Talking on the receiving end of a Michelle Moore spike

By Scott Sierzenga
Western Herald

I’ve stood in a batters box awaiting a 90 mph fastball from a 6-foot 4-inch stud before and wouldn’t drop a bead of sweat, but I have to admit I was nervous when I stood a mere 10 feet away from Western Michigan University volleyball star Michelle Moore.

I thought to myself this wont be that bad, almost humorous, that a ball smaller than a women’s basketball and softer than a dodge ball would come at me, I wasn’t worried before walking onto the court.

Once I stood at the tip of the Bronco’s nose on the University Arena Volleyball court on the other side of the net of Michelle Moore awaiting one of her kills I noticed my feet shifting.

I’ve seen from further away covering the volleyball team that those women can do some different things with the volleyball, making it sink, knuckle, and can pin point it to where they want it to go. I asked Michelle to give it her best stuff at me as I waited on the receiving end of the net in attempts to dig the ball or at best hit it. The first few went by, my feet shifted; I didn’t know what I was doing.
The girls were all screaming at me to keep my feet still. Are they nuts? I wanted to be on the balls of my feet ready to move and make a play. I wasn’t making many plays; I was about as shifty as a nerd on a pickup basketball court who just got thrown the ball to for the first time.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6765FFUDb0Y[/youtube]

One after another I either missed the ball or it missed me until finally I had my chance. Like the Babe calling out the shot I called that I was going to get this one and I did so.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been the best set up for the next shot but at least it was high in the air and 20 feet on the other side of the court (to my left).

It just made me realize, I don’t think these women get enough credit for the sport they play.

Many people that are casual observers or like to go out on a summer day and mess around in the sand and play volleyball think it is similar to that but let me tell you it is no walk on the beach, pun intended.

This game is fast, these women play hard, and these spikes are hard and they sink. I played baseball in college and at least when your receiving a pitch you have 60 feet six inches to adjust and hit the ball and you have a general idea where the pitch is going to be coming.

I had no idea where the ball was going to get here and what it was going to do in such a short distance away. I stood there like a lame duck. Not that I think hitting is easy, it is one of the hardest things to do in sports but I never considered returning a spike in volleyball until now.

Until people have tried it, they have no idea. However not many people in their might mind would want to try it.

Women in games get hit in the face all the time and it makes their nose bleed.

This is what the women shoot for. This gets their momentum going, and I’ve been told that when that happens it is one of the most embarrassing and most detrimental things that can happen in a game for that player and their team.

I also secretly think that that’s what Michelle and the team was shooting for — to lay one in thick for me right in the nose.

That didn’t happen, so in any case Scott Sierzenga 1, Michelle Moore 0.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Nov 5 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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