Paige Curran Kills it on the Court

Paige Curran, a junior at the University of New England, is aiming to win the conference title in volleyball this season - and she's going to work hard to do it.

The middle blocker/middle hitter is a member of the D-III team, part of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC), and finished last year’s season as one of the top ranked hitters in the conference with a .300 percent. 

Curran has been a starter for the Nor’easters since joining the team as a freshman, and with two years of collegiate experience under her belt, she hopes to be a leader on the court this season. In the four games played this year, the former CHS MVC All Conference player leads her team in kills(32) blocks(8) and points scored(41).

Curran didn’t start playing volleyball until her freshman year, although she did practice with her father on the beach throughout her childhood. After a few years of high school playing, she also joined a Junior Olympic team, based out of Andover.  

“That’s when I really started to love playing," she said.

The same season, she was awarded MIP of her team at Chelmsford High. Soon after, Curran decided that if she was able to find a college that offered volleyball as well as a major that interested her, she would continue to peruse athletics beyond high school.

“When I was looking at schools … I knew if I wasn’t playing volleyball I wouldn’t be happy. I like to be active, and I’ve always played sports, so I knew I would be really upset if I couldn’t play. I was also interested in doing pharmacy so I had to find a school with both, and fortunately at UNE I found that,” said Curran, who added that playing on a D-III team offers the perfect balance between athletics and academics.

Curran has improved since joining a college team, and she credits her success to the more serious environment at UNE. Curran has worked on technique and dedicated herself to the sport in the past few years, and the results have been worth the time and energy.

Recently, she began practicing as a back hitter, a new position that she has never played before. Working with coach Karol L’Heureux  and older, more experienced girls on the team has made a significant impact in Curran’s game, and helped her widen her skill set.

“I think in high school I was mostly an athletic person who played volleyball. When I got to college, my skills improved a lot. I learned what it actually took to be a good athlete. I became stronger, and started working harder,” Curran said. “The difference is that everyone has a desire to play volleyball in college and everyone works hard at it.”

Curran and her team finished fifth in the conference last season. This year, they hope to finish in first, with the TCCC title. Curran thinks that UNE has what it takes to win it all. She said that because all the girls on her team are good friends, they have a unique chemistry on the court.

"When you get along well, you want to win for your team. It’s more of a team sport rather than wanting to get good stats for yourself. It’s more of an unselfish team when you get along," she said.