UTRGV volleyball player’s energy brings team together

At every game, you will find freshman volleyball setter Julia Abramo Rocha screaming her heart out in support of her teammates, giving words of encouragement and doing goofy but energetic celebrations, such as pretending to have a heart attack on the court after the team scores a good point. 

Described as being the most energetic person on the court by her head coach and teammate, the São Paulo, Brazil, native finds a way to impact the game on and off the court. 

Rocha tries to be her teammates’ No. 1 supporter by cheering them on.

“If I’m not playing, I need to be there for my teammates and I want them to feel like I’m playing with them on the court,” she said. “And I want them to feel that if they’re not playing good, I’m here for them. I’m cheering them up, and I’m here for every point of the game.” 

Rocha has a variety of celebratory staples in her repertoire, from being lifted in the air like a cheerleader pretending to take a picture of the team, or faking a heart attack and being resuscitated after the team scores a point.  

“[My teammates and I] love doing the celebrations because we know that the girls are gonna look at us and they’re gonna be like, ‘Yes, they’re here for us,'” she said. 

Volleyball head coach Todd Lowery told the Rider the energy Rocha brings to games, practices and team meetings is crucial to the team culture he is trying to establish this season. 

“She was part of, like, really, the reset plan that we had [for this season], you know, just for everybody to buy in from top to bottom and being engaged throughout the match, being engaged in practice, and doing all those things,” Lowery said. 

When recruiting Rocha, he saw the energy in her and knew she would be good for the team.

“When she got here, it was just kind of times two of what we were expecting,” Lowery said. 

When Rocha met the team, she thought her high energy and happy personality would be an issue, but that was not the case.

“They love it,” she said. “They always say that if Julia’s down, the whole team is down. … And, if Julia’s not smiling, something’s really wrong.” 

The fans also notice Rocha’s energy. She said people comment on her Instagram, saying things such as “I love your energy” and “Your energy makes people feel happy around you.” 

Lowery said the genuine support that she gives to the team is infectious and has spread to the whole team. 

Asked how much Rocha’s energy at games helps the team, he replied, “It’s huge, especially when we go on the road. Of course, it’s easy to get the crowd behind us here at home and I think she’s a part of what draws the crowd into the match as well. … So it gets noticed, but on the road that becomes so important, because it’s just our little group in somebody else’s gym and how the team can feel their support.” 

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues, sophomore right side hitter, said she loves Rocha’s energy and has had the same energy since meeting her on day one, when they had a team dinner at Lowery’s house. 

“Every time I look at her, she’s cheering me up,” Rodrigues said. “We have our own handshake, so every time I come out [of the game] to the handshake, and she always has, like, something to tell me, so it makes me, like, really confident.” 

Lowery said another way he would describe Rocha’s energy is being a kid at heart. 

“They’re still college kids at the end of the day,” he said. “And this has to be some of the best experiences of their lives, and I think sometimes they get too caught up and stuff and they’re like, ‘I’m too cool to have fun,’ you know, and that’s what makes Julia so much fun.” 

Lowery said Rocha is a kid at heart. Her teammates nicknamed her “Dinosaur” because she’s always roaring.

“Yeah, you know, she was always, like, acting like she was a dinosaur,” Lowery said. “You know, one of my kids had this dinosaur mask that they’ve had, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I gotta give this to her. And we saved it, kind of, for that big moment. And we gave it to her on game day, before the first match, and she came out that morning, wearing the dinosaur mask, just literally walking around the gym like a velociraptor.” 

Rocha said at the beginning of the season, the team’s connection was not great but by being engaged and bringing energy to games, practices, the weight room and outside of school, the team has formed a connection. 

“If we have a good connection, like friendshipwise, we can, like, go really good at the conference and we’re doing great just now,” she said. “And, if we keep playing like that together, it’s gonna be great.” 

The Vaqueras’ record was 12-6 as of press time Friday. The team will be on the road for its next six games before coming home to face Lamar University at 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.