Post by GoBigRed on Dec 3, 2004 7:24:19 GMT -5
John Mabry: Opponents should be wary of Elmer's thud
Amanda McCormick knows her Husker co-captain well.
"She likes to shop," McCormick says.
Actually, Melissa Elmer says, "I love to shop."
She also loves to stop, and that's what makes her the most intimidating defender on the NU volleyball team.
Pity the poor Iona Gael who tries to attack Elmer's way tonight when the Huskers begin their run at an NCAA championship.
"Blocking is a huge momentum changer," Elmer says. "There's not a worse feeling for me than when someone stuffs the ball right back in your face."
The good news for Husker fans is that it's usually Elmer serving up the holiday stuffing. She leads the nation in blocks with 1.93 per game.
"You learn so much from watching (her)," says NU freshman star Sarah Pavan. "She's the best blocker in the country."
So how, exactly, do you become the best blocker in the country? It's not just height. It's mostly study and sweat.
Elmer, a 6-foot-2 junior, says she was probably a "3 or a 4" on a 1-to-10 blocking scale when she arrived from Fort Wayne, Ind., as a freshman in 2002.
NU assistant coach Craig Skinner, the kung fu master when it comes to blocking technique, says Elmer had plenty of ability when she arrived but still had a lot to learn.
"She wasn't even in half the drills. She was raw," he says. "It was almost that her strength hadn't caught up with her body yet.
"But she was very driven, and you could tell she really wanted to be good because she would ask questions about the little things.
"She would always want to improve and work on things that maybe we hadn't worked on in practice. She was a sponge. She learned from the best — Amber (Holmquist) and Jenny (Kropp)."
Holmquist was an All-American at middle blocker from 2000 through 2002. Kropp was an All-American in 2001. Elmer achieved that status last year and is sure to do it again later this month.
The athletic prowess runs in the Elmer family. Melissa's father, Dave, played basketball at Duke and Miami of Ohio. Her sister, Sarah, is a sophomore setter at Loyola University-Chicago, which is also in the NCAA Tournament.
But it's not all in the genes. Much of the credit, Melissa says, goes to Skinner.
"I can't describe the job he's done with me as a middle blocker and every middle blocker in this program," she says.
Skinner says Elmer wants to learn all the time. She's stuck on his every word like...(forgive me)...Elmer's Glue.
"She really wants to know the game plan," he says. "I feel like I have to be very prepared because she's going to ask questions, and I'm going to need to know. She wants to know tendencies. She wants to know everything about what she might see in every match."
It might seem like blocking is as simple as jumping as high as you can and reaching for the rafters. But NU head coach John Cook says it's much more complex.
"Blocking is by far the most difficult skill in the sport of volleyball," he says.
Elmer's mastery of it has made her one of the most respected members of the team. She also has a way with words, or at least knows how to weigh her words.
That's why she's a captain.
"She speaks softly and carries a big stick," Cook says. "When she says something, everyone will listen, because it doesn't come out very often."
That soft voice goes well with her soft eyes and her ability to see it all while looking at nothing in particular.
"We call it soft focus," she says. "It's seeing everything instead of just focusing on one thing. That's important, especially as a middle blocker, because you have to watch all the hitters. You don't just have one hitter, you have three."
Yeah, but imagine what those three hitters are seeing with No. 8 on the other side of the net.
Scary stuff.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
Amanda McCormick knows her Husker co-captain well.
"She likes to shop," McCormick says.
Actually, Melissa Elmer says, "I love to shop."
She also loves to stop, and that's what makes her the most intimidating defender on the NU volleyball team.
Pity the poor Iona Gael who tries to attack Elmer's way tonight when the Huskers begin their run at an NCAA championship.
"Blocking is a huge momentum changer," Elmer says. "There's not a worse feeling for me than when someone stuffs the ball right back in your face."
The good news for Husker fans is that it's usually Elmer serving up the holiday stuffing. She leads the nation in blocks with 1.93 per game.
"You learn so much from watching (her)," says NU freshman star Sarah Pavan. "She's the best blocker in the country."
So how, exactly, do you become the best blocker in the country? It's not just height. It's mostly study and sweat.
Elmer, a 6-foot-2 junior, says she was probably a "3 or a 4" on a 1-to-10 blocking scale when she arrived from Fort Wayne, Ind., as a freshman in 2002.
NU assistant coach Craig Skinner, the kung fu master when it comes to blocking technique, says Elmer had plenty of ability when she arrived but still had a lot to learn.
"She wasn't even in half the drills. She was raw," he says. "It was almost that her strength hadn't caught up with her body yet.
"But she was very driven, and you could tell she really wanted to be good because she would ask questions about the little things.
"She would always want to improve and work on things that maybe we hadn't worked on in practice. She was a sponge. She learned from the best — Amber (Holmquist) and Jenny (Kropp)."
Holmquist was an All-American at middle blocker from 2000 through 2002. Kropp was an All-American in 2001. Elmer achieved that status last year and is sure to do it again later this month.
The athletic prowess runs in the Elmer family. Melissa's father, Dave, played basketball at Duke and Miami of Ohio. Her sister, Sarah, is a sophomore setter at Loyola University-Chicago, which is also in the NCAA Tournament.
But it's not all in the genes. Much of the credit, Melissa says, goes to Skinner.
"I can't describe the job he's done with me as a middle blocker and every middle blocker in this program," she says.
Skinner says Elmer wants to learn all the time. She's stuck on his every word like...(forgive me)...Elmer's Glue.
"She really wants to know the game plan," he says. "I feel like I have to be very prepared because she's going to ask questions, and I'm going to need to know. She wants to know tendencies. She wants to know everything about what she might see in every match."
It might seem like blocking is as simple as jumping as high as you can and reaching for the rafters. But NU head coach John Cook says it's much more complex.
"Blocking is by far the most difficult skill in the sport of volleyball," he says.
Elmer's mastery of it has made her one of the most respected members of the team. She also has a way with words, or at least knows how to weigh her words.
That's why she's a captain.
"She speaks softly and carries a big stick," Cook says. "When she says something, everyone will listen, because it doesn't come out very often."
That soft voice goes well with her soft eyes and her ability to see it all while looking at nothing in particular.
"We call it soft focus," she says. "It's seeing everything instead of just focusing on one thing. That's important, especially as a middle blocker, because you have to watch all the hitters. You don't just have one hitter, you have three."
Yeah, but imagine what those three hitters are seeing with No. 8 on the other side of the net.
Scary stuff.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
