As the cliché goes, “Records are meant to be broken.” That was exactly the case for Oswego State women’s volleyball senior Alison Sullivan, who recently broke the record for most career blocks at Oswego. With her 328th career block, she moved ahead of former Laker Karin Flanagan for possession of first place.

However, when asked about how she felt to break the record, Sullivan seemed to think of it as a small antidote to more team-centered goals.

“It felt great. I was really excited,” Sullivan said.

That short answer shows where Sullivan’s priorities are. It was an individual accomplishment of which she is proud, but as a leader of the team, it takes a back seat. She said she is much more focused on keeping her teammates in check.

“I definitely see myself as leader [of the team],” Sullivan said. “I’ve been a captain, this is my second year now, so I always try to make sure girls on the court are keeping a positive attitude and off court are keeping a positive attitude and just playing by example.”

The team’s head coach, J.J. O’Connell, took note of the way Sullivan handled setting a personal record. O’Connell commended her for continuing to work at improving her game to help the team’s performance overall.

“She hasn’t lost any focus. If anything, she’s added,” O’Connell said. “She’s kept her focus on being a great blocker, but she’s also set individual goals on her offense as well. So, she hasn’t really changed much. She’s just trying to be a better player every day.”

When it comes to Sullivan’s leadership qualities, O’Connell described her as being committed and versatile as far as getting through to her teammates, and it has proven to have a huge influence on the team.

“She leads by example, especially on the court, because, again, I think a lot of players want to be like her because she crushes the ball and blocks everybody,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell said Sullivan leads off the court as well, including giving advice to her fellow players.

“Recently against Vassar, I looked outside and [Sullivan] is mentoring one of our teammates who is maybe a little off at the moment, and that player comes back later in the weekend and has a great match,” O’Connell said. “So, she’s doing more than just the on-court stuff. She’s making our team better in everything that she does.”

Sullivan is from Dedham, Massachusetts, where she graduated from Dedham High School in 2015. She said her major was a deciding factor in coming to Oswego State. Despite having since changed her major, she felt like Oswego was just the right place for her.

“I originally came for meteorology. Since then, I’ve switched my major, but I just loved the school so much, so I just stayed,” Sullivan said.

During her time as a player on the volleyball team, Sullivan said she has stocked up on knowledge and qualities that she believes will help her off court and in the future.

“I’ve definitely learned more about what it means to be a leader, because it is totally different being the captain of your high school team than it is your college team,” Sullivan said.

People really look up to and depend on her now, but O’Connell said he trusts her to come through.

She also said a job over summer break helped give her the communication skills her coach and teammates admire.

“I got a manager position over the summer, so that was good that I was able to use that experience,” Sullivan said. “I feel like it’s really important to be a leader at your job, so being able to have gotten experience here has really helped.”

Behind Sullivan’s leadership, the volleyball team has gotten off to a 6-3 start and looks to continue its push for a spot in the SUNYAC tournament later this season.

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian