Post by roofed! on Oct 12, 2004 10:57:06 GMT -5
[ftp]http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=30283[/ftp]
By Sagar Parikh
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
sparikh@media.ucla.edu
At first, it looked to be a match made in heaven.
Nana Meriwether imagined playing volleyball with the letters U-C-L-A emblazoned across her chest. Coach Andy Banachowski shared the same vision.
Yet somewhere along the line, those plans went awry. And instead of taking the court in the comfort of Pauley Pavilion in West Los Angeles, Meriwether found herself over 2,500 miles away in Durham, N.C., stuck competing for a mediocre Duke team.
It wasn't how she planned on spending her freshman year in college, to say the least.
"I was very disappointed by the level of competition," Meriwether said. "I wanted to play against the best. My heart was set on UCLA the whole time"
Meriwether's top collegiate choice coming out of high school two years ago was UCLA, but the Bruins did not have a scholarship available at the time. The sophomore from Potomac, Md. was a tri-sport athlete in track, basketball and volleyball in high school. But she did not start playing club volleyball until her junior year.
As a result, she was not highly recruited for the sport, even though she was recognized as the Gatorade Player of the Year her senior year.
"She was recruited highly for other sports" Novimbi Meriwether, Nana's mother, said, "but volleyball was what she wanted to do."
With UCLA seemingly out of the picture, Meriwether settled on attending Duke without a scholarship because it was a renowned academic school with a good athletics program.
"My dad really wanted me to go there," Meriwether said. "He was the first black medical student at Duke, and thinks very highly of it."
But toward the end of her first season with Duke, Meriwether had her club coaches contact UCLA to inquire further about scholarship opportunities.
"I didn't feel like I was challenged," Meriwether said. "And I was getting bored by a private school. It was just like my high school, and I felt like I needed a change."
Meriwether was granted her release from Duke during winter break of her freshman year. Shortly after, she enrolled at UCLA when a scholarship opened up after former Bruin back-up setter Haley Jorgensborg decided to leave the team following the fall quarter.
Under the fortunate circumstances, Meriwether has made the most of the opportunity since her arrival. She has fit into the Bruin lineup nicely, filling the void left by middle blocker Cira Wright, whose departure was expected to be a big loss for the team.
The middle blocker position has been a bright spot for the Bruins, as Meriwether has averaged more kills and blocks per game than Wright did her senior year last season.
"Her transition has been very smooth," Banachowski said. "She has been a pivotal part of our hitting and blocking attack."
Meriwether has also incorporated her deep floating serve into the Bruins' serving attack, a change of pace from the topspin serve used by most of the players on the team.
"My serve is something I've been working on with the coaches," Meriwether said. "I think a deep serve really allows us a chance to set up our defense."
Meriwether did not begin the season as the starting middle blocker, instead sharing the role with Katie Carter and Nancy Barba.
"I hadn't really reached my full potential," Meriwether said. "I needed to continually improve over the season."
Meriwether first broke out of her shell during the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Volleyball Challenge in September, where she was named to the All-Tournament team and set a tournament record by registering 14 blocks against Southwest Missouri State.
As impressive as her accomplishments have been, Meriwether is quick to credit those around her. One player in particular who has made a huge difference in Meriwether's transition has been senior outside hitter Brynn Murphy, UCLA's leading hitter the past two years.
"Brynn has helped me step up my game," Meriwether said. "She is such a smart player, and a great person on and off the court.
"She has taught me to constantly challenge myself, something I never learned at Duke. I think it will help me in volleyball as well as track."
Meriwether, who competed in the high jump for UCLA's track and field team during the spring, has increased her vertical jump and credits the training to improving her volleyball game.
"I think it gives me a good break from volleyball," Meriwether said. "And I think working with the track coaches will help my jumping ability."
Her praise is not limited to the track coaches. Each time she speaks of the Bruin coaching staff as a whole, she seems to validate her decision to transfer to UCLA.
"The coaches have made all the difference since I got here," Meriwether said. "The relationship is so much different from Duke; the coaches here are always available for you."
