This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in club volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday through Junior Nationals this summer:
• ALWAYS BE READY
There are two important thoughts about club volleyball to share this week, both of which emanate from the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four.
Always be ready.
Graduate transfer Jasmine Carson started for LSU most of the season, but she wasn’t a deep impact player for the Tigers. She was the team’s fifth-leading scorer during the regular season but came off the bench during the tournament. In three games befpre the women’s final, she hadn’t scored so much as a point.
Carson could have pouted about being benched or fretted about her scoring slump. Instead she stayed ready just in case her number was called. The LSU coach summoned Carson with a little over one minute left in the first quarter versus Iowa.
Carson was ready.
When she entered the game was close. Eleven minutes later, after she’d scored 21 points in the first half, almost triple her pre-game average, it was a blowout.
LSU needed Carson, she was mentally prepared to meet the moment and she delivered.
Ladies, you might not be the star of your team, or play as much as you’d like. You can stand on the sidelines going through the motions mentally or prepare yourself for the time when it’s you that will need to be the one to lead your team to victory.
Choose to be that one who will always be ready. Your moment but not be 21 first-half points. It could be a key block, or dig, or a serve to the right zone that stresses the back row just enough.
If you stay ready you can help your team win on the court. You’ll remember it. So, too, will your coaches and teammates.
• ALWAYS BE CLASSY
There’s been a ton of chatter about the conduct of Iowa star Caitlin Clark and LSU star Angel Reese during the Final Four; specifically, the hand gestures directed at opponents.
Some have tried to say that what Clark did in the semifinals versus South Carolina is OK, but that Reese’s gestures in the waning seconds of the championship game, directed at Clack, crossed a line.
It’s just my opinion, but none of it is OK.
Be a fierce competitor. Play to the whistle. But always respect your opponent. There is no sport without them. They love the sport like you do, try like you do, care like you do, love winning like you do…
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