Interview and story done by Anna Conners. The interview was conducted prior to the volleyball team returning to campus for workouts.

In our second installment of Day in the Life, we spoke with Elizabeth Schryer, a junior and member of the women's volleyball team. This series is designed to take a look at how our Titans have been living throughout the pandemic and dealing with all the challenges that come with that.

In regards to Schryer specifically, she plays in the libero (backrow) position for the women's volleyball team, and took some time to speak with us about how she has adjusted to life amid the pandemic. Schryer shared that she is a public health major with a marketing minor, and has aspirations of going to nursing school.

As news of the pandemic broke across campus, she took us through her experience and the quick action that CSUF athletics took in shutting down practice and facilities. She said that she was out during that time due to a surgery, and got a text that practice had ended in the middle of training. Soon after, all future practices were postponed and she noticed the seriousness of the impact of the pandemic.

"When it first happened we all were told we could go in the locker room and get everything", Schryer said. "We thought it was only going to be a few days or weeks, so none of us went and did that."

Now six months later, Schryer and her teammates still haven't been able to collect their belongings from their locker room. All operations were put on pause, and entry into the locker room is still not permitted.

In terms of her transition from campus to quarantine, Schryer said that the biggest adjustment she's had to make is within her once busy schedule. She's used to always having somewhere to go or something to do, and now is faced with limited interactions in all aspects of her life.

"We haven't gone without playing sports for seven months since we were six years old," Schryer stated. "Not playing a sport in this long just feels so strange. I'm not used to having all this time to myself."

A normal day for Schryer is quite the opposite of what she's used to. She said, "I wake up, try to work out in the morning, and make myself food. Most days I have class in the morning, where no one has their camera on. I then have a more interactive second class, then I try to go outside and do something, whether it's walking to get coffee or go to the store."

Schryer has been enjoying cooking and trying new things, which she has found very relaxing and helpful to her anxiety. She's also been crafting and tie-dying clothing, and keeping herself busy with exercise and being outdoors. Additionally, she's relaxed herself through meditation and use of the "Calm app", which provides podcasts that support positive mental health.

"Seeing all that time, but not letting the time make me lazy and procrastinate has been huge," Schryer shared. "Working out, eating healthy, and taking advantage of my time has helped me stay physically and mentally healthy."

In days where she has some free time, Schryer has made a habit of going down to a local football field to work out with teammates, and has access to a home gym for weight training. Her team's athletic trainer has sent them at-home workouts to do with minimal equipment, and she tries to do running or cardio at least 2-3 times a week.

"I'm not putting myself on a strict schedule, and making myself do specific days for specific workouts," Schryer said. "With the pandemic, there's already so much stress on me. Knowing what I need to do and what I want to accomplish throughout the week, and then getting it done is how I've been planning my workouts instead."

Schryer has been able to stay connected with her teammates as most of them are local, and she's been able to safely see them to hangout and workout. She spoke on her team's culture and the close relationships they all have with each other in supporting one another.

She's excited at the chance to be back with her teammates and workout, but also nervous because it's hard to know what will happen. One day could change everything, in the sense that one positive COVID test result could have a season-ending impact.

"You never can really know when you're going to go back or how long you're going to stay back," Schryer stated. "We're back for training on Monday but could get shut down at any time."

Moving forward, Schryer shared that her team's goals for fall are to get back in performance shape, and stay healthy. For spring, she said, "Our goal is to play and get back on the court. Once we're back, we have specific team goals within our culture that are established, and then what happens from there is based off of our work ethic."

"Each day our coach reminds us of the goals in practice, and the team goals don't change," she said. "We've been successful in being a goal oriented team rather than outcome oriented."

In terms of the future, the women's volleyball season could potentially happen in the spring and they are still planning their class schedule around the hope of a full season.

In a more positive light, Schryer said "We're going back on Monday though to start working out…no volleyball, just weights and conditioning. It's going to be very different."

Thank you for joining us this week for a peek inside Schryer's life, and stay tuned for more exclusive interviews with our resilient and inspiring student athletes!