It is one thing for an athlete to play through a minor injury
for a few games. It is quite another thing for one to play an
entire season with a serious, painful injury that can barely be
contained.
Nana Meriwether knows what it’s like to do the latter.
“Every time I hit, basically, my shoulder would come out
of my body ““ that’s the best way to explain it,”
Meriwether said.
After toughing out all of last season with a torn labrum in her
hitting shoulder, Meriwether has come back healthy from off-season
surgery this year. She has emerged as the heart and soul of the
Bruin team, a true leader in every facet of the game. She is also a
top candidate for national player of the year.
But the road to 2006 was quite a struggle for Meriwether.
Last season involved continuous treatment and workouts just to
get her shoulder to a point where she could play with it. Despite
the fierce pain, somehow she made it through every match.
“After games it was sore,” Meriwether said.
“Attacking that many times in a game every night just really
hurt it and made it uncomfortable. I did a lot of treatment,
strengthening the structure itself, but you can’t really stop
your shoulder from coming out of your body.”
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Meriwether’s
season last year wasn’t simply that she made it through the
year; she was also UCLA’s most productive player last
season.
Meriwether led the team in attack percentage, was second on the
team in kills, and was overwhelmingly the Pac-10’s top
blocker. She was an easy first-team All Pac-10 choice ““ with
an injury that would have prevented many from even trying to
play.
“I was in a lot of pain, but I’ve always prided
myself on having a high pain tolerance,” Meriwether said.
“I usually just ignored it.”
Still Meriwether knew that she wasn’t as productive as she
could have been if she were healthy. So at the end of the season,
when the topic of surgery came up, Meriwether had to consider
it.
Even though she was against the idea of surgery, she eventually
gave in to her coaches’ wishes and went through the procedure
at the end of the season.
It’s a choice that Meriwether hasn’t regretted.
“It was my first surgery. I was very anxious, and
that’s why I think I was very opposed to it,” she said.
“I really wanted to just continue treatment, but I’m
very glad I did surgery. The doctors who worked on me were amazing
and right now I feel no pain, and it’s great.”
Off-season surgery also meant Meriwether had to miss the
Bruins’ spring drills. Meriwether, who had the procedure in
April, could not move her arm at all in the two weeks following the
surgery and was in a sling for 24 hours a day for four weeks.
“It was very hard for me to step back from preseason
practice and all the conditioning we do during the quarter,”
she said. “It’s a great time for the girls to bond and
I was very afraid of missing out on that. Everyone was really
supportive and they included me in a lot of the outside curriculum
that they do.”
Even as the 2006 season began, Meriwether’s shoulder was
still bothering her. She had to get used to the swinging motion
again and was still experiencing a substantial amount of pain. But
the shoulder has continued to get stronger as the season has
progressed.
“It’s a lot easier to swing,” Meriwether said.
“There’s no pain and I personally think because of my
treatment and strengthening over the summer, I’ve been able
to hit harder. It’s given me a new edge to my offensive
game.”
The statistics seem to back up Meriwether’s claim. Her
.486 hitting percentage is not only leading the team and
conference, but it is by far the top mark in the entire nation.
Lindsey Ensign of Princeton has the second-highest mark in the
nation: .460. Meriwether’s percentage is also substantially
higher than what she hit last year, when she led the Bruins hitting
.380.
Meriwether is also sixth in the nation in blocking this year,
averaging 1.72 blocks a game.
“The fact that she’s healthy enough to take full
swings at the ball ““ she’s had a lot more power and
teams have had to honor her much more and load up on her,”
coach Andy Banachowski said. “It really wasn’t
necessary to do that in the past because she wasn’t hitting
it at full strength.”
“Whatever she does, the other players on the team are
benefiting because she’s opening up shots for them even when
she’s not getting set,” he said.
But in order to truly understand what a healthy Meriwether has
meant to this team this year, you would have to look beyond the
numbers.
It is Meriwether’s intangibles ““ the energy she
brings throughout the game and in between points, the ability to
lead by example, the character she displays off the court and her
habit of coming through in clutch situations ““ that are just
as important for the other players on the team.
All of these traits have been on full display this season.
“She’s so positive and so calm,” senior
outside hitter Katie Carter said.
“If I’m ever nervous or if anyone is ever nervous,
when you come in the game she is just so relaxed. If you mess up,
she’s like, “˜no big deal, you’re fine.’
Coming from a player like her, that means so much. She’s
really helped me a lot, just building my confidence and really
making me know that I am good.”
The team leader role is one that Meriwether embraces in a unique
way. Even though she is the living embodiment of positive
reinforcement, Meriwether prefers to think of herself as a player
who leads by example first and foremost.
“The girls definitely look up to me and I think it comes
from on the court and how I produce,” Meriwether said.
“I’ve always taken pride in walking the walk and not
talking the talk. On the court, I think the girls look to me as a
go-to hitter. Off the court, I try to hold up an image that’s
respectable for the young players to look up to.”
Meriwether’s leadership and intangibles, combined with her
production, have played a huge role in the teams 20-1 start to
2006. But Meriwether has a bigger goal in mind for the season
““ a goal she has dreamed about ever since she transferred to
UCLA from Duke three years ago.
“Winning a national championship,” Meriwether said.
“I’ve said that ever since I got here, and I think for
the first time in any beginning or middle of the season, I can
actually see it possibly happening this year. We’re so deep
and talented at every position. It’s been very competitive in
the gym and it’s made things a whole lot better.”
With Meriwether finally pain-free, the Bruins will continue to
ride her hot hand in clutch situations for the rest of the season
with realistic hopes of a national title in the back of their
minds.
“If we’re struggling or if we’re in a long
rally, just give the ball to Nana,” Carter said.
“She’ll put it away or get a big block. With her, all I
have to do is just tell her, “˜Nana, come on, let’s do
this,’ and she’ll get really serious and she’ll
do it. She’s that good.”