The team needed a timeout. After jostling with Hiram College for a leg up on the court on Friday, Sept. 19, the Allegheny volleyball team was slipping further behind on the scoreboard. Right as Head Volleyball Coach Kelly Barzak gathered the team on the sidelines, a loudspeaker rang out across the gym, packed with families and alumni visiting for Blue & Gold Weekend.

Jacy Diaz, ’26, a libero, had just broken the Allegheny program record for career digs.

It took Diaz a moment to realize what the announcer had just said.

“When they said I broke it,” Diaz said, “I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”

For the past 21 years, Joy Kosiewicz, ’95, held the record with 2,218 career digs, a skill in which a defensive player successfully receives an attack from an opponent and passes a ball to keep the rally alive, allowing the team to transition to offense. Not only did Diaz break the record, she also did so in just 74 percent of the sets Kosiewicz played during her career.

Volleyball team member Jayne Seth, ’26, immediately recognized the significance of the announcement at the game.

“I got instant chills,” Seth said. “I was like, ‘This is crazy,’ because you walk through the gym and you see all of these players with their names on plaques or pictures of them, and it’s a crazy feeling to know that I got to play with one of those players and she’s one of my best friends now.”

Diaz took in the moment surrounded by her teammates.

“Seeing their faces just so happy for me, it fills my heart,” Diaz said. “They’re just so proud of me, it just makes me feel proud of myself.”

During her time at Allegheny, Diaz has accrued numerous athletic accomplishments, including being named a Presidents’ Athletic Conference 2nd Team All-Region player in 2024, defensive player of the year in 2023 and 2024 and two-time First-Team All-PAC player in 2023 and 2024.

Diaz has also been a team captain since her sophomore year, an accomplishment Barzak attributed to her “natural” leadership abilities. Last year, as captain, Diaz led the team to win the PAC Championship.

“She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” said Barzak, who coached volleyball for four years at Thiel College before coming to coach at Allegheny in 2017. “She is always putting in extra time, working hard. She also tends to be a perfectionist because she always wants to do her absolute best in achieving those goals.”

While initially hesitant about running for team captain, Diaz decided to throw her name into the ring at the encouragement of her coaches. Soon enough, she was in the leadership position, a role she never had since the beginning of her volleyball career at 13 years old.

“She does a great job with the team, making sure that she’s setting high expectations for them and holding people accountable,” Barzak said. “But she also brings just a great personality as well.”

Diaz said her time on the volleyball team has led her to become her “true self,” including by pushing her out of her comfort zone and growing her confidence. For the past three years, she has led the team by maintaining a healthy balance of fun and seriousness, all while making sure her teammates know she is not above them.

Lorena Oliveira, ’28, an outside hitter on the team, said Diaz has “two personalities” on and off the court. Outside of games, Oliveira said, Diaz is goofy and fun, leading teammates in things like TikTok dances in the locker room, which Oliveira said is a great pre-game stress reliever.

“She’s a really fun person to be around; she jokes around a lot,” Oliveira said. “But when it’s game time, she locks in and she’s serious and she’s really focused on the game.”

Also important to Diaz is that all of her teammates feel able to speak up when they have thoughts or opinions they want to share. Izzy Gray, ’26, a setter, said this is apparent in Diaz’s frequent prompts for others to contribute to team conversations.

“She’s not mean, she’s not rude, she will never say anything that makes you feel bad about yourself,” Gray added. “Everybody feels comfortable to bring their issues to her and help, and so she can help fix them.”

Barzak first saw Diaz play during the recruitment process, and she knew Diaz could have received a scholarship to play at a Division II school. Her first impression of Diaz was that she was a “raw athlete.”

“She will do anything to get a ball up,” Barzak said. “She will sacrifice her body, she’ll dive on the floor. She might be 10 feet from a ball, but she still thinks she’s going to get to it before it hits the ground.”

During her nine years coaching volleyball at Allegheny, Barzak also coached Terra Schall, ’18, a libero who was just shy of beating Kosiewicz’s career digs record.

“I thought at that time — I didn’t think I’d be able to coach anyone in that position that was going to be better,” Barzak said. “Then Jacy came around.”

“What makes this achievement even more special is how she elevates the players around her,” Barzak continued. “She’s not only setting records, she’s setting standards. I’m incredibly proud of her and excited to see how far her leadership and talent will take this team.”

Diaz is very pleased with the milestone that kicked off her senior year. With a whole season to go, she is excited about the team’s prospects and plans to cherish every remaining game.

“I want to live the experience and the moment,” Diaz said. “I don’t want to just think ahead of like, ‘Oh, I want this game to be over.’ No. I want to be in every single game, in my head, in the same space. Because I don’t want to take it for granted. So every single moment, I just hope we just have fun this year.”

Barzak also has high hopes for the remainder of the volleyball season and believes Diaz is a key player to steer the team to achieve those dreams.

“Jacy really is one of those athletes that might be that once in a lifetime athlete for a coach,” Barzak said. “Because of how much she brings to the program, not only athletically, but just her leadership and her drive to be the best that she can.”

The volleyball team is 3-2 in conference play this season. Their next home game is Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in the David V. Wise Center.