University of Minnesota Athletics
Risk and Reward: Junior Meredith Nelson
10/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nelson, who was ranked the 10th-best senior prospect in the nation in 2002, had to weigh the tough decision of attending the University of Minnesota or to go to play for Stanford, who was coming off National Championship in 2002.
A variety of factors existed, but in the end Nelson chose to stay close to home and attend Minnesota. One of the things that made the decision more remarkable was the fact that at the time the Golden Gophers did not have a scholarship to offer Nelson. That created a situation where she would have to be a walk-on her first year. Meanwhile, Stanford was offering her a full-ride scholarship all the way through her career. Nelson made the decision knowing that she would have to walk-on her first year at Minnesota. As it turned out, when she arrived at Minnesota there was an extra scholarship available to her.
“The fact that she chose Minnesota knowing she might have to walk-on her first year here spoke volumes about her commitment to the program,” said Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert. “She was getting full-ride offers from top programs and turned them down knowing full well that she might not have a scholarship here the first year. I remember when she made the decision she said to me I want to be that hometown girl that comes to Minnesota.”
“I remember coming to the NACWAA Classic in 2002 as part of my recruiting visit,” said Nelson. “Minnesota and Stanford played in the tournament championship. Watching the Golden Gophers play, it looked like the team was having so much fun and there was so much positive energy out there on the court. After meeting the players and watching that, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of for four years. I also enjoyed the fact that Minnesota was a program on its way to a rise to prominence and that I could be part of that process.”
Nelson’s hunch proved to be right on the money, as the Golden Gophers advanced to a Final Four in her freshman season in 2003 and made it to the National Championship with her as a sophomore in 2004.
“It has been very rewarding to be a part of this program during this time,” said Nelson. “The national recognition and attention we have gained through the success we have had the last two years has been exciting. I knew that this level of success was possible when I chose to come to Minnesota, but it has been amazing how quickly it has happened. To get to go the Final Four my first two years here is very satisfying. It has also shown me how much work it takes to be this successful and what we have do as a team to maintain this high level of success.”
Nelson has never been one to shy away from hard work. In fact, Nelson openly admits that one of her favorite parts of volleyball at the collegiate level is the scouting reports and learning various things about the opponents that can help win matches.
“I love scouting reports and sitting down to prepare for how to play against opponents,” said Nelson. “It’s my favorite part of the process of getting ready for an opponent. I like them, because they help me visualize what I need to do to help our team succeed in the match.”
One of the things that always impressed Hebert about Nelson is her desire to do anything necessary to better the team. That along with her capacity to pick up things quickly has helped her adjust to the roles she has had on the team throughout her three seasons.
“One of the reasons Meredith played right away as a freshman was her ability to mentally grasp what she needed to do to help us succeed,” said Hebert. “She has a great ability to understand that she is one of the pieces of the puzzle in a larger scheme of the team, and that all the pieces need to be in place to insure success. This predisposition has made it easier for her to grasp what we have thrown at her in different situations throughout her career.”
Coming into the 2005 season, Nelson received preseason All-Big Ten honors, which is voted on by the coaches in the conference. This was one of the early signs heading into the season of the progress she had made from her freshman season. Nelson also currently leads the team in kills (3.22 kpg) and blocks (1.15 blpg). Heading into her junior season, Nelson acknowledges that she has improved by leaps and bounds from her freshman season, and says she is still determined to improve from where she is now.
As a player who did not start playing club volleyball until her junior year of high school, she sees herself as someone who is still in the process of improving and becoming a better player. Both Nelson and the coaching staff draw some parallels to 2003 First-Team All-American Cassie Busse in that regard.
“Cassie (Busse) and Meredith came from similar situations in that they both went to small high schools in small towns,” said Hebert. “Meredith probably started a little more for her club team then Cassie, but I think other then that they are very similar. Both players are very bright, great learners, listen well and apply the lessons they are taught very well. Both players have fashioned themselves into great players.”
