1st Place Volleyball April 2010 : Page 5
game comes in – knowing the game more, knowing your opponents more, being stron- ger mentally, being able to handle things in a different way and being more mature. It’s a lot more diffi cult the collegiate level because I’m playing volleyball to pay for my college, you could say. It’s not just about hav- ing fun anymore. It is more of a job, but it’s still defi nitely a lot of fun. When I play, I fi nd myself laughing and enjoying myself. Volley- ball is still the love of my life. However, I also know, that if I don’t perform well, I may not have a scholarship and may not get to go to school. P: How did you prepare yourself, both physically and mentally, for the transi- tion from the high school game to the collegiate game? DD: I played for a very competitive club team, Asics Munciana Samourai, and I played in the 18’s age group for three years. I think that was the biggest factor that helped me tran- sition from the high school to the collegiate game because I had a coach who would kick my butt every single day. His mentality towards training was, “If you think this is hard, wait until you get to Penn State and work with Coach (Russ) Rose.” I was going into prac- tice every single day training and thinking about the next level. It wasn’t just practicing to have fun with my friends and to go to din- ner afterwards, which I feel like a lot of club players and athletes do. It was never about having fun, it was about preparing for what’s next. I think that helps a lot when you’re think- ing of going to that next level and preparing yourself as much as you can before you get there. I started lifting three times a week before I got to college so that I was at least acquaint- ed with how things work in the weight room. We would do ladders and different types of training that you would see when you got to college so that you were better prepared. Also, we participated in tournaments the oth- er higher-level club teams, so we also getting used to playing against more elite athletes. During practice, we would practice against people standing on a box trying to block us, which wasn’t exactly game-like, but it defi - nitely made us get used to having hands in our face all the time and made us get used to hitting different zones. When you get to col- lege, everything is mapped out on the court and there are players who are going to be in a spot every single time because they are trained to be there. You have to learn how to hit away from them and not just hit hard. P: What was your adjustment like to having new teammates, coaches and support staff? DD: Coach has a lot of techniques that he likes to use that I had never seen before, and so I had to get used to some different technical things. Coach is an amazing coach. He has his own style and so you do have to kind of fi gure out his style. You have to learn what kind of things he likes and what kind of things he doesn’t like and try to stay away from those things. My fi rst year, especially the fi rst couple of months, was all about learning. You rely on your teammates a lot. One of the good things about recruiting young is that I met Blair (Brown), Alisha (Glass) and Megan (Hodge) several years ago, so we had the chance to get acquainted with each other and talk before I got to Penn State. It made things easier and less awkward to already have formed a prior relationship with them. They were great leaders and they taught me the Penn State way of doing things. It is a lot different. It is a lot more structured and there is a lot more tradition. They did a good job of pointing me in the right direction. P: What is your advice to current high school athletes on how to prepare for the transition to the collegiate game? DD: Try to prepare yourself as much physi- cally as you can, whether it be lifting weights, practicing against a bigger blocker if you are a hitter or practicing against harder hitters if you are a defender – anything that will help you to improve. Don’t ever get satisfi ed with being a “top senior.” Always recognize that you might be the top dog then, but you’re going to go to a level where you’re going to go to the bottom, and you’re going to have to work your way up again. Don’t ever get complacent in just being good in the mo- ment. Always be thinking of how you can better yourself for the future. Also, mentally, when you get to college that there are going to be time when you think you can’t handle it, but realize that it’s still volleyball. The goal is still to keep the ball from hitting the fl oor, no matter if you’re playing against Stanford or against your high school team. The goal is still the same. P: Can you talk a little about your expe- rience as an Under Armour High School All-American? Do you think the experi- ence was benefi cial to your preparation to become a collegiate athlete? DD: Playing in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match & Skills Competition was April 2010 | Phenom 5
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