Hazelwood youngster makes elite club
Rosati-bound Ely to participate in High Performance program
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| Submitted photo - Lydia Ely of Hazelwood, shown above spiking a vollyball during a recent pre-game warmup, has been selected for the USA Volleyball High Performance Select A1 program. |
But, because of her size - Ely was 6-foot-3 at the time - and because she was just 13, he saw potential. Ely hasn't disappointed him.
"By the first game, I saw tremendous improvement," he said. "And, as the season went on, she really came along."Ely, who has since grown to 6-4 and now is 14, made such big strides during the season that she was recently successful in making the USA Vollyeball High Performance Select A1 program after a tryout. The program is considered the pipeline for young volleyball players who aspire to reach the elite level of their sport and who hope to one day play for the national team.
"It's a really good experience for me," said Ely, who recently graduated from St. Ferdinand and will now move to Rosati-Kain High. "My goal has always been to one day play in the Olympics and this is a good step to get there."
Tryouts for the program were held across the country. Ely was chosen along with 29 other girls from nearly 800 to participate, Those 30 will train and represent the USA in the International Youth Division of the High Performance National Championships held in Tucson, Arizona in July.
One of the first things Wozniak tried to get Ely to do after he started working with her was to hit with one hand. Because she's ambidextrous, she would hit with both her left and right. But now she's exclusively hitting with the right.
"It was a little bit of a challenge at the beginning figuring out which one was dominant," Wozniak said. "Once we did, she did much better.
"She has come along really well mentally and physically," he added. "When she's into it, she's a wall at the net. The other team will look at her and say, 'holy crap, how are we going to get it past her?' ''
Her opponents struggle doing just that. Ely is an imposing figure at the net, which she considers a positive despite the fact that she towers over other girls her age.
"I like it," she said of her height. "It's an advantage. I like being unique."
Her coach admitted that it was a little unsettling for him, though.
"She's taller than me and I'm 6-2," said Wozniak. "I actually have to look up to a 14-year-old."
But, like Ely said, it's a big advantage.
"When she's on net, she can be flat-footed and she still has her wrists and palms above the net without jumping," Wozniak said.
It's the whole package that already has one college recruiter intrigued. Wozniak said he recently met University of Connecticut coach Tim O'Brien when he (Wozniak) was on his honeymoon. He told O'Brien about Ely and O'Brien now plans to come watch her play at the Junior Volleyball Directors Association National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky June 27-30.
"He was very interested to hear we have a 6-4 middle (hitter) on our team that was still 14," said Wozniak.
Ely's father, Doug, said the family has always celebrated Lydia's height. When she got to the 6 foot level, they made a big deal about it.
"We had a party and stuff," he said.
The younger Ely is happy with the way Wozniak has helped her develop.
"I've progressed a lot this year," she said. "It's all because of coach's skills and drills we do in practice."
She's looking forward to making further strides in July in Tucson when she'll get a chance to be helped by some of the top volleyball coaches in the country.
"It's really scary," Ely said. "I'm worried. I've been practicing a lot to get ready."
