| By
Rick Woodruff -- Cowlitz Volleyball Club (11/25/02)
At
a recent coaches meeting, there was talk of a
couple former Cowlitz players who had achieved
national ranking for a defensive statistic,
namely "digs". I decided to
investigate via the internet. Using the website www.avca.org
and following the links to the NCAA women's
volleyball statistics, I came up with the
following players and their ranking:
Carlie
Price ('99)
University of Portland - Portland, Oregon
Ranked 5th in NCAA Division I with 4.96 digs /
game
Named 4 times to NCAA Division I 30 Digs (per
match) Club
Kate
Sorensen ('02)
Smith College - Northampton, Massachussetts
Ranked 10th in NCAA Division III with 5.75 digs
/ game
These
are pretty staggering statistics when you think
about the number and quality of players in the
collegiate game these days. There are literally
tens of thousands of collegiate volleyball
players in the US, and obviously, to be playing
at that level, they are very good at what they
do. So, in light of the competition, the
defensive accomplishments of these two players
is astounding. And to think that there are many
more former Cowlitz players like these who have
made their mark in college with their defensive
abilities.
In
reflecting on defense in volleyball, I
remembered a few years back when I was talking
with a coach from the Emerald City VBC. He was
telling me about a discussion he had with his
team, where he had told them something along the
lines of "If you want to be a good team,
you have to play defense like Cowlitz."
When he said this, he wasn't pointing towards
any particular Cowlitz team … he was referring
to the Club in general.
It
was quite a statement. But I've found that it's
not an uncommon sentiment in club volleyball
circles. These types of comments have been
repeated more than once by opposing coaches.
What it means is that Cowlitz has developed a
reputation for defensive prowess.
As
a whole, Cowlitz has always excelled at defense.
But why is that? No doubt, there are
athletically-gifted athletes in the Club who
make it happen, and Club coaches who teach it
and emphasize its importance, and both factor
into the equation. But, for this to be a
club-wide phenomenon year after year, there has
to be more. I believe the root cause has to do
with the fact that defense is, more than
anything, about effort.
Players
in the Cowlitz system understand the concept
that, to play the kind of defense for which
Cowlitz is known, they have to put out no less
than their best effort on each and every play,
match after match. As a result, their games are
filled with full-extension dives, fearless digs,
and a relentless pursuit of the ball. Not
surprisingly, they earn the accolades of
opponents, coaches and fans.
A
team that I coached several years ago received a
lot of praise for their defense. They often made
the kind of plays where people would remark
"How in the world did they dig THAT
one?" and "Are you sure there's only
six of them on the court?" But we knew that
this recognition of their defensive abilities
was actually an admiration of their
extraordinary effort. This was one of the
highest compliments that could be paid to our
team, that the players always gave their very
best.
When
these people watch more and more Cowlitz games,
with each team playing defense with the same
intensity and energy, they eventually come to
the conclusion that "it must be a Cowlitz
thing." And so it is. It's something that
all members of Cowlitz can be proud of.
Rick
Woodruff is a coach for the 12 Black team of the
Cowlitz Volleyball Club.
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