Wheeling, W. Va. - Philosopher Marc Anthony once said, "If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life." Former Wheeling Volleyball player Alexa Goff had a passion for the sport of Volleyball and rode that passion all the way to the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship. That passion for Volleyball led her into the classroom at Olentangy Local School District in Lewis Center, Ohio, where she teaches fifth grade.
"I truly believe as a teacher that your children will work for you when they know that they are loved and respected," said Goff. "Christy (Benner) truly cared for us and set us up for success on and off the volleyball court. That created a real community and love throughout our team and that is something I strive for on my own team and in the classroom."
Passion has driven Goff throughout her life and sports have always been a part of that passion from a very young age. As Goff continued to grow, the two sports that took center stage were Volleyball and Basketball. Her father had played basketball in college, and it was quality bonding time for Goff and her dad. On the other hand, Goff was excelling on the Volleyball court, playing throughout her middle and high school years at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus.
However, as her senior year approached, she had a decision to make as to which sport, she would pursue at the next level. It was a tough decision but ultimately it was Volleyball that would win out and would eventually lead her to Wheeling University.
"It was a hard decision to go solely with Volleyball," said Goff. "My dad had played basketball in college and we in a way shared a connection with basketball. I ended up not playing basketball my senior year of high school because with traveling volleyball and school basketball I was getting really sick in the winter because my body couldn't take it anymore. It was a really tough decision to make but I'm glad I made it."
It was that decision that landed her at Wheeling University and helped her win a National Championship. Her first impressions of the campus came when she visited former teammate Gabby Guanciale for a game and an overnight visit. She recalls both the beauty of the campus and the avid support for Volleyball as two of the main factors in her decision to call Wheeling home.
"I thought it was a beautiful campus, Wheeling in the fall is beautiful," said Goff. "I thought it was smaller, but I didn't realize how small it was. There was just a lot of activity, a lot of fans supporting volleyball, and people just walking around enjoying their weekend. That's kind of what drew me in and sealed the deal."
During the initial transition to college Volleyball, Goff had to adjust to settling in with a new team. She was one of the leaders at St. Francis DeSales, but now she was playing with the best of the best from around High School Volleyball and took an adjustment period. One of the things that helped her through that transition was her Head Coach Christy Benner. Benner has led the Wheeling Volleyball program for the last 21 seasons and while she asks a lot of her athletes, she also makes it a point to show care and compassion for them off the court.
It was this compassion that helped not only make the transition to college a smoother one for Goff but helped bring along a lot of the success that the team had.
"We were so lucky to have Christy (Benner) and Matt (Benner) as our assistant," said Goff. "She just truly cared for us as a person and wanted us to be successful in life not just on the Volleyball court. She knew that the lessons we learned in Volleyball would transfer over to real life. She would hold meetings and just check on you and make sure you are ok. She looked after the whole person and not just the volleyball player and that really created a community throughout our team."
During her four seasons with the Wheeling Volleyball team, the Cardinals saw a lot of success leading up to the National Championship run during her senior season. The Cardinals played in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) during her freshman year and won the WVIAC title while making a run to the National Championship tournament. Then, as they transitioned to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) in 2013, the success continued, and they made two more National Championship runs.
However, her teams would not have had nearly as much success had it not been for the players that came before her. Goff credits her senior teammates during her freshman year that helped create a winning culture for the Cardinals program.
"I really credit those players that came before me because they are the ones who created that winning feeling," said Goff. "When you are used to winning and used to being excited to play and you play for each other, that really creates a culture in your program that can last for years, and it did. When you are used to that winning feeling there are no nerves going into games and there are no doubts. You trust your teammates and you are excited to be there. That was created before I got there, and you could feel that when you stepped into spring practices."
It all came to a head during the 2015 season when Wheeling brought home the first National Championship in both program history and school history. The Cardinals set the program's single season wins record that year, going 39-4 and nearly swept their way through the National Tournament, winning nine of the 10 sets that they played. They finished the run with a 3-0 sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic University to end what was a magical run.
Goff remembers the run as more of a business-as-usual mentality. The 2015 Cardinals were a close-knit team, and they knew how to come in, get their work done, and leave without any of the extra drama that sometimes surrounds athletics.
"We were a really close-knit team," said Goff. "We had great chemistry and we knew what our job was on the team. That entire year we would show up and take care of business and there was no extra. Each game that we won in the tournament felt more and more like 'we can do this.' To win your last game is a huge deal. Not a lot of athletes get to say they won their last game ever and I don't take that lightly. I'm grateful for the opportunities we had, and it made that season special."
Goff would graduate from Wheeling University in 2016 and earned a degree in Elementary Education and was ready to head out into the real world. As she was looking for opportunities, it was a connection with a former Travel Ball coach that landed Goff at Olentangy Local School District in Ohio. She would serve as a substitute teacher while also getting to coach the school's freshman Volleyball team for three seasons. It was a new experience for Goff but was something she was ready to face head-on.
"For me I knew that my freshman team was going to play for someone they cared for and respected," said Goff. "I was nervous going in because I had never done anything like this, but they really bought into my system and the program's system. I cared for them I wanted the best for them, and I was clear about that, and we had a great season especially that first one and it was a joy to coach them."
After a few years as a substitute teacher, Goff was able to land a full-time teaching job as a fifth-grade teacher at Olentangy Local School District. As she was studying at Wheeling, she learned things such as how to teach curriculums, how to manage a classroom, and how to motivate students. One thing she didn't realize was how much passion you have for the field once you get into it, and it has become as big a deal in her life as Volleyball was during her playing days.
"I don't think you realize how much passion you have towards the job until you are in it," said Goff. "You go through all the courses in college and then you student teach and then most of us sub while some go right into the classroom. I didn't expect the care and the love that I had for the students. And that's obviously not taught in courses. Nobody tells you how much you really care for your students. I wanted to make sure that they had a great life not just inside my classroom but outside of it as well."
During her time at Wheeling, Goff notes Dr. Jane Neuenschwander as a role model for her in the teaching field. Goff says that Neuenschwander displayed a passion for teaching and helped instill that passion into her students.
"I had a professor, Dr. Neuenschwander, and she was just a model for that passion of teaching," said Goff. "She was very honest with us about when she thought it was time to leave the classroom and become a college professor and how she felt that if she couldn't give those students 100% of her time at work then it was no longer appropriate for her to be teaching children. She modeled creativity, setting high standards for your students, and knowing that these are tiny humans that you are raising to get out into the world. I enjoyed her courses, the time spent with her, and the advice she gave."
While Wheeling may be a smaller school in West Virginia, Goff encourages people to give it a chance because it is a wonderful place. She notes that it can be as fun and as beneficial as you make it. She says that her time at Wheeling was the best four years of her life, and she wouldn't trade the opportunity for anything.
"Wheeling really is what you make of it," said Goff. "The people that I spent my time with at Wheeling, I still spend time with today. I met my husband there, I met my roommates there, my best friends came from there. You create your fun; you create the relationships, and you have to buy in to the people there and buy in to going to school there. It will be one of the best experiences of your life, but you really need to give it a chance and spend time with the people around you because they are amazing."