“When I was being recruited I was compared to Cassie in some ways,” said Nelson. “Mainly, because of the fact that I had to catch up after having limited club experience in high school. When I talked to Mike during the process he told me about how much Cassie had improved throughout her career. When Cassie was named First-Team All-America we were all so proud of her, and it inspired me personally since I was coming from a similar situation out of high school. As a freshman and even now I still look up to Cassie. When you were her teammate, you could really see up close how hard she worked for what she got and that was inspirational to me.”
One of the other big differences between Nelson and Busse was that Nelson was thrown right in to the mix right away as a freshman. Heading into the 2003 season, a variety of factors made it so that Nelson would have to start as a middle blocker from day one as a freshman.
“I remember being around the Minnesota camp the summer before I started playing here, and Jessica Byrnes hinting to me that maybe I should prepare to play right away when I arrived in the fall,” said Nelson. “I did not think much of it, but sure enough when I got here I was a starter right away. It was a struggle mentally to pick up everything I needed to know my first year, but the coaching staff did a great job of teaching me and being very patient. I remember going off to a court all by myself and working with our Associate Head Coach (then assistant) David Boos on technique and timing to get better. That helped me immensely. It was also very gratifying to be able to step in as a freshman and be part of a team that went to the Final Four.”
Since then things have come full circle for Nelson. Heading into the 2005 season, Nelson is one of the primary leaders for Minnesota for a team that includes eight newcomers, including six freshmen.
“We have prepared since last January in an effort to create a smooth transition for the eight newcomers,” said Nelson. “For me personally I feel like there were so many things that I had to learn and pick up when I first got here, that I can understand where some of the new players might be coming from when so much is thrown at them. I have tried to use those experiences as a way to help the newcomers with any problems that they have. I feel like I had to learn so much from scratch that it helps me be able to understand where someone else is coming from when they are trying to figure out something new to them.”
Story by Steve Geller One of the toughest times for a high school student-athlete is when they are deciding which college to attend. There are always a lot of choices surrounding the situation, and the final decision can shape the next four years of their lives. For junior middle blocker Meredith Nelson, her decision to attend Minnesota has already paid dividends for her and the volleyball program in just two-plus years.
Nelson, who was ranked the 10th-best senior prospect in the nation in 2002, had to weigh the tough decision of attending the University of Minnesota or to go to play for Stanford, who was coming off National Championship in 2002.
A variety of factors existed, but in the end Nelson chose to stay close to home and attend Minnesota. One of the things that made the decision more remarkable was the fact that at the time the Golden Gophers did not have a scholarship to offer Nelson. That created a situation where she would have to be a walk-on her first year. Meanwhile, Stanford was offering her a full-ride scholarship all the way through her career. Nelson made the decision knowing that she would have to walk-on her first year at Minnesota. As it turned out, when she arrived at Minnesota there was an extra scholarship available to her.
“The fact that she chose Minnesota knowing she might have to walk-on her first year here spoke volumes about her commitment to the program,” said Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert. “She was getting full-ride offers from top programs and turned them down knowing full well that she might not have a scholarship here the first year. I remember when she made the decision she said to me I want to be that hometown girl that comes to Minnesota.”
“I remember coming to the NACWAA Classic in 2002 as part of my recruiting visit,” said Nelson. “Minnesota and Stanford played in the tournament championship. Watching the Golden Gophers play, it looked like the team was having so much fun and there was so much positive energy out there on the court. After meeting the players and watching that, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of for four years. I also enjoyed the fact that Minnesota was a program on its way to a rise to prominence and that I could be part of that process.”
Nelson’s hunch proved to be right on the money, as the Golden Gophers advanced to a Final Four in her freshman season in 2003 and made it to the National Championship with her as a sophomore in 2004.
“It has been very rewarding to be a part of this program during this time,” said Nelson. “The national recognition and attention we have gained through the success we have had the last two years has been exciting. I knew that this level of success was possible when I chose to come to Minnesota, but it has been amazing how quickly it has happened. To get to go the Final Four my first two years here is very satisfying. It has also shown me how much work it takes to be this successful and what we have do as a team to maintain this high level of success.”
