By Laura Amato
Danisha Moss’s volleyball career started with a conversation in front of a Toronto KFC.
She was 14 years old, walking into the fast food restaurant with a friend when she noticed a car turn around in the parking lot. Toronto Diamonds Volleyball Club founder Clayton Carimbocas was driving the car when he spotted Moss and, knew he was looking at a future volleyball star.
It wasn’t exactly what Moss expected when she left her house that day, but from the vantage point of 2016 the St. John’s standout is certain that meeting was fate. She joined the Toronto Diamonds a few days later, setting herself on a path that wouldn’t only change her on-court career, but help jump-start a teammate’s this season.
Moss, a redshirt junior, and freshman Erica Di Maulo became a one-two punch of sets, spikes and blocks for the Red Storm this fall, racking up accolades along the way.
“If I have to be honest, at the beginning we didn’t have great chemistry,” said Di Maulo, who was named co-Big East freshman of the year. “It’s completely normal, of course, because it takes a lot of time to build chemistry between setters and a middle. I think we improved a lot.”
Di Maulo grew up playing volleyball—a star in her native Italy from the moment she set foot on the court—but the road to success was a bit more difficult for Moss. After all, she got recruited in a parking lot.
“The first couple of years were really rough. I was so bad, I couldn’t do anything,” Moss said. “So when [my first] season started, [Carimbocas worked] with me as best he could and he was like, you know what, just go in, get to the net and just block anything that comes over the net.”
It’s a lesson the 6-foot-3 Moss took with her to the college level, using every inch of her height this year to become the Red Storm’s all-time leading blocker.
“Last year I was close to making it on the records list and this year, other than wanting to make it to the Big East with my team, personally that was my goal,” she said.
Between the two of them, Moss and Di Maulo found a statistical rhythm in front of the net and while their early-season relationship weathered a few bumps in the road, the two hit their stride down the stretch.
Of course, there was a reason for that—hours spent in the gym together, working on understanding the miniscule details of each other’s game. It was an eye-opening experience for Di Maulo and an exercise in leadership for Moss.
“I knew Erica was a really talented setter, so it was more about getting on board with her,” Moss said. “I wanted to make sure as freshmen they knew the flow of the court in the Big East. It’s just trying to understand how we can outplay our opponents.”
St. John’s wrapped up the year 16-15 overall, but notched a handful of big-time Big East victories, including late-season wins at DePaul and Marquette. And, most importantly, both Moss and Di Maulo are confident in what’s next.
It’s been a long and winding road for both athletes, but they’re both hoping the end result is the same—a bright future for the Red Storm.
“I think that from now on and looking towards the future we have to focus and stay focused every single match,” Di Maulo said. “Even if we’re not doing our best, we have to help the team in every single moment.”
