Give Cola Svec an average pass and the University of Nebraska at Kearney senior would work her magic, transforming it into an excellent set.
“That's what really separates her from the pack,” Loper coach Rick Squiers said.
Svec made her hitters look good and wasn't above playing defense. In fact, Squiers said, she improved in every facet of her game this season.
For her stellar play, the second-team All-American from Elkhorn is the honorary captain of The World-Herald All-Nebraska Division II volleyball team.
Coaches across the state also voted for Doane College's Susan Rollman as captain of the NAIA squad and Fernanda Goncalves to head the junior college team.
Svec led the Lopers with 11.96 assists per set and 29 aces, and was second on the team with 3.37 digs per set. She also had 78 kills, 34 blocks, hit .286 and played in 123 of a possible 125 sets. UNK finished 31-5 after making the Central Region final and finished fifth in the final poll.
Svec was chosen as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference setter of the year after spending extra time in the gym improving her strength and quickness.
“I just don't recall her having a bad night,” Squiers said.
Rollman, a sophomore middle hitter from Humphrey St. Francis, is a physical player who worked hard to improve her fundamentals this fall.
The 6-foot-1 standout also took advantage of a jump reach of 9 feet, 11 inches, allowing her to hit over the top of blocks. She ranked first in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in hitting percentage (.384) and was fifth in kills (3.06). She posted 24 matches with 10 or more kills, including a season-high 18 kills four times.
“It's really hard to stop her on the way up,” Doane coach Cindy Meyer said.
Meyer said she doesn't understand why other higher-division schools passed on the second-team All-American. Now that she's added some finesse to her hitting, she's become a valuable weapon for the 27-8 Tigers, who advanced to the national tournament and finished 15th overall in the NAIA.
“She works really hard in practice to get better, she's really smart and she's really starting to understand the game,” Meyer said.
Goncalves faced many challenges this season, on and off the court. The freshman setter from Brazil had to learn English, learn a new system and learn how to be a setter.
But she finished the season as a first-team All-American and led the 43-4 Cougars to the national junior college title.
“We peaked at the right time,” coach Giovana Melo said.
Goncalves, who averaged 10.6 set assists per game, piled up postseason honors. She made All-Region IX and was named freshman and setter of the year. She was also the national tournament MVP.
Sometimes Melo would see flashes of talent from her young squad, which included three freshmen from Brazil, but it wasn't until regionals at the end of October that she felt her team was starting to gel behind Goncalves.
“At regionals it showed that she had gotten better,'' Melo said. “It was probably the best I had seen her play the whole year.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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All-Nebraska volleyball teams
Division II
H, Ellie Pesavento, UNK, Fr.
H, Jeri Walkowiak, UNK, Sr.
H, Tali Fredrickson, Wayne St. , Jr.
H, Jennifer Hefner, Wayne St. , Sr.
H, Kayla Uhing, UNO, Sr.
H, Ariel Krolikowski, UNK, So.
S, Cola Svec, UNK, Sr.
L, Leigh Connot, Wayne St. , Jr.
L, Katlyn Heiserman, UNK, Sr.
Honorary captain: Cola Svec, UNK.
Honorable mention: Mollie Jones, Lauren Yoder, Chadron State; Natalie Ebke, Angie Reicks, UNO; Diedra Artz, Mindy Moody, Wayne State.
NAIA
H, Maureen Wardian, Bellevue, Jr.
H, Ashley Axmann, Doane, Fr.
H, Susan Rollman, Doane, So.
H, Leah Dostal, Hastings, Sr.
H, Laura Brammeier, N. Wesleyan, Sr.
H, Kelsey Elman, N. Wesleyan, Jr.
S, Heather Davison, Doane, Sr.
S, Jordan Broady, Bellevue, So.
L, Katy Gregory, Bellevue, Sr.
Honorary captain: Susan Rollman, Doane
Honorable mention: Kali Schnacker, Bellevue; Cortney Czapla, Erin Dostal, Ashley Iwanski, College of St. Mary; Sloan Brandon, Chelsea Vaudt, Concordia; Terra Andreasen, Emily Max, Nicole Skolnick, Doane; Liz Hervert, Hastings; Erika Goldsmith, Nebraska Wesleyan; Emily Maresh, Carly Morehead, KT Salberg, Peru State; Hilary Mekelburg, Chelsey Quigley, Erin Davidson, Laura Tesnohlidek, York.
Junior college
H, Debora Araujo, Western Neb., Fr.
H, Brandi Dye, North Platte, So.
H, Katie Beiermann, Central, Fr.
H, Barbie DeCent, North Platte, So.
H, Maggie Hellbusch, Central, Fr.
H, Tania Torres, Western Neb., So.
S, Fernanda Goncalves, Western Neb., Fr.
L, Kuulei Kabalis, Western Neb., So.
L, Andrea Odbert, Central, Fr.
Honorary captain: Fernanda Goncalves, Western Nebraska
Honorable mention: Kathryn Stock, Lais Soares, Ariel Austin, Emily Hoehn, Western Nebraska; Jill Baxa, McKenzie Connot, Vonnie Fredrick, Abby Houghtelling, Central; Katey Pflanz, Emily Gardeman, Miranda Leslie, Dani Iles, Monica Shaw, Southeast; Tasha Miller, Ashley Garner, Jacey Schultheiss, Tiffany Hoaglund, North Platte.
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