And one thing is for certain: they're happy to have her.
By Sagar Parikh
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
sparikh@media.ucla.edu
At first, it looked to be a match made in heaven.
Nana Meriwether imagined playing volleyball with the letters U-C-L-A emblazoned across her chest. Coach Andy Banachowski shared the same vision.
Yet somewhere along the line, those plans went awry. And instead of taking the court in the comfort of Pauley Pavilion in West Los Angeles, Meriwether found herself over 2,500 miles away in Durham, N.C., stuck competing for a mediocre Duke team.
It wasn't how she planned on spending her freshman year in college, to say the least.
"I was very disappointed by the level of competition," Meriwether said. "I wanted to play against the best. My heart was set on UCLA the whole time"
Meriwether's top collegiate choice coming out of high school two years ago was UCLA, but the Bruins did not have a scholarship available at the time. The sophomore from Potomac, Md. was a tri-sport athlete in track, basketball and volleyball in high school. But she did not start playing club volleyball until her junior year.
As a result, she was not highly recruited for the sport, even though she was recognized as the Gatorade Player of the Year her senior year.
"She was recruited highly for other sports" Novimbi Meriwether, Nana's mother, said, "but volleyball was what she wanted to do."
With UCLA seemingly out of the picture, Meriwether settled on attending Duke without a scholarship because it was a renowned academic school with a good athletics program.
"My dad really wanted me to go there," Meriwether said. "He was the first black medical student at Duke, and thinks very highly of it."
But toward the end of her first season with Duke, Meriwether had her club coaches contact UCLA to inquire further about scholarship opportunities.
"I didn't feel like I was challenged," Meriwether said. "And I was getting bored by a private school. It was just like my high school, and I felt like I needed a change."
Meriwether was granted her release from Duke during winter break of her freshman year. Shortly after, she enrolled at UCLA when a scholarship opened up after former Bruin back-up setter Haley Jorgensborg decided to leave the team following the fall quarter.
Under the fortunate circumstances, Meriwether has made the most of the opportunity since her arrival. She has fit into the Bruin lineup nicely, filling the void left by middle blocker Cira Wright, whose departure was expected to be a big loss for the team.
The middle blocker position has been a bright spot for the Bruins, as Meriwether has averaged more kills and blocks per game than Wright did her senior year last season.
"Her transition has been very smooth," Banachowski said. "She has been a pivotal part of our hitting and blocking attack."
Meriwether has also incorporated her deep floating serve into the Bruins' serving attack, a change of pace from the topspin serve used by most of the players on the team.
"My serve is something I've been working on with the coaches," Meriwether said. "I think a deep serve really allows us a chance to set up our defense."
Meriwether did not begin the season as the starting middle blocker, instead sharing the role with Katie Carter and Nancy Barba.
"I hadn't really reached my full potential," Meriwether said. "I needed to continually improve over the season."
Meriwether first broke out of her shell during the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Volleyball Challenge in September, where she was named to the All-Tournament team and set a tournament record by registering 14 blocks against Southwest Missouri State.
As impressive as her accomplishments have been, Meriwether is quick to credit those around her. One player in particular who has made a huge difference in Meriwether's transition has been senior outside hitter Brynn Murphy, UCLA's leading hitter the past two years.
"Brynn has helped me step up my game," Meriwether said. "She is such a smart player, and a great person on and off the court.
"She has taught me to constantly challenge myself, something I never learned at Duke. I think it will help me in volleyball as well as track."
Meriwether, who competed in the high jump for UCLA's track and field team during the spring, has increased her vertical jump and credits the training to improving her volleyball game.
"I think it gives me a good break from volleyball," Meriwether said. "And I think working with the track coaches will help my jumping ability."
Her praise is not limited to the track coaches. Each time she speaks of the Bruin coaching staff as a whole, she seems to validate her decision to transfer to UCLA.
"The coaches have made all the difference since I got here," Meriwether said. "The relationship is so much different from Duke; the coaches here are always available for you."
And one thing is for certain: they're happy to have her.
