The Day's All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year: Ledyard's Michelle Klinikowski
Michelle Klinikowski had a few minutes to talk last Thursday between the end of girls' basketball practice at Ledyard High School and before her mom drove her to AAU volleyball practice in Hartford. She does that twice a week.
"Yeah, it's very busy," Klinikowski said with a laugh. "That's what I'm trying to do tonight. I have to get an application to (Boston College) which is due (on Dec. 19). Then I have to study for an AP psychology quiz. ... I'll try to study for the psychology test on my way (to Hartford) and probably on the way back. I'll try to do the application when I get home (usually around 10:30-11 p.m.) Hopefully it's not too late.
"It should be a really interesting night. I don't think I'm going to get too much sleep."
It's that kind of commitment that allowed Klinikowski, a senior, to receive a volleyball scholarship from Boston College, which takes as much pride in its academics as it does athletics.
It's that kind of commitment that led to Klinikowski evolving into one of the state's most dominant players the past two seasons. She was a no-brainer as The Day's 2014 All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year.
"She continues to amaze me," Ledyard coach Rich Duwelius said. "She's worked so hard over the last few years to become a complete player instead of just a one-dimensional hitter-blocker, someone who can excel in all phases of the game. Now's she's also added leadership. She's really locked out there. She really lifts the other players up and makes them play better as well."
Klinikowski was among the state's most dominant players and a defensive nightmare. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter had a team-high 542 kills and 77 blocks.
Connecticut high school girls' volleyball is filled with tall players who are a liability in the back row. It's common for them to rotate out for a smaller defensive specialist.
Not Klinikowski. She was a terrific defender. She handled serve-receive and opponent attacks with the same grace as a smaller defender.
"Defense is probably one of the greatest things I need to work on," Klinikowski said. "Defense is one of the most important aspects of the game and I definitely need a lot more practice on it. It's fun. I don't mind practice."
Klinikowski also had an .864 serving percentage and a team-high 80 aces.
Remember: Klinikowski is a 6-2 hitter.
"She's an exceptional athlete for a tall girl and she loves volleyball," Duwelius said. "She plays all year long. She's always played on a club team and gone to camps in the summer. By doing that, combined with her natural athleticism and desire to be a player who's on the court all the time, she's been able to develop into a really good back-row player."
Ledyard won back-to-back Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division and tournament championships during Klinikowski's junior and senior seasons and made it as far as the CIAC Class L semifinals.
Klinikowski started for the Colonels' 2012 Class M championship team, the first title in program history.
"She's just very consistent," Duwelius said. "She's always had the skill, but as a junior I think she put a lot of pressure on herself. This year she just seemed more relaxed and played at a high level all season. I can't ever remember her having a bad match or a bad game. I think her confidence and her consistency improved and it all came together for her."
Klinikowski's cheerful attitude rarely wavered, win or lose. She smiled and laughed after Ledyard lost a grueling five-game Class L semifinal match to RHAM in November, even though it was her last high school match.
"The thing I'll remember most is how the new girls stepped up so well," Klinikowski said. "I thought we'd have a good season, but I didn't think we'd go as far as we did. I didn't think we'd have such a successful season. Everyone did a fantastic job.
"Of course I wish we won (the state title), but I'm not upset. I'm proud of everyone on the team because everyone stepped up their game."
Duwelius said: "After the JV and freshman seasons were done, I brought up eight freshman and JV players the last few weeks of the (varsity season) to be exposed to some of the players like Michelle and Mariah Abstetar and Jenny Nohara. I wanted to have them exposed to role models, understand what volleyball is about and what a winning team is about."
n.griffen@theday.com
Twitter: @MetalNED
The Day's 2014 All-Area Volleyball Team
Player of the Year - Michelle Klinikowski (Ledyard)
Mariah Abstetar (Ledyard)
Brielle Benson (East Lyme)
Vanessa Kobyluck (Waterford)
Jenny Nohara (Ledyard)
Mae Sefransky (Fitch)
Jen Severino (Fitch)
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