Wofford College’s second all-time leader in blocks and hitting percentage for volleyball has recently transferred to Wichita State for her fifth year and last dance on the court.
Sarah Barham — a middle blocker and Summerfield, North Carolina, native — said this is her first extended period away from home. Wofford is just under a three-hour drive from her hometown.
“I was born and raised in the same town,” Barham said. “And I just kind of got lucky with Wofford being so close. It was definitely intimidating coming all the way out here, but I was excited to come.”
Because Wofford does not offer graduate programs to its students, Barham knew she wanted to transfer for her fifth year.
“(The coaches) were super understanding of my desire to further my education and not just be at Wofford taking extra classes for a bachelor’s degree I didn’t really need,” Barham said.
“It’s not like I was leaving a bad environment,” Barham said. “I wanted to try and find a place that embraced me as much as Wofford did.”
When deciding to commit to Wichita State, Barham said she liked the offense’s game plan because the coaches “really value what a strong middle game can bring to a team,” which opens up multiple avenues for attacking.
“I thought it was really encouraging to hear that I would be brought in to make an impact,” Barham said. “Or at least try to make an impact, and not just be kind of like a space filler or somebody that’s just out there to be out there.”
Barham said another deciding factor was familiarity with WSU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Katie Zimmerman.
“Zimmerman knew some of the coaches that I used to play for at Wofford,” Barham said. “Because she spent some time in South Carolina as well. So I just dove in and saw how strong of a program (Wichita State is) and watched them win (the) NIVC.”
After last year’s top middle blocker Natalie Foster transferred to Southern Methodist University, WSU head coach Chris Lamb said he needed to find “someone who was a good blocker and good in transition.”
When Lamb saw the tape of Barham, he said “watching Sarah run around is exactly what I kind of look for.”
“We played very different with (Foster),” Lamb said. “But, Sarah has the experience and the IQ. So, we just felt like we could find somebody that can kind of come in here and touch a lot of balls and get up for a lot of balls.”
On the court, Barham said some of her strong suits are in her transition game, getting in the air and being available for the setters as much as possible.
“That’s definitely something that has been drilled into my head since I was a very young volleyball player,” Barham said. “I’ve had success in the past as a blocker. Just getting my hands on stuff if it doesn’t go down … slowing the ball down for our defenders. Or just frustrating other hitters for not being able to take their favorite swing all the time.”
Barham said she wants to leave a legacy for making the game fun and doing her job well.
“And hopefully more than my job,” Barham said. “Just contributing as much as I can in every way possible and just showing people what kind of volleyball player came out of a small, little school in South Carolina.”
