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sports:
women's volleyball
Nishimoto finds
niche in final year
By Marten Lewerth
On-line Forty-Niner
Senior Keri Nishimoto
is right where she wants to be.
After four years
of watching others from the sidelines or beginning seasons
at a different position, she is the No. 1 setter for the women's
volleyball team at Long Beach State.
Finally.
The road has been
a long one for the 5-foot-7 Nishimoto, who began her 49er
career on the bench under the shadow of two-time AVCA Player
of the Year Misty May.
But now, after
two seasons of starting as a defensive specialist while teammate
Brittany Hochevar ran the offense, the time is hers.
"It's been
an emotional roller coaster the last couple of years,"
Nishimoto said. "Not only for me but for the whole team.
Last year especially, with injuries and just a lot of chaos
that went on. It was very difficult."
Even though Hochevar
began the 1999 and 2000 seasons as the starting setter, Nishimoto
eventually took over the role at different points along the
way.
"It did bother
me," Nishimoto said. "Like my first year, to have
a freshman come in under me -- who'd never really set before
-- to have her play above me bugged me.
"But,"
she added, "anybody's going to be bugged when they are
beat out of a position."
Nishimoto said
her belief in God is what got her through all the tough times.
"If I wasn't
convinced that it was really God's will for me to stay and
do what I could to add to the team," she said, "I
don't think I would have handled myself well at all."
Hochevar said she
came in with the mindset that the setter position was hers,
and that she wanted what was best for the team.
"There was
a point where there was some tension," Hochevar said,
"but everything's great now. It's just something we had
to go through to get stronger.
"We've gotten
a lot closer," Hochevar added. "All the adversity
that happened last year brought us all closer together --
regardless of everything else that went on around us."
The 49ers went
9-1 last season after Nishimoto replaced Hochevar at setter,
and she averaged 15.2 assists per game before the team fell
to Hawai'i in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The 2001 season
is shaping up to be very different than the 2000 campaign.
The team as a whole
is healthier, the roles are defined, and the campaign began
on a high note with a four-game win over defending national
champion Nebraska Saturday at The Pyramid.
Things are also
different for Nishimoto.
"It's been
a long time since I've been healthy [injury-wise]," said
the 21-year-old computer science major. "I've had a lot
of problems with my ankle since my first game against USC
back in 1999.
"I've re-sprained
it like five times since then," Nishimoto added, "but
as far as that goes, I feel great because I'm healthy now."
Even with her injury
problems, Nishimoto has always performed well for the 49ers.
Her 95 assists
against UC Santa Barbara in 1999 still stands as a NCAA record
for assists in a four-game match.
Her assist average
of 14.58 in that same year ranks as best among 49er setters
all-time, topping the output of former standouts such as Sheri
Sanders, Sabrina Hernandez and Joy McKenzie.
"She's become
one of the top setters in the country," said 49ers Assistant
Coach Debbie Green-Vargas, a two-time All-American setter
for USC and member of two U.S. Olympic teams. "Keri's
consistent and smooth, more of a quiet leader. She gets her
job done by putting her focus on the hitters."
Head Coach Brian
Gimmillaro said Nishimoto has made great progress this past
year by overcoming all obstacles put in front of her.
"It's what
sports is about," Gimmillaro said. "I've always
had confidence in Keri. To be able to set for a national championship-level
team is an incredibly difficult task on a daily basis, but
she's got the job."
Nishimoto began
playing volleyball as a freshman in high school in her hometown
of Redlands.
The only daughter
of Mark and Leslye Nishimoto, she said she grew up competing
heavily with her two older brothers.
"I was always
trying to catch up with them," Nishimoto said. "I
remember that even before I started school, I tried to do
my oldest brother Ryan's homework, just so he wouldn't get
an edge over me. Anything he could do -- I could do."
Nishimoto said
she was groomed as a setter from Day 1.
"I've always
liked the role a lot," she said. "Mentally, it's
a fun game. It's a chess match out there, trying to figure
out what they're going to do, what we're going to counter
with and formulating attacks -- that's the part of the game
I love."
It was also in
her freshman year that Nishimoto first attended a summer volleyball
camp at LBSU, catching the eye of Green-Vargas.
"She soaked
in every word," Green-Vargas said. "She took it
upon herself to practice extra hard."
The first meeting
with Gimmillaro and Green-Vargas that summer also left an
imprint on Nishimoto.
"That's kind
of when the dream formed, to come here," Nishimoto said.
She returned to
the camp as a sophomore, and by the time it was over Green-Vargas
said she had made a decision concerning Nishimoto.
"I told Brian
[Gimmillaro] she's going to come to Long Beach State,"
Green-Vargas said.
Nishimoto did come
to The Beach as a President's Scholar, but only after leading
Redlands High School to three straight Citrus Belt League
Championships.
"I decided
to come here to get training," Nishimoto said, "even
though I knew I'd be under Misty [May] my first two years
and probably wouldn't see the court."
The experience
of watching May perform for two years was a boon for Nishimoto's
game.
"She's an
incredible player," she said. "I've learned a ton
from her -- I'm still learning from her."
Although Nishimoto
said it has been a trying experience for herself and the team
since May graduated in 1998 along with Benishe Dillard and
Jessica Alvarado, the 2001 campaign -- her last as a 49er
-- may be the most memorable of them all.
"I think the
best thing is that the positions on the court are settled,"
she said. "There's no question of who's where, who's
in what role. It's just a really good fit this year and we're
confident in each other."
As for the future,
Nishimoto said she would like to keep playing as long as she
can, and perhaps even coach if the opportunity presents itself.
She also said she was content with her life, and happy with
her accomplishments as a 49er.
She did, however,
add that one thing is missing from the LBSU record books,
a statistic she plans to work hard for all season long.
"What I want
to be in the records for," she said, "is a championship
this year."
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