For Springfield College women’s volleyball senior, Tori Colosimo, success has never been about one player standing tall above the others. As a setter, she understands that every point depends on the people around her. Success at the position requires a successful attack, which often begins with a quality pass, and every rally depends on teammates trusting one another to do their jobs.
That understanding extends beyond the parquet floors of Blake Arena from Colosimo. Throughout her career at Springfield, Colosimo has learned that the strongest teams are built off of relationships, communications, and a willingness to put the group ahead of individual accomplishments. As she approaches the end of her collegiate career, those lessons have shaped the legacy she hopes to leave behind.
“I just want to be the one who led by example,” Colosimo said. “I just want to be someone people can look back to and look up to and be like, ‘Hey, they left a good mark on this program. They bettered it.’”
For Colosimo, leaving her mark means more than just contributing to wins, or earning recognition for her tremendous performances. It means helping to create an environment in which teammates support each other, younger players have people to learn from, and the relationships formed during a season continue long after the final whistle.
Her approach to the game began long before she set foot upon Alden Street, though.
“I’ve been around volleyball my entire life,” Colosimo said. “My mom’s a coach, and she has been coaching since before I was born.”
Growing up, Colosimo regularly attended her mothers practices and games. She recalled begging to attend games even when they were well past her childhood bedtime. Being around the sport from such an early age allowed for volleyball to become more than just an extracurricular activity; it became a familiar part of her life and eventually something she wished to pursue.
Although she participated in other sports growing up, volleyball continued to stand out. Colosimo said that she often wanted to stop playing her other sports so she could focus entirely on volleyball, although her mom encouraged her to continue participating in multiple different sports.
Once in high school though, her ambitions became clear. She knew she was not ready to give up and leave volleyball behind after graduation. Coming to terms with this, she began looking for a college where she could continue competing.
“I want to play in college,” Colosimo said.
Initially, Colosimo considered pursuing a career as a physician assistant. That interest influenced her college search and decision, as she looked for schools with 5 or 6 year academic programs. Springfield would end up being the top choice once entering the picture, with conversations with head coach Moira Long, and members of the volleyball team helping her to envision a future there.
After speaking with Long and meeting the team, Colosimo found a connection that went beyond academics or athletics.
“I fell in love with school and the program,” Colosimo said.
That sense of belonging would become a vital and important part of her collegiate experience. For a player responsible for coordinating the offense and distributing the ball, building trust and connections with teammates is essential. Colosimo believes that trust can not be properly developed through practice and matches alone. It begins with getting to know the people behind the jerseys.
“I think getting to know people on and off the court translates to the on-court game,” stated Colosimo.
As a setter, Colosimo must understand how her teammates think and respond in different settings and situations. Every player has individual preferences, personalities and ways of handling pressure. Recognizing these differences can help make a setter like her communicate more effectively, particularly during tough moments when a teammate needs encouragement or a reminder.
Those connections have helped shape the culture she loves and describes at Springfield with the bonds that form. Colosimo said the team makes a concerted effort to build relationships across class years rather than allowing players to remain within their own bunched up groups.
“Seniors have to be super close to freshmen,” Colosimo said. “Freshman have to be close to juniors.”
That closeness among the team is what makes her time at Springfield so special to her. Colosimo described the group as goofy, unique, and personable, explaining that volleyball creates opportunities for players to constantly celebrate together and bring their personalities with them onto the court.
The team’s chemistry is not simply about having fun. For Colosimo, it creates the foundation for communication and trust when a match becomes difficult. Teammates who understand one another off the court may be better prepared to recognize when someone needs encouragement, a reminder of even a different approach.
This belief also comes from Colosimo’s experiences learning from older players. During her freshman season, Springfield did not have any seniors on the roster. What they did have, though, was graduate student Ally Townsend, who would become a very influential and important figure for Colosimo.
Recalling one of her first experiences playing alongside Townsend, Colosimo stated that she failed to cover a play after setting a ball during a rally, in which Townsend ended up shoving her and telling her to get into position.
The message was straightforward: go cover.
Townsend continued to push Colosimo until she did what was expected. After practice, she approached Colosimio and apologized for shoving her, explaining that she simply needed Colosimo to cover the middle.
Taking the interaction in stride, Colosimo said she recalled telling Townsend that she motivated her to be better at the end of the day.
What could have been an uncomfortable moment, instead became the beginning of a lasting relationship. The two developed a friendship and eventually joked about the incident, with Colosimo still talking to Townsend today all these years later, hoping someone on the team can feel like like with her.
The experience demonstrated how relationships between teammates can develop through the most interesting of ways. But for Colosimo, that combination of accountability and support represents what she values about the Springfield program. The relationships she has developed are not limited to the players on the current roster, but are also the alumni who remain connected.
“I could talk to any of the alumni, and they would respond and help me where I needed,” Colosimo said.
Describing the connections as something special, particularly because it allows current players to continue learning from their former teammates even after they graduate, Colosimo hopes to maintain those relationships and eventually give back to the program itself.
The prospect of becoming an alumna has influenced how she thinks about her own legacy. She wants younger players to have the same chances to learn and build relationships as she did.
Looking back on her collegiate career, she recognizes how quickly those moments accumulate. What may feel like an ordinary practice as a freshman can become an important part of an athlete’s development by senior year.
As her time at Springfield college approaches its conclusion, Colosimo has a clearer understanding of what those repetitions and relationships have meant. Volleyball has given her a place to compete, but it has also taught her to trust others, appreciate different personalities, and recognize the value of contributing to something larger than herself.
Colosimo cannot control every outcome on the court, just as she cannot predict every challenge that will follow graduation. What she does control is the effort she puts in and the way she treats her teammates.
Her goal as a senior is not just to finish her career successfully. It is to leave behind a program that is better because she was part of it.