At first, it looked to be a match made in heaven.
Nana Meriwether imagined playing volleyball with the letters
U-C-L-A emblazoned across her chest. Coach Andy Banachowski shared
the same vision.
Yet somewhere along the line, those plans went awry. And instead
of taking the court in the comfort of Pauley Pavilion in West Los
Angeles, Meriwether found herself over 2,500 miles away in Durham,
N.C., stuck competing for a mediocre Duke team.
It wasn’t how she planned on spending her freshman year in
college, to say the least.
“I was very disappointed by the level of
competition,” Meriwether said. “I wanted to play
against the best. My heart was set on UCLA the whole
time”
Meriwether’s top collegiate choice coming out of high
school two years ago was UCLA, but the Bruins did not have a
scholarship available at the time. The sophomore from Potomac, Md.
was a tri-sport athlete in track, basketball and volleyball in high
school. But she did not start playing club volleyball until her
junior year.
As a result, she was not highly recruited for the sport, even
though she was recognized as the Gatorade Player of the Year her
senior year.
“She was recruited highly for other sports” Novimbi
Meriwether, Nana’s mother, said, “but volleyball was
what she wanted to do.”
With UCLA seemingly out of the picture, Meriwether settled on
attending Duke without a scholarship because it was a renowned
academic school with a good athletics program.
“My dad really wanted me to go there,” Meriwether
said. “He was the first black medical student at Duke, and
thinks very highly of it.”
But toward the end of her first season with Duke, Meriwether had
her club coaches contact UCLA to inquire further about scholarship
opportunities.
“I didn’t feel like I was challenged,”
Meriwether said. “And I was getting bored by a private
school. It was just like my high school, and I felt like I needed a
change.”
Meriwether was granted her release from Duke during winter break
of her freshman year. Shortly after, she enrolled at UCLA when a
scholarship opened up after former Bruin back-up setter Haley
Jorgensborg decided to leave the team following the fall
quarter.
Under the fortunate circumstances, Meriwether has made the most
of the opportunity since her arrival. She has fit into the Bruin
lineup nicely, filling the void left by middle blocker Cira Wright,
whose departure was expected to be a big loss for the team.
The middle blocker position has been a bright spot for the
Bruins, as Meriwether has averaged more kills and blocks per game
than Wright did her senior year last season.
“Her transition has been very smooth,” Banachowski
said. “She has been a pivotal part of our hitting and
blocking attack.”
Meriwether has also incorporated her deep floating serve into
the Bruins’ serving attack, a change of pace from the topspin
serve used by most of the players on the team.
“My serve is something I’ve been working on with the
coaches,” Meriwether said. “I think a deep serve really
allows us a chance to set up our defense.”
Meriwether did not begin the season as the starting middle
blocker, instead sharing the role with Katie Carter and Nancy
Barba.
“I hadn’t really reached my full potential,”
Meriwether said. “I needed to continually improve over the
season.”
Meriwether first broke out of her shell during the Mauna Loa
Macadamia Nut Volleyball Challenge in September, where she was
named to the All-Tournament team and set a tournament record by
registering 14 blocks against Southwest Missouri State.
As impressive as her accomplishments have been, Meriwether is
quick to credit those around her. One player in particular who has
made a huge difference in Meriwether’s transition has been
senior outside hitter Brynn Murphy, UCLA’s leading hitter the
past two years.
“Brynn has helped me step up my game,” Meriwether
said. “She is such a smart player, and a great person on and
off the court.
“She has taught me to constantly challenge myself,
something I never learned at Duke. I think it will help me in
volleyball as well as track.”
Meriwether, who competed in the high jump for UCLA’s track
and field team during the spring, has increased her vertical jump
and credits the training to improving her volleyball game.
“I think it gives me a good break from volleyball,”
Meriwether said. “And I think working with the track coaches
will help my jumping ability.”
Her praise is not limited to the track coaches. Each time she
speaks of the Bruin coaching staff as a whole, she seems to
validate her decision to transfer to UCLA.
“The coaches have made all the difference since I got
here,” Meriwether said. “The relationship is so much
different from Duke; the coaches here are always available for
you.”
And one thing is for certain: they’re happy to have
her.