No moment is too big for Beatriz Rodrigues

Darcy Ritchie

When she was younger, Beatriz Rodrigues wanted to play soccer. Unfortunately for her, her home country of Portugal doesn’t have soccer teams for girls older than 12, so instead, she decided to start playing volleyball when she was 7 years old.

Rodrigues, a setter, always wanted to play volleyball in the United States after graduating high school, but because she started college in Portugal, she thought she wouldn’t be able to.

“I was like, ‘OK, my dream of coming to the U.S. is not going to happen anymore,’” Rodrigues said. “I basically was not expecting any kind of opportunity to come here, and then eventually, my coaches contacted me.”

In 2021, she moved from Lisbon to Logan as one of nine new players signed to the 2021 Utah State Volleyball roster. The goal for the whole team, according to Rodrigues, is to go as far as they can. After winning the conference in 2021, Utah State lost its semifinal matchup against Boise State in the Mountain West Championship tournament.

“As a team, my goal is for sure to win the conference, then win the conference tournament and then go to the NCAA and see how far we can go,” Rodrigues said.

It’s a big goal, but something the team always says is, “No moment is too big for Bia.”

Chloe Hirst, the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Utah State Volleyball, said Rodrigues doesn’t break under pressure because she played on a high-level international team before coming to Utah State.

“Everything was kind of magical for me because it was my first year in the states,” Rodrigues said. “I had a lot of new friendships, trying to find the way that you guys play in the U.S. because it’s a little bit different. I feel like everything was kind of special in that way.”

An extra special moment for Rodrigues was when Utah State Volleyball won the Mountain West regular season championship — especially because nobody thought it would happen. The team was predicted to finish ninth in the Mountain West Conference in the 2021 season.

“Everyone thought that we were going to be at the bottom with no chance,” Rodrigues said. “So we just told everyone that we are coming, and we are not a team that’s going to give up.”

In addition to winning the regular season conference title, the 2021 team had the most wins in a season since 2010 and the second-best hitting percentage in the volleyball program’s history.

Rodrigues said she thinks the success was due to the many experienced players joining the team that season, as well as the new coach, Rob Nielson, who was hired as head coach in January 2020. She believes the success of the volleyball team will continue this season.

“I don’t want to say for sure, but I would say that we’re probably going to be better,” she said, “even better than last year.”

“It’s a big benefit to our team, like she’s played in these big moments before with her club team in Portugal,” Hirst said. “We always say, ‘No moment is really too big for Bia,’ just because she’s been there before. That’s just something huge that she really brings to our team.”

Hirst shared an example from a preseason game where Rodrigues, after being out for three weeks with an injury, was called into a game against Colorado State.

“We were down. We were frazzled. We were frustrated,” Hirst said. “Bia comes in and just rattles off eight serves in a row, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about: that no moment is too big for Bia. Just zero fears, zero hesitation.”

In addition to Rodrigues’ confidence under pressure, Hirst is also impressed by her consistency.

“She’s consistent as far as the fire and the competitive spirit that she brings,” Hirst said. “No matter what, she wants to win, and she tries to always figure out a way

how to do it. Even if it’s maybe not her best day or not her best game, she’s just going to go compete, no matter what.”

Rodrigues hates losing, and she considers her competitive nature a strength.

“It’s a guarantee that I’m going to give 100% because I always give 100%,” Rodrigues said. “In my mind, if I’m doing something, I have to do it, so why would I do it with only 50%? You better do it the best way you can.”

And Rodrigues doesn’t just put 100% into volleyball. Her teammate and close friend, Kylee Stokes, said she works just as hard off the court, especially on her schoolwork.

“Sometimes we can’t hang out because she tells me she’s studying for a test or she’s doing an assignment,” Stokes said. “I just know that she’s always putting in all her The Mountain West Conference also recognized Rodrigues’ academic achievement, naming her to the Academic All-Mountain West team and distinguishing her as a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete in 2021.

Stokes said as a setter, Rodrigues does a great job stepping into a leadership role every time she is on the court. Her energy helps everyone else on the team play better.

“She just gets so fired up whenever she sees us kill a ball, get a really good block,” Stokes said. “She’s always so fired up and her energy is just insane, and it translates to all of us that are playing.”

Rodrigues said she always likes to be in a leadership role. She wants to be an example to her teammates and wants them to know she always has their backs.

“When I was younger, I used to be the youngest on my team,” Rodrigues said. “I felt like someone older than me on my team, helping me and trying to guide me and motivate me and doing all the stuff a leader does, helped me a lot to grow.”

Rodrigues said the volleyball team is close, and she feels especially connected with the other foreign players.

“Most of us are changing from a place that’s nine hours different, so we can’t even talk with our family,” Rodrigues said. “We can’t be with our family on a weekend. We can’t, so we need to lean on each other.”

The team aspect of volleyball is a huge draw for Rodrigues. With other sports, she said, you can grab a ball and go practice with yourself. That’s not possible in volleyball.

“If you don’t trust your team, you’re never going to be able to do anything,” Rodrigues said. “I think that’s the thing that keeps me going with volleyball and gives me so much joy playing it.”

Rodrigues knows this year’s team will be good, with new players coming in and the team’s sights set high. With a goal of going as far as possible this season, the pressure is on for Utah State Volleyball, but no moment will be too big for Bia.