Nelson has never been one to shy away from hard work. In fact, Nelson openly admits that one of her favorite parts of volleyball at the collegiate level is the scouting reports and learning various things about the opponents that can help win matches.
“I love scouting reports and sitting down to prepare for how to play against opponents,” said Nelson. “It’s my favorite part of the process of getting ready for an opponent. I like them, because they help me visualize what I need to do to help our team succeed in the match.”
One of the things that always impressed Hebert about Nelson is her desire to do anything necessary to better the team. That along with her capacity to pick up things quickly has helped her adjust to the roles she has had on the team throughout her three seasons.
“One of the reasons Meredith played right away as a freshman was her ability to mentally grasp what she needed to do to help us succeed,” said Hebert. “She has a great ability to understand that she is one of the pieces of the puzzle in a larger scheme of the team, and that all the pieces need to be in place to insure success. This predisposition has made it easier for her to grasp what we have thrown at her in different situations throughout her career.”
Coming into the 2005 season, Nelson received preseason All-Big Ten honors, which is voted on by the coaches in the conference. This was one of the early signs heading into the season of the progress she had made from her freshman season. Nelson also currently leads the team in kills (3.22 kpg) and blocks (1.15 blpg). Heading into her junior season, Nelson acknowledges that she has improved by leaps and bounds from her freshman season, and says she is still determined to improve from where she is now.
As a player who did not start playing club volleyball until her junior year of high school, she sees herself as someone who is still in the process of improving and becoming a better player. Both Nelson and the coaching staff draw some parallels to 2003 First-Team All-American Cassie Busse in that regard.
“Cassie (Busse) and Meredith came from similar situations in that they both went to small high schools in small towns,” said Hebert. “Meredith probably started a little more for her club team then Cassie, but I think other then that they are very similar. Both players are very bright, great learners, listen well and apply the lessons they are taught very well. Both players have fashioned themselves into great players.”
“When I was being recruited I was compared to Cassie in some ways,” said Nelson. “Mainly, because of the fact that I had to catch up after having limited club experience in high school. When I talked to Mike during the process he told me about how much Cassie had improved throughout her career. When Cassie was named First-Team All-America we were all so proud of her, and it inspired me personally since I was coming from a similar situation out of high school. As a freshman and even now I still look up to Cassie. When you were her teammate, you could really see up close how hard she worked for what she got and that was inspirational to me.”
One of the other big differences between Nelson and Busse was that Nelson was thrown right in to the mix right away as a freshman. Heading into the 2003 season, a variety of factors made it so that Nelson would have to start as a middle blocker from day one as a freshman.
“I remember being around the Minnesota camp the summer before I started playing here, and Jessica Byrnes hinting to me that maybe I should prepare to play right away when I arrived in the fall,” said Nelson. “I did not think much of it, but sure enough when I got here I was a starter right away. It was a struggle mentally to pick up everything I needed to know my first year, but the coaching staff did a great job of teaching me and being very patient. I remember going off to a court all by myself and working with our Associate Head Coach (then assistant) David Boos on technique and timing to get better. That helped me immensely. It was also very gratifying to be able to step in as a freshman and be part of a team that went to the Final Four.”
Since then things have come full circle for Nelson. Heading into the 2005 season, Nelson is one of the primary leaders for Minnesota for a team that includes eight newcomers, including six freshmen.
“We have prepared since last January in an effort to create a smooth transition for the eight newcomers,” said Nelson. “For me personally I feel like there were so many things that I had to learn and pick up when I first got here, that I can understand where some of the new players might be coming from when so much is thrown at them. I have tried to use those experiences as a way to help the newcomers with any problems that they have. I feel like I had to learn so much from scratch that it helps me be able to understand where someone else is coming from when they are trying to figure out something new to them.”
Story by Steve Geller
