These days, it is not uncommon for athletes with seniority to take advantage of their status. They might take a play or two off, miss a couple of practices (or an entire training camp in the cases of NFL players like Michael Strahan or Brett Favre), and nothing really happens because their places as leaders are set in stone.
That’s why it is so refreshing to see what the senior volleyball players did last week.
The team had been in a bit of a funk for the last month and already had three Pacific-10 Conference losses. Sonja Newcombe, Neticia Enesi, and Nevena Djordjevic knew that something had to change. So, they put in a good deal of extra time after practices to hone their skills, and it paid off big time.
The team rediscovered its rhythm over the weekend and defeated both No. 14 California and No. 5 Stanford. Not surprisingly, Newcombe, Enesi, and Djordjevic played key roles in both wins, and the rest of the team followed their lead.
“This was a real sign of the seniors saying, ‘We can’t slip,’” said head coach Jim Moore. “All of them took charge and did what they needed to do.”
Leaders like these three are the backbone of everything that is great about sports: passion, hard work, endurance and sheer love of a game. Too many times in this day and age, we see athletes who care only about themselves and their own well-being. We watch as the Michael Crabtrees of the world sit out all of training camp and half of their rookie seasons for a few extra million dollars.
It’s no coincidence that the Ducks regained their balance this weekend. The team fed off of the determination of its senior leaders, and now they are right back in the thick of the Pac-10 race.
This weekend’s slate was no cakewalk, after all. California was ranked ahead of Oregon and featured one of the Pac-10’s best hitters in Hana Cutura. Stanford, meanwhile, was coming off a win on Friday over Oregon State (who defeated Oregon two weeks ago) and an upset over then-No. 3 Washington the previous weekend. The time was ripe for the Ducks to make a statement, and the seniors knew this.
So, they worked their tails off in practice, and it showed during both matches. Against California, Newcombe had 13 kills and hit .545 with nine digs, Enesi piled up 11 kills and hit .667, and Djordjevic had 39 assists to go along with four service aces.
The next day against Stanford, they somehow played even better. Newcombe matched a career high with 26 kills, set a new career high in digs with 24, and hit .362. Enesi hit .514 with 21 kills, and Djordjevic threw in 63 assists and 13 digs.
Their play clearly inspired some of their younger teammates, who also contributed in a huge way. Freshman outside hitter Katherine Fischer had 12 kills and 16 digs against Stanford, and freshman libero Kellie Kawasaki had 19 digs against the Cardinal.
After all, if you were a freshman and saw your older teammates staying after practice to improve their games, wouldn’t that motivate you to work even harder? It sure would be a wake-up call to me. The fact is, the extra work these seniors put in not only helped them individually, it made the whole team better.
This weekend’s wins were truly an example of great team play, and they were keyed by the leadership of these seniors. Any team would be lucky to have even one leader like Newcombe, Enesi or Djordjevic. The fact that the Ducks have three just makes them that much stronger and could propel them to great heights as the season goes on. There is plenty more work to be done from here, and no one is more keenly aware of that than
these players.
So if you happen to wander into McArthur Court this week after practice ends and see Newcombe, Enesi and Djordjevic diligently honing their games, don’t be surprised. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Seniors are catalysts for historic weekend
Daily Emerald
October 18, 2009
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