Sept. 17, 2010
Junior libero Frenchy Silva will play a key role with the Notre Dame women’s volleyball team this year. As a sophomore in 2009, she led the team with 3.40 digs/set, and was named an alternate for the 2010 United States Women’s National A2 Volleyball team. Silva has been a key leader for the Irish, and her ability to cover large parts of the court has been a huge asset for the team. Prior to this weekend’s Notre Dame Invitational at the Purcell Pavillion, she sat down with UND.com to tell us more about herself.
1. If you could trade places with your coach for a day, what would you do? If I could trade places with my coach for a day, I would begin by taking the team to Indulgence Pastry Shop, let everybody pick out the coolest Adidas swag, and then fly the team to Hawaii for a week-long tournament!
2. What five words do you think best describe you? The five words that best descrive me are: Hardworking, Motivated, Gemini, Happy and Compassionate.
3. What is your favorite TV show? My favorite TV show is a tie between, either “Mad Men” or “Vampire Diaries.”
4. What is your major? Why did you choose that major? My major is American Studies. I chose American Studies because it is incredibly interesting as well as applicable to everyday life. It involves a lot of reading and writing which are definitely much more enjoyable to me than math or science.
5. What is your favorite guilty pleasure song? My favorite guilty pleasure song is “All I Want For Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. One of the best songs ever!
6. What is the biggest match you have ever played in? The biggest matches that I have played in would be either the Stanford match last year or our first round NCAA match against Ohio University. The intensity in each of those matches was super high and both were really fun environments.
7. Do you have any nicknames? I have a few nicknames – French Fry, French and American War, and French–that’s pretty much it considering my name is a nickname of my real name, Francesca.
8. What is your theme song? My theme song is “Bruises” by Chairlift. I bruise very easily.
9. What is your favorite memory with your teammates? My favorite memory with my teammates would have to be our trip to Italy in the summer of 2009. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and is something that I am very grateful for and will never forget.
10. Describe your perfect day – who would you spend it with, what would you do, where would you be? My perfect day would be with my family and best friends from home spent at the beach. In the morning we would stand-up paddleboard and then the rest of the day would be filled with beach volleyball, swimming, and relaxing. We would also eat delicious food and eat lots of fresh fruit. At night we would have a bonfire and eat s’mores.
11. What is your dream job? My dream job would be to have my own Food Network Show and then compete on “Cupcake Wars” with my roommate, Brianna Hohman. We are a killer baking team.
12. Where is your favorite place to study on campus? My favorite place to study on campus is on the second floor of the library next to the windows that overlook the library lot.
13. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is either “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or “The Notebook.”
14. Where is the most interesting place you have ever traveled? The most interesting place I’ve ever traveled to is Italy! I absolutely loved the culture there and would go back in a heartbeat!
15. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? I would have dinner with my Papa, my mom’s father who passed away in the summer of 2008. He was so wise and intelligent and such a good soul, and I think it would be really cool to pick his brain. He was also had an awesome dry sense of humor.
16. What is your worst habit? My worst habit is procrastination. However, I have to admit that I feel that I work better when I am under pressure to get something done, even though that may not always be conducive to my sleeping schedule…I am getting better at it though!
17. If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want to have with you? The three things I would want with me if I was stranded on an island would be a cell phone so I could call somebody to come and get me, food, and a change of clothes for the meantime.
18. Who was your role model growing up? Why? Growing up my parents were my role models. They have really shaped much of who I am today and taught me to believe in myself, have character and class, and to have a never say die attitude. My dad would always tell me “It doesn’t matter how big the dog is in the fight, but how big the fight is in the dog,” I live by that quote.
19. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? The one thing I could eat for the rest of my life is a toasted peanut butter sandwich on sourdough bread, weird, but its delicious, especially because the peanut butter gets all melted from the toasted bread.
20. What does being a part of the Fighting Irish program mean to you? Being a part of the Fighting Irish program is such an honor. There is so much history and tradition, and to be able to be a part of that is incredible. The amount of pride in wearing an Irish jersey is unlike anything I have ever felt before. Also, being a part of the Irish program is a tremendous responsibility, but one that I whole heartedly accept.