warriors’ new head coach. Sofia is a Valley Regional alum who last played with the Warriors in 2016, and she returns to fulfill her wish of leading Valley girls’ volleyball into the future along with her sister Katie Cullina, who will be an assistant coach with the team.
Sofia began playing volleyball in middle school as an intramural sport. Sofia joined her sister on the Valley Regional squad as a freshman in 2012 and Katie Cullina was a senior on the team. After graduating in 2016, Sofia headed to Becker College in Massachusetts, where she played outside hitter and libero for the Hawks.
“I started volleyball in middle school in intramurals. When I went to Valley, my older sister played volleyball. That got me playing there as well. After that I went Becker College, and I played four years there,” says Sofia. “I’ve played for a long time and really enjoy the sport and everything it has to offer. I loved playing with my teammates, being there, and having a good time.”
Sofia has wanted to come back home to Valley Regional and coach the sport she loves, so when the coaching staff had openings for Sofia and her sister, pursuing the position was an easy choice.
“It’s funny. For a while now, we both thought it be cool to go back and coach the Valley team. We talked about it, but never thought it would happen,” Sofia says. “The opportunity presented itself, and we asked each other if we should do it. It happened so fast. We’re so excited.”
Sofia is familiar with fostering a great culture that gives back to the community. Sofia and her teammates ran a successful Dig Pink campaign that she’s tremendously proud of. When it comes to success stories on the court that Sofia is proud of, she’s most proud of racking up the most passes in Becker College volleyball program’s history. Sofia bypassed the millennium mark and just kept going, finishing her career with 1,309.
“For Valley, I was very proud the Dig Pink that we had. We raised the most amount of money for breast cancer that we ever had. We set a record. That was a big thing for me,” says Sofia. “In college, my biggest accomplishment there was that I beat the passing record. I had over 1,000 digs, and beat that passing record.”
Sofia not only set the passing record at Becker, but she also did it while playing out of position for a good chunk of time. Sofia had played outside hitter for the majority of her volleyball career to that point, but because the team was short a libero, Sofia stepped up for the Hawks. Eventually, Sofia made her way back to her primary position and got to finish her college career playing outside hitter.
“At Becker, I was an outside hitter and also libero. When I hit my 1,000, I was a libero at the time. All through high school and college I wanted to be outside hitter, but at the time, we didn’t need that my sophomore year,” says Sofia. “We had a lot of outside hitters, but we needed a libero. I went where they needed. I was libero sophomore and junior years, and then went back to outside hitter as a senior. It was nice being back. It’s still my favorite position, even though I had a blast playing back row.”
Sofia knows how to be a team player, and is bringing that same mentality to coaching this season. Sofia knows that it’s been a tough couple of years for the Warriors as it has been for a lot of teams, what with having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sofia wants to help her players have a fulfilling season, especially the senior class.
“We have four senior captains, and I think getting their opinion on what they want and want for the team this year is a big thing. This is their last year,” says Sofia, who lives in Ivoryton. “Me and my sister want to get their goals for the season, their opinions, and their perspectives. I’m a new coach and I want to incorporate their ideas.”
Beyond sending the seniors off with a memorable season, Sofia plans to emphasize effective communication with the Warriors this year.
“I think the big things for this team are going to be communication, teamwork, and coming together as one. That’s the most important thing, getting together and being there for each other on and off the court. High school isn’t the easiest thing to deal with,” Sofia says. “Effort is important, too. You can never give up on anything, because I’ve seen some crazy things happen in volleyball. It can just flip around so quick. It’s crazy, and that’s why I love it.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Sofia hasn’t had much of an opportunity to continue playing volleyball after graduating from Becker. In addition, her hands have been full working as a nurse during one of the biggest health care crises in American history. Sofia’s hoping that the pandemic wanes soon, but she will get a full serving of volleyball this fall with the Warriors at the very least.
“Working as a nurse has been difficult. I haven’t had a lot of time for volleyball. Now that things are opening back up, maybe though. I think coaching will be my new volleyball fix. It wasn’t easy graduating and starting my job as a nurse in 2020,” says Sofia. “It was a huge learning moment for me. I’ve met a lot of great people through my job. I’ve seen a lot of things. I’m grateful to touch people in a time that’s not easy. It has its good moments that balance out the hard moments.”
Valley Athletic Director Jeff Swan shares Sofia’s excitement for the upcoming season. Swan always considers welcoming back Valley Regional alums a great advantage to help the school’s athletic programs.
“We’re thrilled to have Sofia on staff. She was an excellent volleyball player at Valley, and she went off to college for four years and play,” says Swan. “Her dream was to come back to Valley and coach. I knew that when she left. It’s a full circle. I’m thrilled. This is what we need for this program at this moment, Sofia and her sister.”
Sofia is eager to take the court this season and help propel the Warriors’ volleyball program to great heights in the future. Sofia believes that she has a fine array of student-athletes to get the ball rolling at Valley.
“I think this is just a great group of girls. We have a lot of talent on the team. I think they are going to bring it this year. They want to do things this year that they didn’t get to last year because of COVID. I think they have the motivation and determination to do it,” Sofia says. “I think we’ll make up for some of that lost time. We’re just so excited for the season to play and teach the sport we love to all these girls. We haven’t stopped smiling. We’re just beyond excited and ready to get the season started and have a good year.”