By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The scene took place during warmups prior to a Bridgewater State University volleyball practice session.

Coach Tony daSilveira, whose team was searching to add depth to the setter position for the 2021 season, noticed one of his first-year outside hitters looking like a potential candidate.

That is how Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.) switched from one position to another for the Bears, leading her to become one of the top setters in program history.

"We were just warming up one day and she happened to set a clean ball a couple of times," recalled daSilveira. "We were like, 'This might be the girl we have to transform into a setter.' We really needed somebody."

So daSilveira inquired about Votta taking on the role of setter and was told that she had some experience at the position while playing for Cumberland High School.

The change of position was made, and Votta has been a setter all four years of her BSU career.

She has improved each season for the Bears and is on the verge of becoming the 10th player ever at BSU to reach 1,000 career assists.

Votta, a graduate student who has appeared in 67 matches for the Bears, has 994 assists and can reach the milestone on Tuesday when BSU hosts Fitchburg State at 6 p.m. at the Tinsley Center.

"I was not expecting this," said Votta, who graduated last spring with a degree in psychology. "If you said as a freshman that I'd be making it to 1,000 assists, I'd be like, 'What?'

"I don't think I had that in my mind until the end of last year when I had over 300 running a 5-1 (system). That's when I thought I might get to 1,000. It blows my mind that I made it this far, going from a hitter to a setter. It just amazes me."

Votta started playing volleyball as a high school freshman, beginning as an outside hitter. She moved to setter midway through that first season and stayed there until a point in her junior year before going back to hitting the rest of the way.

When she arrived at BSU in 2020 -- with the season canceled due to the COVID pandemic -- Votta was listed as an outside hitter. But by the time the games resumed in 2021, she was sharing the setter duties with Savannah Quintal.

Votta had 186 assists as a sophomore and 213 as a junior to finish second on the team before compiling a team-best 377 last season following the graduation of Quintal.

Now in her final year, Votta has 218 assists to lead the Bears and ranks third in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, averaging 4.74 per set.

The last BSU player to join the 1,000-assist club was all-time leader Charleyne Panner, who had 3,350 from 2013-16.

"I've gotten a lot better," said Votta. "As a setter, you have a really important role on the court and I struggled with confidence a lot the first two years. I had to push through that and become an assertive player on the court. I think I really grew as a player and it really started to show my junior and senior years."

daSilveira said the improvement continued on a yearly basis as Votta gained more experience at the position.

"She always got better," said daSilveira. "Every day was a little bit better. Maybe it was defense, maybe it was blocking, maybe it was serving or setting.

"She's always ready to learn. She's very determined. She never puts her head down. There's a lot of trust behind her and the hitters.

"She went from, 'Hey, we need somebody to go in there and get us through the season to help Savannah,' to really stepping up at that position."

Before getting a chance to set in games for BSU, Votta had to deal with missing the 2020 season as COVID forced the team to be limited to practices while wearing masks.

That made for a rough freshman year with limited time on the court that fall.

"It was very different," said Votta. "It was weird. We worked our way up from going two-on-two to six-on-six on the court. It was crazy. We would scrimmage and film it on Zoom so our parents could see.

"It was really frustrating. But I'm thankful and appreciative I got the opportunity to play during COVID and do something during that time."

The COVID year enabled Votta to return this season to complete her eligibility, and she is grateful for that chance.

Votta has begun working on a Master's degree in mental health counseling and will later pursue a degree in nutrition.

Votta is pursuing a career in sports psychology and wants to eventually work with student-athletes at a university.

"I took AP psychology in high school and I said that I could see myself getting into that field," said Votta. "It was the only field that interested me. I've been an athlete my whole life and I want to help athletes.

"We go through a lot as an athlete. This is a lot to time manage. Being an athlete pushed me to do this to help others.

"It's a lot of dedication, even for a Division 3 athlete. I've seen throughout the years mental health struggles, balancing school work and other life stresses. It's a lot. It takes a toll on you."

Attending graduate school has made it difficult at times to balance with volleyball.

Votta misses a practice a week due to a class and had to leave a game early in order to attend a class. When she can't practice, Votta will go to the Tinsley Center early and put her work in that day.

"I'm extremely grateful I got it all to work out," said Votta.

In her final season, BSU is 8-6, including 3-0 in the MASCAC, and has a seven-game winning streak. The Bears are attemptin to finish above .500 for the first time since 2010.

"We're really rolling. It feels like a family out there," said Votta. "It's definitely a different feeling. Our confidence is growing as a team."