Q&A with Liza Blue

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Freshman Liza Blue and the third-ranked Virginia field hockey team begin postseason play this week at the 2010 ACC Championship. The Cavaliers, the third seed, take on sixth-seeded Duke at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C. The winner will face No. 2 North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Blue, a two-sport student-athlete at Virginia, recently sat down with VirginiaSports.com to chat about the season, why she came to UVa and what she likes to do for fun.

Question: How would you describe the season up to this point?
Blue: I think the season is going really well. We have a solid record going into the postseason and have a lot of potential to do well in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. There is still room for improvement – I think our best is yet to come.

Question: How is it different now that it is the postseason?
Blue: There is definitely a different atmosphere and everyone is a little more intense. It’s crunch time.

Question: How has it been adjusting to the college level?
Blue: It’s been hard – speed is the main factor, just playing on a smoother surface and the fitness of everyone is so much higher. Other than that, it’s been pretty good.

Question: Who would you say has been an inspiration or someone you have looked up to?
Blue: I really look up to my brother Henry a lot. He really pushes me athletically. He wrestled in college at Davidson and knows about both the mental and physical aspects of sports. He helped me pass my fitness test.

Question: What made you decide to come to UVa?
Blue: Both of my parents went to UVa and it has been a part of my family for a long time. Besides that, I knew I wanted a good school with great academics and athletics.

Question: And you’ll also be a member of the women’s lacrosse team in the spring.
Blue: It’s going to be a challenge but I am looking forward to it. I’ve played lacrosse a lot longer than field hockey so it comes a little more easily. It will be tough to jump in – but I’ve already talked to the coaches about it. They are supportive of me playing field hockey as well – Coach (Julie) Myers played both field hockey and lacrosse here too.

Question: Have you thought about what you might want to major in yet?
Blue: Not really but I am leaning toward psychology right now. That’s just because I really like the class I’m in now, called personality psychology.

Question: Do you have a career aspiration?
Blue: I really want to be involved with sports somehow – that has been my life. I don’t know if I will go into coaching or not, we’ll see.

Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Blue: I live on a farm and I ride horses. I competitively rode all the way through eighth grade and then I stopped because of field hockey and lacrosse. And I love skiing as well. I haven’t gone skiing in a long time, but I am going to Aspen with a friend over Christmas break.

Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Blue: I think the Lawn is the prettiest spot on Grounds, but I don’t hang out there much. I spend most of my time in JPJ because I love the food and because study hall is there.