Post by lilred on Dec 14, 2005 12:32:18 GMT -5
LINCOLN - She wasn't good enough to be a star. Melissa Elmer was OK with that. Not many true freshmen expect All-America plaques when they arrive at the NU Coliseum doorstep.
Melissa Elmer's 2.18 blocks per game this season rank second all-time nationally.
All, on the other hand, expect to practice.
But the Huskers had only so much practice time that 2001 season, and Elmer wasn't making any of Nebraska's five All-Americans better. She was making coach John Cook groan.
Discouragement didn't have long enough arms to wrap around Elmer's feelings.
"Dad got a lot of phone calls," Elmer said. "Not good ones."
Every day, Cook pulled her out of drills. Former assistant Craig Skinner slipped her back in. Cook pulled her out again. Every day.
"She couldn't play," Cook recalls. "I thought she was going to hurt somebody. She was out of control under the net. She had no clue what she was doing."
Three years later, Elmer is totally clued-in.
"Now she's the first player to lead the nation in blocking two years in a row," Cook said. "To me, it's mind-boggling."
Elmer, a 6-foot-2 Indiana native, has developed - that's the key word - into Nebraska volleyball's finest human shield ever. Her 2.18 blocks per game in 2005 rank second all-time nationally.
Elmer epitomizes the Nebraska volleyball star, Cook said. She wasn't a heralded high school recruit. The NU volleyball machine had to soften her edges. Dominance didn't come naturally.
Dominance wasn't even on Elmer's radar screen four years ago.
Cook had recruited Elmer in 2000, his first season as head coach. He liked her athleticism and her fast arm. He liked her personality. Cook said Elmer's eyes didn't leave his on her home recruiting visit.
Eyes couldn't fix her technique, or her physical skills. Eyes couldn't fix her mental state.
"My whole freshman year," she said, "I never wanted to come back."
That fall, one of the finest seasons in Husker history, was NU's last trip to the final four. Elmer stuck it out that winter. Spring came and the team went to Florida for exhibition matches. That's where Elmer turned a corner. She played. She took ownership in the wins and losses. A few stuff blocks do wonders for the spirit.
She stepped in her second fall in Lincoln and joined the rotation. The next year she was All-Big 12. The next year she was All-American.
Elmer credits her improvement to coaching, weight lifting and mental training. Studying All-America middle blocker Amber Holmquist for two years didn't hurt, either. It's Holmquist to whom many around Husker volleyball now compare Elmer.
"Amber had a lot more physical talent," Cook said. "Melissa has just willed herself into a great player. You saw (Saturday) night. She just finds a way to block balls. Out of position. Hitters think they have it and then, all of a sudden . . ."
Elmer has adopted Cook's fanaticism for details, especially after postseason disappointments the past three years. She has worked to get her hands above the net quicker. A split second is everything in blocking, she says.
During summers, she trained with the USA volleyball team every chance she got.
"You think, 'That's my break, that's my time to relax,' but I spent weeks training seven hours a day," Elmer said.
All in the hopes of getting back to a final four.
Elmer said long after she's gone she'll remember that last point at Qwest Center Omaha, the one that clinched the regional championship. She'll remember her teammates rushing to the court. She might even remember freshman practices.
"I wouldn't have believed where I am now."
Melissa Elmer's 2.18 blocks per game this season rank second all-time nationally.
All, on the other hand, expect to practice.
But the Huskers had only so much practice time that 2001 season, and Elmer wasn't making any of Nebraska's five All-Americans better. She was making coach John Cook groan.
Discouragement didn't have long enough arms to wrap around Elmer's feelings.
"Dad got a lot of phone calls," Elmer said. "Not good ones."
Every day, Cook pulled her out of drills. Former assistant Craig Skinner slipped her back in. Cook pulled her out again. Every day.
"She couldn't play," Cook recalls. "I thought she was going to hurt somebody. She was out of control under the net. She had no clue what she was doing."
Three years later, Elmer is totally clued-in.
"Now she's the first player to lead the nation in blocking two years in a row," Cook said. "To me, it's mind-boggling."
Elmer, a 6-foot-2 Indiana native, has developed - that's the key word - into Nebraska volleyball's finest human shield ever. Her 2.18 blocks per game in 2005 rank second all-time nationally.
Elmer epitomizes the Nebraska volleyball star, Cook said. She wasn't a heralded high school recruit. The NU volleyball machine had to soften her edges. Dominance didn't come naturally.
Dominance wasn't even on Elmer's radar screen four years ago.
Cook had recruited Elmer in 2000, his first season as head coach. He liked her athleticism and her fast arm. He liked her personality. Cook said Elmer's eyes didn't leave his on her home recruiting visit.
Eyes couldn't fix her technique, or her physical skills. Eyes couldn't fix her mental state.
"My whole freshman year," she said, "I never wanted to come back."
That fall, one of the finest seasons in Husker history, was NU's last trip to the final four. Elmer stuck it out that winter. Spring came and the team went to Florida for exhibition matches. That's where Elmer turned a corner. She played. She took ownership in the wins and losses. A few stuff blocks do wonders for the spirit.
She stepped in her second fall in Lincoln and joined the rotation. The next year she was All-Big 12. The next year she was All-American.
Elmer credits her improvement to coaching, weight lifting and mental training. Studying All-America middle blocker Amber Holmquist for two years didn't hurt, either. It's Holmquist to whom many around Husker volleyball now compare Elmer.
"Amber had a lot more physical talent," Cook said. "Melissa has just willed herself into a great player. You saw (Saturday) night. She just finds a way to block balls. Out of position. Hitters think they have it and then, all of a sudden . . ."
Elmer has adopted Cook's fanaticism for details, especially after postseason disappointments the past three years. She has worked to get her hands above the net quicker. A split second is everything in blocking, she says.
During summers, she trained with the USA volleyball team every chance she got.
"You think, 'That's my break, that's my time to relax,' but I spent weeks training seven hours a day," Elmer said.
All in the hopes of getting back to a final four.
Elmer said long after she's gone she'll remember that last point at Qwest Center Omaha, the one that clinched the regional championship. She'll remember her teammates rushing to the court. She might even remember freshman practices.
"I wouldn't have believed where I am now."
