Tatianna Rivas (right) with Pitt Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance Stephanie Mock (center holding NCAA Regional trophy) and Volleyball Athletic Trainer Deirdre Chatlos (left).
Volleyball has been part of Tatianna Rivas’ (MS '24) life since she was in sixth grade. She helped her Boca Raton Community High School team win the Florida state championship before heading off to play at the Division 2 college level at Post University and then finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of North Florida.
When a coaching opportunity arose after graduation, she seized it. And why not? Volleyball is in her blood.
For three seasons, from August 2020 to May 2023, Rivas coached approximately 15 teams of 13-, 14- and 15-year olds in the Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Association in Jacksonville, Florida.
When she arrived at Pitt last fall as a student in the Master of Sports Science program, she was ready to bring it.
Rivas attacked the curriculum with everything she had, applying what she had learned from her playing and coaching days as well as her undergraduate coursework, and eagerly expanding her knowledge of how data and analytics impact athletic performance.
But it was during an immersive internship with the Pitt women’s volleyball team that she solidified her commitment to the sport and her plans for the future.
“The resources available to the athletes and coaches were incredible,” says Rivas. “There was a lot of emphasis on nutrition and mental health as well as athletic prowess. All of this is key to success.”
“It was exciting to be there when they were making a run for an ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) title and appeared in their third consecutive Final Four game and to see how the team behind the team—the coaches and staff—impacted their performance,” she continues.
Rivas (far left) all smiles with the Pitt Women's Volleyball team and staff on their way to the NCAA Final Four this past December.
According to Katelyn Allison, interim director for the Sports Science program, internships allow students to harness the power of data and technology to help improve athletic performance and reduce injury. They devote 150 hours each semester—a total of 450 hours over the course of the program—working under the direct supervision of elite coaches from either Pitt Athletics or another sports team or organization.
“Student interns set goals to achieve under the mentorship and guidance of their internship site supervisor,” notes Allison. “It’s satisfying to see how an experienced student like Tatianna grows even more and becomes a contributing member of an athletic team.”
“She excels at performance testing,” adds Allison.
Rivas became adept at using Catapult Vector, a state-of-the-art sports technology data collection and analytics device. It’s designed to make data-informed decisions regarding what’s best for the healthy athlete as well as an athlete who is returning to play.
“The Catapult Vector device is small, slightly larger than a silver dollar,” explains Rivas. “Athletes wear it on their backs, between their shoulder blades during practice and games. Through Catapult, we can track things like the number of jumps and a metric called PlayerLoad, which quantifies the overall work the athlete has done. The live data is posted for each player so the coaches know what they need to work on.”
Rivas ran the Catapult data collection on the floor for all regular-season home games throughout the season. The highlight came during the sold-out final game of the regular season as the Panthers dominated the Louisville Cardinals and set the stage for their third straight appearance at the NCAA semifinals.
“I cherish the relationships I built with the athletes, in the weight room and at practice,” says Rivas. “Seeing them play at such a high level all season long was a great experience.”
Rivas was fortunate to be able to travel with the team to two away games. She used data she collected throughout the volleyball season to complete her capstone project, which was an analysis of the Catapult data collected during games against ranked opponents compared to games against non-ranked opponents. She presented the results at the Catapult conference held at Pitt this spring.
“If there’s one thing I could take with me throughout my entire life it would be volleyball,” admits Rivas.
“I really love strength and conditioning and that will be my central focus moving forward,” she continues. “I’d like to pass my certification exam and start a career as a strength and conditioning coach.”
“Tatianna was a standout student,” reports Allison. “She’s set herself up for a great future.”
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The Pitt Sports Science application closes July 15, 2024. Apply now! Learn more about the degree by visiting our website or reaching out to our enrollment specialists at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu.
This article appears in the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of FACETS alumni magazine.