However in 2007, she was just a player out of the game. The reason for that was simple.
“I wasn’t having fun anymore and that’s hard to say because I love the game so much,” Dailey said during a telephone interview Wednesday. “For a while there I thought that was the end. I thought that was it.”
Soon after overcoming those thoughts, Dailey was wrapped in stress. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to transfer and follow the advice of her parents.
What about all her good friends in Berkeley?
What would the people back in Newport Beach think if the star from the small school picked up and moved to a different college, and failed?
“A lot of people transfer and sometimes it doesn’t work out,” said Dailey, who led the Lightning to their first CIF Southern Section title in the fall of 2005. “I’ve been lucky because it has worked out in every way.”
After visiting Yale, Cat quickly learned she could find comfort among the Bulldogs.
In her first season, she ranked second in the Ivy League with a team-best 3.73 kills per set. She reached double figure kills in 18 matches, including six matches with 20 kills or more.
Just as she helped break new ground at Sage Hill, Dailey also provided her touch on some momentous feats for Yale.
The Bulldogs completed their best season in program history last year, posting a 21-6 record, winning the Ivy League championship and capturing a first-round victory in the NCAA tournament against Ohio University.
“Cat lived up to and exceeded my expectations in her first season at Yale,” Bulldogs Coach Erin Appleman said before the season began. “She showed her ability to dominate a match when we needed a spark. Her experience in the Ivy League and with her teammates can only lead to more good things this season.”
