I was hesitant to write anything in this About page because it implies a commitment to this blog and like any man I have an inherent fear of commitment. With that said, I think it’s important for the reader to know how utterly unqualified I am and to make sure this is in the reader’s mind as they go through the blog posts.
I guess I can say that I come from a volleyball family in that my sister had a very successful college career (inducted to the Cal Berkeley Hall of Fame). I didn’t start playing until leaving college where I got involved in the USVBA club scene. I was fortunate enough to inherit at least a small portion of the DNA that made my sister so good and ended up playing 15 years before injuries, age and children started getting in the way. I like to say that I was good enough to be the worst player on a team that played at the Open level at Nationals.
My introduction to the DIII world of women’s volleyball started because my daughter picked up the sport in middle school and fell in love with it. Through her recruitment process and ultimate selection to attend Southwestern University in Texas I found a need to learn and understand this wonderful little world. I can’t begin to thank Ricky Nelson and his DIII Women’s Volleyball blog enough as it became my one-stop-shop for DIII information. What he didn’t have on his website, he would answer via email. I was lucky enough to meet Ricky at the 2016 Oshkosh NCAA Division III Championships since he was working there and amazingly Southwestern University qualified by winning the West Regional.
During my four years supporting Southwestern University, I really wanted to see someone start a West Region blog that could augment what Ricky has done for the Midwest and Central regions. With my daughter’s graduation, I decided to be that person. I still plan on going to as many Southwestern games as I can and streaming West Region games when available. I hope you’ll find this blog useful and sporadically funny.
– Robert Rochelle
Email: d3vbwest@gmail.com
Twitter: @d3vbwest
Update: I have recently been diagnosed with lymphoma. If you want to follow my story then you can do so here.
Women's Division III Volleyball 