GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Get to know middle blocker Ali Bastianelli in the third edition of our “Offseason Conversation” series with the Grand Rapids Rise. Bastianelli, a native of Marysville, Michigan, talks about her volleyball journey and signing with the Rise, teaming up with former foes, excelling as an elite blocker and much more.
Welcome back to Michigan. Not quite as sunny as San Diego, but I’m sure it feels good to be back home. How have the last few months been for you after wrapping up the first Pro Volleyball Federation season with the Mojo?
Honestly, it’s actually pretty cloudy out there [in San Diego]. Not going to lie. But the offseason has been really good. I have taken a lot of time to decompress with my family and just get used to being back in this area. As soon as the signing period opened to talk with coaches, [Rise head coach] Cathy George was the first coach I reached out to. She was honestly the only coach that I reached out to. Right away it was like, ‘If I’m going to play another season, it’s going to be at home in Michigan.’
With four other Michigan natives — Symone Abbott, Paige Briggs-Romine, Alyssa Jensen, and Carli Snyder — on the Rise roster, do you have any high school or club memories of playing with or against any of them?
I have played against or know all of them. Carli’s high school, Dakota, was in my school’s conference. So, I played against Carli for three years in high school as she was a year older than me. Paige, I know from club. We never got to play together but I knew of her coming up through the Legacy [Volleyball Club]. Symone, I played against in high school and again in college. We also played together at AU for one of our seasons. Then Alyssa and I played against each other when she was at Michigan State and I was at Illinois. So, yeah, a lot of experiences with them.
Any fun or interesting memories going against them?
My junior year, we played against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 and that was Alyssa’s senior year. They beat us in four sets. I just remember them having like nine seniors on their team that year. They had a revolving door of seniors always coming onto the court, and that was a big part of our scouting report.
For Carli, it was always fun playing against her. Dakota is always a well-coached team. But, with Carli being a 6-foot-1 outside hitter going to Florida, it was kind of hard to stop her. So, most of our game plan revolved around trying to stop Carli. I know we lost one set 25-9 against Dakota. That was probably her senior year. So, I guess not a fun memory for me but a fun memory for her.
If you could go back to that time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell myself that the best is yet to come. I always like to look forward and it’s hard to live in the moment sometimes. So, live in the moment, but there is still so much more to come. Like I never, never, never, never thought we would have a league in the United States, much less a team in Michigan. So, this is a dream come true for me because all the options I knew of growing up were overseas — far away from my family.
You led PVF with just over a block per set last season. What are the keys to becoming an elite blocker at this level?
It all comes down to my eye work being really good. The setters in this league are all amazing — Olympians and multi-year professionals. So, be good with your eyes and try not to guess. It’s all about reading and reacting, and then try your best to close out the block. It might not always happen. But just try to get your hands on the ball, even if it’s just a touch.
One of the more underappreciated aspects of blocking is the reaction time you need to have. How do you stay mentally sharp during a match to ensure you’re at the right spot, at the right time?
I take it contact by contact, especially on defense. For example, I see the pass and then I see the set and then I see the attacker. During each part of the bump-set-spike sequence, it gives me more clues into what is going to happen. So, you can gather a lot of information from that. Is it going to be out of system? In system? If it’s in system, is it pushed one way along the net? What are the setter’s tendencies that you have scouted beforehand? All that kind of comes into play and you react from there, and just try to be as quick laterally as possible every single time.
What’s your best advice to a middle blocker who is undersized?
I would say don’t be discouraged. It really doesn’t matter as long as you’re there and your hands are over the net, then you will get touches. At every level, from middle school to being a professional, there is a small window where most attackers hit and it’s about six inches above the net. That’s where most balls cross over. So, if you can just get your hands in that area, you are going to get touches.
Who in PVF had the hardest swing last season?
That’s a great question. Betty De La Cruz from Omaha is the first person that comes to mind. When she gets on a ball, she gets on a ball. You had to make sure you are pressed and over, otherwise she will tool the block very easily.
What did you learn as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2021 Michigan women’s volleyball team?
I learned a greater appreciation for all that goes on behind the scenes, from what the coaching staff does to the athletic trainers to the strength and conditioning coaches. There is a lot that goes unnoticed by athletes. We are usually busy getting ourselves ready for practices and matches that we don’t see everything else going on. We don’t see their late nights up scouting, especially with back-to-back games or games close together where you don’t have a lot of time to prepare. They need to make the quick decisions of what will be important to focus on to get the team ready. I definitely have a greater appreciation for coaches and all the hard work that they do behind the scenes.
The best and worst part about starting your professional career overseas in France?
The best part is that I get to say that I did it because I think if I was coming out of college now, I don’t think I would have considered [going overseas] that much. I kind of was pigeonholed in going there because I felt like I didn’t really have any other options. But I’m thankful that there weren’t options because I’m so glad that I did go overseas and got to experience the European culture.
The worst part would probably be the eight-hour time zone difference. That made it difficult to talk with my family and friends. When I was waking up, they were going to bed. So, staying in contact with people was hard.
Lastly, in your opinion, what’s the most satisfying way to win a match point?
I have to be a little biased, so a big block. That has to be the best way. But it needs to be a big block after a long rally to make it worth it. You got to work for it a little bit.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise