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After having an impressive freshman collegiate season, it's not uncommon for athletes to undergo what is known as a "sophomore slump." Not only has former Nevada Union volleyball standout Elena Schmidt avoided such a thing, but she's playing well enough to be named Northeast Conference Player of the Week.
The award, which was announced Oct. 10, honored Schmidt for her performances during the week of Oct. 2-9, in which her team went 3-1 and won its own Fairleigh Dickinson University Tournament.
Schmidt had 11 kills and 10 digs in a 3-0 loss to La Salle Oct. 5 and in the tournament she had 17 kills against Manhattan and Rider, along with 17 and 14 digs, respectively. She also posted 12 kills and 12 digs against Wagner.
"Honestly, I was pretty surprised at first and didn't even realize I had been named Player of the Week until my mom told me," Schmidt said. "Last year, I was named Rookie of the Week, but that only compares rookies against each other. The Player of the Week is with every player in the conference so I was pretty happy."
Schmidt attributes most of her success to the fact her team was playing at home and she and her teammates were excited to show their fans how strong their team is this season.
This year is only the second year Schmidt has played outside hitter. All throughout club and high school volleyball, the 5-foot-11 Schmidt played middle blocker. But she did play back row when she was at Nevada Union.
"It really was an adjustment period last season," Schmidt said. "It was really different and I had to focus on my all-around game."
While her role was certainly different last year than previous years, Schmidt still had an impressive freshman campaign. She led the team with 3.28 kills per game, was second with a .182 attack percentage and was third on the team with 26 service aces and 231 digs.
The award, which was announced Oct. 10, honored Schmidt for her performances during the week of Oct. 2-9, in which her team went 3-1 and won its own Fairleigh Dickinson University Tournament.
Schmidt had 11 kills and 10 digs in a 3-0 loss to La Salle Oct. 5 and in the tournament she had 17 kills against Manhattan and Rider, along with 17 and 14 digs, respectively. She also posted 12 kills and 12 digs against Wagner.
"Honestly, I was pretty surprised at first and didn't even realize I had been named Player of the Week until my mom told me," Schmidt said. "Last year, I was named Rookie of the Week, but that only compares rookies against each other. The Player of the Week is with every player in the conference so I was pretty happy."
Schmidt attributes most of her success to the fact her team was playing at home and she and her teammates were excited to show their fans how strong their team is this season.
This year is only the second year Schmidt has played outside hitter. All throughout club and high school volleyball, the 5-foot-11 Schmidt played middle blocker. But she did play back row when she was at Nevada Union.
"It really was an adjustment period last season," Schmidt said. "It was really different and I had to focus on my all-around game."
While her role was certainly different last year than previous years, Schmidt still had an impressive freshman campaign. She led the team with 3.28 kills per game, was second with a .182 attack percentage and was third on the team with 26 service aces and 231 digs.
This year she's averaging 3.72 kills and 2.52 digs per game, with 27 service aces. The Knights are 10-15 this season.
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Here's a look at how some other athletes with local ties fared recently at the college level:
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Elena Schmidt (Nevada Union, '04); Fairleigh Dickinson University (Hackensack, N.J.) - It was a rough week for the Knights as they lost three matches to Lehigh, Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut. Schmidt totaled 35 kills and 18 digs in the three games including 20 kills against Quinnipiac.
Ali Daley (Nevada Union, '05); California State, Long Beach - The freshman outside hitter had 10 kills and three digs in 3-0 win against California State, Fullerton, and nine kills and one dig in a 3-0 win against the University of California, Riverside. The 49ers improve to 15-4 this season.
ooo
Here's a look at how some other athletes with local ties fared recently at the college level:
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Elena Schmidt (Nevada Union, '04); Fairleigh Dickinson University (Hackensack, N.J.) - It was a rough week for the Knights as they lost three matches to Lehigh, Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut. Schmidt totaled 35 kills and 18 digs in the three games including 20 kills against Quinnipiac.
