After being named to the SEC All-Freshman team in her first year at Alabama, Carlee Giammona decided to transfer to Pepperdine the following year. Giammona played in the first four games of her sophomore season in the spring before suffering a season-ending injury. After returning to Pepperdine's team this year, Carlee has proved to be a key contributor as she has logged five goals and four assists on the season. In this interview, Carlee speaks on what has been key to her individual success, as well as how her team has been able to start the season with a 12-1 record and earn the sixth overall ranking in the nation. 

Q: Elaborate more on your back story and where you're from. What high school did you go to? Did your high school have a good soccer program there as well? Do you have high school teammates that are also playing D1 soccer? 
 
A: I was originally born and raised in Colorado and then I moved to Las Vegas when I was 14. The name of my high school was Palo Verde, but I didn't get to play high school soccer until my junior and senior year because my club team made me choose between playing club and high school. Later on, my club team made a change so I was able to play high school soccer during my junior and senior year. My club team was very good, and many of my teammates are still playing. Some of my old teammates are playing at UNLV and USC. Olivia Packer, one of my club and high school teammates, is now playing with me here at Pepperdine. 

Q: After first playnig for Alabama's women's soccer team out of high school, why did you make the decision to transfer to Pepperdine? What has been the biggest lifestyle change for you in moving from the Southeast to the West Coast? How has playing in the West Coast Conference differed from playing in the SEC?
 
A: I had always heard of Pepperdine being a great school for both soccer and academics. Olivia Packer, my teammate that I mentioned earlier, always had great things to say about Pepperdine. My club coach had also spoken very highly of Pepperdine, so it was always on my radar. 
 
Out of high school, I wanted to go experience something different, but not necessarily go extremely far away from home. Going down to the south was totally different. Everyone moved at a much slower pace compared to the much faster pace we experience here in the L.A. area. It's also much more crowded, and coming to one of the biggest cities in the world was crazy compared to being in a small town in the south. I think I enjoy being in the big city more because I grew up in the suburbs of Denver, so it felt a bit more normal to me. 
 
All college soccer will be challenging and it will make sure that you challenge yourself. The SEC was different from the WCC because the style of play was completely different. More teams in the SEC vary in their play style, while most teams in the WCC all tend to have a similar style of play. I've also seen how recruiting varies between the WCC and the SEC. Most of the girls on our team are from the West Coast, and many of the girls on my Alabama team were from the other side of the country. It felt like the location of where the girls had played club or high school soccer would influence their style of play and where they would receive offers from. 

Q: The Pepperdine women's soccer team is ranked sixth in the nation. What aspect of your team's game do you feel has been the key to your team's success this year? 
 
A: Our culture is so good. We're all on the same page and we're all super close. We know what our goals and missions are and everyone seems to lean on each other for whatever we may need. We're all one unit and we play together. I feel like this is the one thing that has really helped us this year and set us apart from other teams because we are so united. 
 
Q: Pepperdine has a remarkable 9-0 record on the road this season. Your team has gone and beat some tough opponents such as USC, Vanderbilt, TCU, and Texas A&M. What has allowed the team to be so confident and successful when playing on the road?
 
A: One thing that we talked a lot about was being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I feel like this was one thing that would set us apart from other teams because we could go into someone else's home and win consistently. We wanted to make sure that we would play our best soccer in both home and away games. It's been important for us to know that nothing should change for us in both home and away games. Our number one priority is to do our jobs and do our best to make sure we get the win. 
 
Q: What was it like to play your first season at Pepperdine during the first year of COVID-19? How did COVID-19 affect your team's day-to-day operations? Do you feel that it was more difficult to form a chemistry with your new teammates because of the effect COVID-19 had on the team?
 
A: It was a lot different. We had to worry about getting tested and making sure that we stayed in our own bubble of the team's players and coaches. We tried to do our best at this even though this proved to be difficult. We tried to give ourselves the lowest possible chance of having setbacks due to COVID. Everyday life was a lot different. We were on campus last year so we would go to practice and then go back to our rooms and do school online. This proved to be much different than anything I had ever experienced before.
 
I felt COVID made it even easier to form strong bonds, even though I know I would've formed these friendships regardless of whether we had the COVID season or not. Since it was just our team and we only had each other on campus, I felt like I was able to form really strong bonds with every girl on the team because it was all we had at the time. 

Q: What was it like to play a season during the spring instead of the fall last year? Why do you believe the team has been so much more successful this season?
 
A: It goes back to the culture of our team. We're all on the same page. Even though last year's team had a good culture as well, everyone on the team this year seems to be so dialed in. We all have the same goals and mindset this year. We all know what we have to do and what we need to accomplish in order to achieve our goals and complete our mission.

Q: Unfortunately, you suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the spring season. What went into your rehabilitation in the offseason? What has been the best part about being healthy and being able to reunite with your teammates on the field this fall season?
 
A: Once I hurt my knee, I really focused on getting back and making sure that I was strong and able to play. It's been so great to be back on the field with my teammates. I don't want to say that I took playing for granted, but being on the sideline and not being able to play made me want to get back on the field even more. Getting to see my teammates do their best and compete pushed me even harder because I knew that I wanted to be out there with them and I wanted to experience everything our season has to offer. It's just been so great to be back on the field with them. 

Q: You've been a key contributor for the team this season by already scoring five goals and logging four assists. What has been the key to your individual success since coming back from your injury? Do you feel that you've returned as a better player this season?
 
A: I think I've definitely grown a lot because I've been able to have time to watch a lot of film and try to get better mentally since I couldn't physically be out on the field. I was able to focus on my game and what I needed to do. Once I was healthy, I was able to get fit again and start getting my touch back. For this season, I feel like I've gotten a lot better since the injury, but we've all been able to grow tremendously as a team and start the season off very well. I hope that our success continues. Individually, my teammates have helped me a lot and I just focus on doing what I can for our team. 
 
Q: Your team has started the season 12-1. What is the team's mindset as league play begins and what parts of the team's game do you hope to continue to see?
           
A: Nothing has really changed. We have our same goal that we hope to complete. I view WCC play as a whole different breed, as there is a different level of intensity to it. We're just going to stick to what we do best and what we know. I hope for our chemistry to continue growing, and that we keep playing off each other. As I've said, I really appreciate the culture that we've established here as well. I hope we can keep the intensity that we've established and continue to come out strong for the entirety of the game. I just hope that we continue doing these things for the rest of the season.
 
Q: What do you and your teammates enjoy doing together in the Malibu area when you are not practicing or playing a game?
 
A: Our go-to would be going to the beach and hanging out. We have a few surfers on the team, so they'll go out and the rest of us will watch them. It's nice to go out to the beach and read a book, or just hang out. We'll also go on some cool hikes around the Malibu area. I really enjoy hanging out, bonding, and relaxing with the team in our downtime. We'll also do some bonfires at some of the beaches a little farther up north. We love doing that so we can roast smores and have a good time!