Emily Orrick, the record-holder for most career digs in Lincoln Land Community College history, has tried out for the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team and the U.S. Collegiate National Teams program and is waiting to hear if she has been accepted.
Orrick, who transferred to Illinois State University in 2013 after LLCC, was one of nearly 250 athletes from 106 different colleges in the country competing at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“The hitters can jump higher, can hit harder, the block is more skated; (it was) maybe easier for me because I play back row,” said Orrick, a libero.
As a libero, her job is to stay in the back row of her team’s side of the court and read the opponent’s offense and communicate with her teammates, accordingly.
“When you have better blockers, it’s a lot easier for me to know where to go on defense and how to play it, but they were hitting a lot harder, too,” she said. “It’s easier to be in the right spot, but it’s a lot harder to control and get a rhythm for it.”
She said they used an international volleyball in the tryouts, instead of a ball she normally competes with in college.
“Those are extremely hard, because they float a lot more when you contact it, and it’s a little bit harder to keep control of it,” Orrick said. “I had to get used to that, too, because I’m not used to playing with those at all.”
If Orrick is selected into the U.S. Collegiate National Teams program, she will be placed on one of two teams. Twelve athletes are chosen to represent the U.S. Collegiate National Team for training and matches in China on June 13-27.
The second team, which will consist of around 36 athletes, will train and play in the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championship (GJNC) in Minneapolis from June 22-30.
“When you’re playing with people who are really good, it really steps up your competitiveness and it makes you want to be better as an athlete,” Orrick said. “Being in that atmosphere was really comfortable for me.”
A 2010 graduate of Deer-Creek Mackinaw High School in Mackinaw, Il., Orrick said the athletes were given a tour of the 37-acre train- ing facility, which seemed similar to her as a large college campus. With the athletes staying in dorm rooms, the Rocky Mountains poked out behind the training centers.
“I have never really been out West, so mountains are kind of new thing for me,” she said. “It was gorgeous.”
Orrick said the U.S. Olympic Training Center served made-to-order food and deserts. One of her favorite desserts was the blueberry cream pie.
And, at breakfast one day, she sat 10 feet away from the most decorated athlete in Olympic history: Michael Phelps.
The two-time NJCAA All-American Orrick had a team-high of 572 total digs in her first season as a Redbird and was named the third Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Libero of the Year in Illinois State program history.
“I was a little intimidated by the Missouri Valley (Conference). … It’s a great conference, a lot of great players, and I had never played at that level of volleyball before, “ she said. “It wasn’t that bad at all with the help of my teammates. … I love my coaches. They’re all r helpful.”
The 5-foot-8-inch junior libero had the second most assists (92) and services aces (32) on the ISU team. She finished the season with nearly 30 games with 10 or more digs and four games with 30 or more digs to help lead the Redbirds to a 19-13 record for the season.
“I really had to step up my game,” said Orrick, the MVC Defensive Player of the Week in October. “It’s a completely different level of volleyball here at Division One compared to community college level.”
Melissa Myers, Illinois State’s head volleyball coach, had good things to say about Orrick: “I think a combination of many things set up Emily for the success: coming in early, getting that transition out of the way, having that great skill set and athleticism already, having that leadership, and coming in and really being able to take that next step.”
Myers said that Orrick, who won the Most Valuable Player team-award, hit her stride after having several consecutive games in the middle of the season with over 28 digs.
“I think what separated Emily last fall was that sort of period in the second half where she really had those digs,” she said. “She was a little bit tentative (before that point). … She wasn’t as confident. She wasn’t communicating as much as we needed her to. Her serve was a little bit passive as well.”
With two key ISU blockers graduating, Myers is confident she can make up for the losses and has high expectations for Orrick heading into her second season.
“I think she is up for the challenge. Absolutely. Every time we’ve challenged her, she’s stepped up. So, I really do think that she’ll do really well,” she said. “I think Emily is a very competitive player and person, and I think she wants to be pushed, and I think she is pretty motivated herself, and I, mean, when we’re training, she’s got a great mindset and focus. She is a very focused player.”
In addition to practicing everyday when the fall semester starts, Orrick says she has been doing some mental training online through a program called Constant Performance.
“It’s twice a week we have to get on there, and we have to do meditations and visualizations. … We go there to answer a lot of questions about mental training,” she said. “It really improves your confidence. … I had no idea how mental the game of volleyball really is, but it’s helping out a lot.”
Orrick helped LLC qualify for their first ever NJCAA Division Two National Tournament in 2012, which prompted several — though unfinished, according to Orrick — dance moves from Jim Dietz, LLCC’s head volleyball coach.
Orrick was the only Logger to receive First-Team All-American honors, the only passer with two 1,000-dig seasons, and finished with the third most digs (1028) in a season in LLCC program history. She was named to the Region 24 All-Region First Team twice.
“What made Emily great as a player is she was steady emotionally. She didn’t get too excited, and as a libero, that’s important,” said Dietz, who was an assistant coach at Ohio State for three years. “You’re going to make some mistakes and you can’t dwell on them. You just have to get the next ball.
“I got great experience there (at LLCC). Jim Dietz is a great coach,” said Orrick. “I met a great group of girls, and I definitely improved my abilities there.”
“When my coach like gave me all of the information that I got to go, it was incredible, “ Orrick said. “It definitely would be my dream, it would be a lot of girl’s dreams but, you know, I’m not going to get my hopes up. … It was a great experience if anything.”
Update: Emily Orrick was not part of the USA National Team or the U.S. National Collegiate Team(s). Ryan Wilson can be reached at [email protected] or 217-786-2311. This was published in the April 9 edition of The Lamp.
