At TCU, some players on the volleyball team always get ready in the locker room before games because it brings them good luck.
“It started freshman year, a group of us didn’t want to go back to our dorms after serve and pass because it kind of gets you out of the game mood, so we stayed in the gym,” said Alexia Heist, a second-year member on the team.
Heist said the players have become so accustomed to this routine; they are superstitious of changing it up.
“I hope it stays because it’s really fun. We blast music, put our makeup on and do our hair and it gets up pumped for the match,” Heist said.
Aside from staying in the gym before games, some of the players have superstitious routines of their own.
Natalie Gower, a second-year member on the team, puts all of her gear on in the same order because she is superstitious of changing her pre-game routine.
“Before every game I put my socks on first, then my knee pads and then my ankle braces. Every game, the same order and the same sides…right side then left side,” Gower said.
She also believes if she finds her parents before games, she will play better.
“If I know my parents are going to be at a game, I need to see them and establish where they are sitting before the game, because it gives me comfort knowing where they are,” Gower said.
Third-year player Trisha Langley said she believes superstition can bring positive results.
“I think being superstitious is good in a way because it keeps you consistent and keeps you in the same mindset before games,” Langley said.
Although many players are set in their ways of preparation, not all of them are superstitious.
Senior Mattie Burleson has the same routine before games, but does not consider herself a superstitious person.
“I don’t let it become too much of a big deal, obviously it’s in your hands,” Burleson said. “You are going to get the outcome that you put in so it’s definitely not up to some superstition to decide whether or not you are going to succeed.”