Ali Daley (Nevada Union, '05); California State, Long Beach - The freshman outside hitter had 10 kills and three digs in 3-0 win against California State, Fullerton, and nine kills and one dig in a 3-0 win against the University of California, Riverside. The 49ers improve to 15-4 this season.
FOOTBALL
Spencer Havner (Nevada Union, '01); UCLA - The senior All-American linebacker led his team in tackles with 10, in the Bruins' 44-41 overtime win at Washington State. He also had one tackle for a loss as UCLA improved to 6-0 this season.
Matt Logue (Bear River, '02); Sacramento State - The senior linebacker recorded seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, which moved Logue into a tie for second in school history with 41 career tackles for a loss. The Hornets lost 26-14 to Sacramento State.
John Savoie (Bear River, '04); Southern Oregon University (Medford, Ore.) - Savoie, a freshman defensive back who redshirted last season, saw action this week in his team's 49-14 loss to No. 1 Linfield.
Rich Wilson (Nevada Union, '02); Rocky Mountain College (Billings, Mont.) - The senior linebacker had nine tackles, a sack, a quarterback hurry and recovered a blocked bunt and an onside kick in the Bears' 44-20 win against Western Montana.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
MacKenzie Murphy (Nevada Union, '03); Montana - Murphy registered one shot on goal and played all 90 minutes in her team's 2-1 loss to South Dakota State. She also played 75 minutes in a 3-0 loss to North Dakota State.
Spencer Havner (Nevada Union, '01); UCLA - The senior All-American linebacker led his team in tackles with 10, in the Bruins' 44-41 overtime win at Washington State. He also had one tackle for a loss as UCLA improved to 6-0 this season.
Matt Logue (Bear River, '02); Sacramento State - The senior linebacker recorded seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, which moved Logue into a tie for second in school history with 41 career tackles for a loss. The Hornets lost 26-14 to Sacramento State.
John Savoie (Bear River, '04); Southern Oregon University (Medford, Ore.) - Savoie, a freshman defensive back who redshirted last season, saw action this week in his team's 49-14 loss to No. 1 Linfield.
Rich Wilson (Nevada Union, '02); Rocky Mountain College (Billings, Mont.) - The senior linebacker had nine tackles, a sack, a quarterback hurry and recovered a blocked bunt and an onside kick in the Bears' 44-20 win against Western Montana.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
MacKenzie Murphy (Nevada Union, '03); Montana - Murphy registered one shot on goal and played all 90 minutes in her team's 2-1 loss to South Dakota State. She also played 75 minutes in a 3-0 loss to North Dakota State.
Lauren Zealear (Nevada Union, '03); Santa Clara - The junior defender played all 90 minutes in the No. 5 Broncos' 2-0 win against Saint Mary's and 81 minutes in a 5-0 win against San Francisco.
CROSS COUNTRY
Shannon Buckley (Nevada Union, '05); Willamette College (Oregon) - The freshman runner finished 47th at the Clackamas Community College 5K meet with a time of 20 minutes, 37.47 seconds.
Michelle Wheeler (Bear River, '04); Sierra College - The sophomore runner finished with a time of 21:10 in the three-mile Crystal Springs Meet Oct. 15, good enough for 44th place.
Samantha Frank (Bear River, '04); Sierra College - Frank finished the course at Crystal Springs in 23:29, finishing 63rd.
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Have we missed anyone? If you know of a college/professional athlete with local ties, please contact Stacy Hicklin via e-mail at stacyh@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4244.
CROSS COUNTRY
Shannon Buckley (Nevada Union, '05); Willamette College (Oregon) - The freshman runner finished 47th at the Clackamas Community College 5K meet with a time of 20 minutes, 37.47 seconds.
Michelle Wheeler (Bear River, '04); Sierra College - The sophomore runner finished with a time of 21:10 in the three-mile Crystal Springs Meet Oct. 15, good enough for 44th place.
Samantha Frank (Bear River, '04); Sierra College - Frank finished the course at Crystal Springs in 23:29, finishing 63rd.
ooo
Have we missed anyone? If you know of a college/professional athlete with local ties, please contact Stacy Hicklin via e-mail at stacyh@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4244.
