By Jim Hague
The truth shall be told.
Tabitha Davis didn’t come to Rutgers-Newark to play volleyball.
“At first, I came here to play basketball,” said Davis, a native of Irvington, N.J. who graduated from tiny Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth. “But once I got to see the volleyball team practice, I knew that I wanted to play volleyball.”
As for basketball?
“I didn’t have the same feeling as I did with volleyball,” Davis said. “I tried out for basketball, but after like five days, I knew I was sticking with volleyball. I didn’t have the same vibe for basketball. It was nothing compared to the volleyball team.”
So a volleyball player was born in the Golden Dome. Whether Davis was going to contribute to the Scarlet Raiders was another thing altogether.
“I just came and tried it out,” Davis said. “I knew I was kind of athletic. I wanted to see what I could do. I knew that I had to work hard at it.”
“When she came in, she was a little shy and timid,” Madsen said. “But you could tell that she was our best athlete. You would see flashes of greatness.”
So Davis spent a lot of her free time just watching others play volleyball.
“I watched a lot on TV,” Davis said. “I went to a lot of different schools to watch other teams play. I could see the mistakes I was making right away.”
Rutgers-Newark head coach Jason Madsen knew that he had a project on his hands.
“Tabitha is willing to whatever we need her to do,” Madsen said. “She gets a good grasp on our different schemes. She’s getting there.”
As a freshman, Davis saw action in 17 matches, totaling 48 points with 32 kills, two service aces, seven blocks and 15 blocking assists.
“It was just a lot of fun,” Davis said. “I just wanted to be able to contribute in some way. The matches are so exciting and everyone gets so excited. I just wanted to get better and help the team.”
Last year, as a sophomore, Davis earned a spot in the starting rotation for the final 15 matches of the season. She had 95 points on 63 kills, 21 service aces, three blocks and 16 blocking assists. Needless to say, Davis was making her mark with the Scarlet Raiders.
“She’s an excellent blocker,” Madsen said. “She’s very good at the net. She’s one of our most aggressive hitters. She’s a gamer and she wants to win. She’s very smart. She’s very diligent. She’s doing well. She’s cut down on her errors. She’s also becoming more vocal on the court. She makes sure the other girls do all the right things. I’m very happy to have her out there.”
Davis loves the role she has with the team this year.
“It’s awesome,” Davis said. “I know I worked hard for this. I wasn’t handed it. I knew what I had to do to contribute this year.”
Davis has collected 96 kills, 108 digs, 4 blocks, 29 blocking assists for a total of 116.5 total points _ her highest contribution to date. And she has another year to go.
“I’m always striving to do my best,” Davis said. “I always want to do more. I’m not content with what I’ve done. I know I can get better. I know next year is where it’s at.”
Davis is majoring in criminal justice with her eye on becoming a police officer like her mother Ana Perez, who just recently got promoted to sergeant in the Irvington police department.
“She’s a big influence on me,” Davis said. “I was so proud when she got promoted. It was a great day for all of us.”
Davis possibly wants to get into doing criminal investigation like the work seen on the CSI series on CBS.
“There are so many fields to explore that I really don’t know yet,” Davis said. “I now have to actually decide soon. It’s going to be hard. It’s all good, but it’s also very intimidating.”
Much like the way Davis is at the net. Any thoughts of possibly playing basketball as well?
“I have no regrets at all,” Davis said. “I think I’m sticking with volleyball.”
