The USA South Conference recognized Mary Baldwin’s for their exemplary sportsmanship throughout the 2023 fall sports season.
The USA South Conference has been recognizing teams with this conference-wide sportsmanship award since the 2004–05 academic year.
In addition to the team sportsmanship award, libero Jaisley Tibayan ‘27 was named to the all-conference sportsmanship team.
What’s a Libero?
The libero is the most unique position in college volleyball. They wear a different jersey from the rest of their team and usually don’t start on the court. Liberos step in to replace a teammate as a defensive specialist – NCAA rules explicitly prohibit the libero from “completing an attack hit.”
“It’s just part of what I do,” Tibayan explained. “Sports can sometimes be a negative thing; we won’t like the outcome of every game, but we can always choose to be a good person.”
For the Fighting Squirrels, sportsmanship is a guiding force.
Tibayan continued: “There were a bunch of teams in the conference that could’ve gotten this award, and it’s always nice to be recognized for sportsmanship. Being a good person and a good teammate and opponent is what I would rather be known for.”
