The ability to always be in the right place may seem natural to fans who watch Katie Swoboda make digs that make people double-take and ask themselves – “Did I just see that?”
It’s an innate ability that allows Swoboda, the libero for the Oregon volleyball team, to consistently make the momentum changing or point saving dig for the No. 16 Ducks.
This skill comes with a secret.
Off the court, Swoboda is clumsy. She trips in the weight room and on stairs. Teammates kid her about it and coach Jim Moore gives her the occasional ribbing.
“She actually trips a lot on the court too but a lot of people don’t notice it,” Sonja Newcombe said. “We give her a hard time about it.”
Swoboda gets a good laugh out of it.
“I am pretty clumsy off the court,” she said. “Coach makes fun of me all the time because for some reason I’ll run into something or I’ll fall.”
So it changes when she gets on the court?
“I guess so,” she says, continuing to laugh.
Maybe the best way to describe Swoboda’s abilities is through a compliment from Karch Kiraly, who was in Eugene doing commentary for Fox Sports Net and saw her make three consecutive digs against California. She made 28 digs for the match.
“Karch said he loved her technique,” Moore said. “While he’s the best that’s ever done it making that statement, so that’s a pretty good statement.”
Kiraly appeared recently in a Sports Illustrated article capturing the illustrious career of the volleyball player who Moore calls one of the best.
“It was amazing,” Swoboda said. “He’s a great player and I admire him tremendously. To hear that from someone who is of that caliber – one of the best players ever – it was a really nice compliment.”
Swoboda has a special bond with Moore. Now a junior, she was the first athlete he recruited to Oregon and the only player outside of senior Karen Waddington who has been with Moore his first three years in Eugene. Moore laughed when it was suggested Swoboda might be a coach on the court, saying she possesses all his good qualities and all the negatives – whether it’s being too hard on herself or taking too much to heart.
“Unfortunately, I think that child’s an extension of me,” he said.
She is within reach of the all-time career digs record set by Teri Kramer. Swoboda, averaging 5.23 digs per game, has 345 digs so far this season. She’s made 1,358 digs in her Oregon career and is poised to pass Kramer’s 1,481. In simpler terms, Swoboda is 123 short of the mark with nine regular season matches left in Oregon’s season.
What makes her so effective, Moore says is her ability to know precisely where the ball is going.
“Obviously, she’s quick and she’s fast and she’s crazy,” Moore says. “She can care less how many body parts are bleeding and people know that but it’s her ability to read.”
Moore has to monitor the junior, so used to seeing her out there while also knowing the physical punishment she takes. Swoboda has the occasional back pain, though Moore quickly points out, “She would be out there if her back was broken.”
Name the injury and she’s probably had it. Concussion. Torn cartilage. Goose eggs on her elbows.
She suffered a concussion as a freshman when her head collided with the knee of former Oregon standout Kelly Russell against then-No. 2 Washington. The following night, she leaned forward on the sideline, unable to play, yet looked eager to sub in.
So when a teammate has an ache or pain, they know better than to complain to Swoboda, Newcombe says.
“Sometimes every now and then I’ll complain about hitting my hip or something like that and she just looks at me like ‘don’t even talk to me about that,’” Newcombe said.
Swoboda, who usually keeps her injuries to herself, says consecutive matches are tough.
“It’s rough to do the back-to-back nights,” Swoboda admits. “My body gets pretty beat up but I have to do what I have to do. It’s my job.”
Since Swoboda has arrived, Moore has lauded Swoboda as one of the top liberos in the Pacific-10 Conference and beyond. He says he has seen steady improvement during her time in Eugene.
“Her passing is so good right now,” Moore said. “She receives serves very, very well and I think she believed it was a weak point when she got here and it was something that she needed to get better at but she’s great at it,” Moore said.
Oregon, now 15-6 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-10, is poised to make its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
“One of the reasons we’re good is because she’s here,” Moore said. “She’s changed our level of defense just because she’s here.”
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