While all the other players rest against the wall after several
hours of lifting weights and practicing, one is still on the
court.
The sound of him slamming ball after ball across the volleyball
court fills the gym as everyone starts to leave.
Even when almost every player is gone, redshirt senior Damien
Scott asks for yet another set so he can improve his technique.
Never mind his exhaustion after a grueling day of practice; Scott
puts in the extra effort to increase his level of play.
“I never used to apply any extra time to volleyball, but
I’m trying to lead more by example, and staying after
practice to work on my game is what a leader does,” Scott
said. “I want to take this team to the NCAA Finals, but it is
going to take an extra effort from everyone, and I’m trying
to do my part.”
Scott’s new attitude has not gone unnoticed by his
coaches, who made him captain prior to the season and correlate the
improvement he has made recently in his game with the extra time he
spends after practice.
By staying to practice after the official practice session ends,
Scott has already had an impact on the team, both by contributing
more in games and by encouraging others to work more.
“All our great players throughout the history of
volleyball at UCLA have done extra work to get to the next
level,” UCLA coach Al Scates said. “Without the coaches
asking, they stayed after, but I haven’t seen that in the
last few years until now. Scott is pulling this team up because a
few other guys are staying after now too.”
Getting more repetitions in after practice is a new phenomenon
for Scott, though. A few weeks ago, he would leave after practice
ended, without doing everything he could to improve his game.
As a result, Scott lost his starting position to freshman Ian
Jackson.
“Damien was making too many unforced errors because he was
dropping his arm and not hitting the ball at the apex of his
jump,” Scates said. “He can be a very good player if he
keeps hitting the ball the way he knows how, instead of dropping
back to his old habit.”
Not only did he not start; Scott did not even get a chance to
play for two straight matches.
It’s not often that a senior captain is benched in the
middle of the season, but it seemed to be the catalyst for a
renewed sense of dedication in Scott.
Since sitting out for those two matches, Scott has stayed after
practice each day, and has regained his starting position.
Last Thursday against Stanford, Scott led the Bruins with 17
kills and 14 digs. He followed up his performance by slamming 12
kills (.455) and two aces the next night v. Pacific.
“I just wanted to do whatever it took to get the team
winning again,” Scott said. “It wasn’t about
improving my own stats or anything. If the team was winning and I
was not playing, that would be fine because I want to do whatever
is best for the team.”
Scott showed his maturity by not demanding playing time just
because he was more experienced. Instead, he realized that he
needed to improve and made a conscious effort to do so.
As his dedication to fine-tuning his skills increases, other
players have recognized the impact Scott has had on the team.
“He’s been here for several years and a lot of the
guys do look up to him,” freshman Sean O’Malley said.
“He has a strong character and is very consistent as a
player. In volleyball, that consistency is important and when he
has that on the floor it really gives everybody something to look
to.”
Scott has not always had the consistent play he demonstrates on
the court now ““ in fact, one of his biggest faults in the
past was his inability to repeatedly perform on a high level.
He only played in 73 total games over the course of his previous
three seasons at UCLA, never earning more than 11 kills in a
match.
This year has been radically different for Scott, who has become
one of the players to whom the team can consistently look to come
up with points.
“He didn’t have much playing time in the past
because he was very streaky,” Scates said. “He could be
very good at times, but now he’s starting to turn in steady
performances and is someone we can count on every night.”
Even before getting much playing time, Scott developed as a
leader in the weight room.
Many younger players lack the proper technique for lifting
weights, and Scott emerged in the preseason as a someone they could
come to for instruction.
“Damien became the leader, and by example showed such a
tremendous work ethic in the weight room that the general strength
of our team went up a notch,” Scates said. “What he
needed to do was bring the same work ethic to the playing floor
that he had in the weight room, and he did that.”