Senior Spotlight: Paula Cerame

Four years have gone by since Paula Cerame made her collegiate debut on the volleyball court.

That night, four years to-the-date (Aug. 24), she recorded a lone dig across two sets as Florida defeated No. 1 Nebraska on its home court to open the 2018 season.

On Friday, Cerame will play her 100th career match, the 33rd in the Cream and Crimson jerseys of Indiana.

As IU turns its attention to the opener of the 2022 season, Cerame readies for her fifth and final season on the job.

Despite just turning 22-years-old, Cerame is the most veteran player on the roster this year with 17 more appearances than the next best athlete for the Hoosiers.

In a team that's looking for its first winning season since 2018 and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, Cerame's wisdom and stability offer a calming presence in the middle of the Hoosier lineup.

"We're working hard on setting a standard for our class," Cerame said. "We want to leave a legacy."

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Cerame was a third-team Under Armour All-American during her high school career at St. Thomas Aquinas where she led her team to the 2017 State Semifinals in Florida.

The San Juan, Puerto Rico native spent three years at the University of Florida before entering the transfer portal following the COVID-19 year of 2020-2021.

In the Big Ten, depth is crucial. IU head coach Steve Aird saw the chance to build a foundation defensively.

Cerame joined the Hoosiers for the 2021 season, joining a signing class that featured fellow transfers Isa Lopez and Kaley Rammelsberg as well as impact freshmen Mady Saris and Camryn Haworth.

Her trust in the foundation of the program was built on a mutual respect with the coaching staff and with Aird's vision for what Indiana Volleyball can be.

"Coming in and having the same relationship I had with the coaches prior to coming here was important to me," Cerame said. "Having that same relationship made me open-up more personality-wise. I was more of myself, and it allowed me to bond more with the girls."

Cerame was the starting libero out-of-the-gate, playing in all 32 matches during IU's 2021 fall season.

She tallied 492 digs during her opening campaign in Bloomington, the third-most digs ever recorded by a Hoosier in a single season.

Even in a season where injuries piled up and a long calendar year caught up to a young team, Cerame's impact was apparently evident.

"She had a good first year here," Aird said. "I think she has great in her. For me, it's about maturity and leading and really being a stabilizer. The libero position, you've got to have great energy and play the right way. I think having a year under her belt in the Big Ten will help. She played in some big matches and had some big performances.

The Hoosiers finally got a full spring, summer and fall camp for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of IU's roster had never experienced a full-spring season since arriving in college.

On top of that, IU had the chance to play a European tour in late May and early June. With matches against some high-end talent in Europe, IU's roster had a chance to mesh unlike years prior.

Freshman outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles joined up with the team in Europe, meaning the Hoosiers had 15 of their 16 players from this year's roster on the tour.

Aird preaches the ability to "get old" in the Big Ten with talented, veteran players at all positions. This year offers perhaps IU's deepest roster over the past five years.

10 of the 14 returning players on the 2022 team have played multiple years of college volleyball while five have played three or more.

"The senior class, this was really their first full spring of training," Cerame said. "I think getting through that training and working with the coaches and learning new things, brings a lot of different elements to us."

Cerame continues to get better on-and-off the court. The role of libero is critical to the organization and success of any team.

She had the chance to play in an international event for Puerto Rico this summer where she was named the Top Libero of the competition.

"Technically, I think we made some great improvements in the spring," Aird said. "A lot of it is about trusting the system and trusting that we put her in good spots to have opportunities defensively. We haven't tried to change a ton of things with her game."

The Hoosiers will take on Indiana State in the season opener Friday night as a part of the four-team Indiana Invitational.

Three non-conference weekends following that proceed a 20-game Big Ten slate against the nation's finest teams.

Cerame's not focused on this being potentially her final-ever season of volleyball.

She's just ready to get back out there.

"Being in the Big Ten for a whole season and now prepared for my second year, there's a hunger to want to accomplish a lot of things," Cerame said.

Indiana University Athletics

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Candela Alonso-Corcelles

Paula Cerame

Camryn Haworth

Isa Lopez

Kaley Rammelsberg

Mady Saris

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