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She's a natural
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Published Thursday She's a natural at the net BY MIKE PATTERSON |
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| WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER | |
Since taking up volleyball just three years ago, Millard North senior Amanda Cvejdlik has been on the fast track.
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Cvejdlik had tried other sports, most notably softball and basketball. But nothing really clicked until she decided to try out for the Mustangs' freshman volleyball team.
"From the first day I tried it, volleyball seemed like a lot of fun," she said. "I tried to work hard to improve my game, and it really paid off."
That's an understatement. Cvejdlik (pronounced SVED-lik) is that rare athlete who was able to secure a college scholarship - she has committed to Creighton - despite not playing her sport at an early age.
"That's a credit to Amanda's pure ability and her work ethic," Millard North Coach Dave Cork said. "She's got a real passion for the game and is constantly studying other top players in an effort to make herself better."
Cvejdlik's athletic ability didn't happen by accident. Her father, Ken, was a pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization who won 24 games in a row during his high school days at Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson.
Softball should have seemed like a natural choice for his daughter. But it didn't turn out that way.
"She played softball, and she was actually pretty good," Ken said. "But I could tell she didn't really love it. That's when she gave volleyball a try."
Amanda Cvejdlik still will be the first to admit her introduction to the sport was a bit rocky. In fact, she had an interesting reaction when the first ball was served to her across the net.
She blocked it.
"The other girls were like, 'Ummm, you can't do that,'" she said. "I didn't know any better, so I thought I was making a pretty good play."
Cvejdlik didn't make the freshman "A" team, and instead had to settle for the "B" team. She was so inexperienced that without her size - she was already 6-foot-1 - she might not have made any team.
"I give a lot of credit to my parents (Ken and Mikki) for being very supportive," Amanda said. "I was pretty ragged at the start, but they always encouraged me, and I eventually got better."
So much better that she played club volleyball for Nebraska Elite and made the Millard North varsity as a sophomore. As a junior, she was among the Class A leaders in kills (4.1 per game), blocks (1.1 per game) and hitting efficiency (.331).
She had more than 40 letters from colleges nationwide, but decided on Creighton.
"I love the direction their program is going," she said, "and it's great to play close to home so my family can come watch."
The college commitment hasn't affected her intensity as a senior. She is averaging five kills and 1.6 blocks per game for the 7-2 Mustangs, ranked eighth in Class A.
"We've got a really young team but an awful lot of talent,"
Cvejdlik said. "What I'm really hoping to do is to help our team get to the
state tournament."
The Blackshirts are coming back
baby! Thanks to Tom Osborne and Bo Pelini.
Dr. Tom introduces Bo
"I'm going to be who I am, I'm not going to change. Bo Pelini's not
going to change."
The Husker Freak
"A Nebraska fan shows her unfailing
support for the Cornhuskers and retiring Coach Tom Osborne"