When Skylard Bechard chose where to go to college, she had two things on her mind: zoology and volleyball.

The next step was deciding to make the move from Rialto, California, to play volleyball in Oswego一2,640 miles away from home. The weather made no difference in her decision, going from sunny southern California, which is two hours away from the Mexican border, to Oswego, which is two hours away from the closest crossing point to Canada and right on Lake Ontario.

“[It’s cold but] it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Bechard said. “With the San Andreas winds, we get up to 80 miles per hour. So this isn’t really much different.”

The decision eventually came down to a family conversation for Bechard and her mother.

“When I was making the decision, my mom and I had to sit down for a really hard heart-to-heart talk about it,” Bechard said. “It was scary and nerve wracking, but exciting. It’s a different experience.”

Luckily, Oswego State volleyball head coach J.J. O’Connell had experience recruiting national players. While he was at the Stevens Institute of Technology during the 2007 season, he had numerous players from outside of SIT’s home-state of New Jersey. His team included players from Tennessee, Louisiana, California and even one from Honolulu, Hawaii.

During his tenure at Oswego State, he has also had out-of-state players, like senior Sarah Massie who hails from Connecticut, who also came in as a zoology major. But this time it was a little bit different, O’Connell said.

“She’s close to her family. She has pets and that’s always a challenge,” O’Connell said. “All the things you want to be cognitive of, like trips to and from the airport … you really have to make sure you’re on top of the planning a little bit, more so with an out of state player coming from that far.”

Senior Shauna O’Flaherty, Bechard and O’Connell said the school was a good fit for Bechard, fitting in with the high-energy program that O’Connell tries to promote. 

“Even from her recruitment visit it was just very natural for her to be here,” O’Flaherty said.

O’Connell said that he has always wanted to recruit out of California, to create a pipeline for other student-athletes to look at Oswego State for volleyball. With the ability to play year round, players usually start taking up volleyball at a younger age, O’Connell said, so they have stronger ball control and serving by the time they reach the collegiate level.

Bechard said club volleyball is a lot bigger on the west coast, too. 

“With California, it’s a lot more wide and broad,” Bechard said. “There’s a lot more teams actively going.”

In just her sophomore year, Bechard has been able to take a small leadership role within the team. Her role mainly revolves around the energy she brings to practice and her vocal personality, O’Connell said. He called her a “team-first kid” who fills whatever spot is necessary on the team.

“Since day one, even in her recruiting visit, she’s been very energetic and a loud person,” O’Flaherty said. “We expect that from every player, but it’s nice to see that from a sophomore.”

Even though her leadership might have grown since her rookie season with the Lakers, Bechard said her role off the court has not changed at all. O’Connell said that Bechard has gotten a little more vocal after a year of experience being on the team and knowing the rest of the girls on the roster.

“I just try to keep my energy high and support the girls the best that I can on and off the court,” Bechard said.

On the court, from her freshman to sophomore seasons, O’Connell said that her serving has improved and gotten more aggressive. With her experience in beach volleyball in California and also playing as a libero, she also has solid ball control.

Last season, Bechard had 17 aces in 59 sets played. In the early stages of this season, she already has 21 aces and 21 assists, emphasizing that good ball control that O’Connell looks for.

“She’s worked on her short serve and her deep serve,” O’Connell said. “She’s become way more consistent with it.”

While she has different team and individual goals for the rest of the season, as well as keeping up on her schooling, there is definitely one thing she is looking forward to most during the entire season. And it all comes back to that hard conversation that happened 2,640 miles away from home.

“My mom will be out in October. She’ll be able to see three games,” Bechard said. “[We’re both] excited.”

Photo by Nicole Hube |  The  Oswegonian