THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501280073
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
THE NANSEMOND RIVER volleyball team's rebuilding season has turned into a full-fledged run for the Bay Rivers District title.
The Warriors have found themselves perched atop the district watching everyone else chase them.
Elizabeth Pearson has played no small role in putting the Warriors in such a position.
The junior captain has an unmatched love of the game and has made it a point to learn everything possible about it. And Pearson passes everything she learns on to her teammates.
``I've never had a player as enthused about the game as Elizabeth,'' head coach Nancy Richie said. ``She is so knowledgable about the game and that has boosted her confidence.
``She has a way of talking to her peers and improving their skills and confidence . . . all of them respect her. There is none of the animosity or jealousy you might see.''
That respect has most of Pearson's teammates just as concerned about performing well for her as for Richie.
``She keeps us all on and if I have a bad spike she tells me what I did wrong, like put your elbow up more,'' junior setter Kari Harrell said. ``She's there for everybody to talk to and to be everybody's best friend.
``We all know what she is talking about when we she is helping us out, it's just that when we mess up we know that it is her that we are disappointing.''
But it is the team that Pearson hopes not to disappoint.
``I always have to think about keeping everybody up,'' Pearson said. ``I have to set a good example. I can't let them see when I'm upset about something because I feel that would tear them apart, too.''
The oldest of four children, Pearson developed a fascination for volleyball at an early age while watching her parents play with a church group in the back yard.
When she reached the fifth grade, they finally let her get involved in some of the games.
It was her parents who encouraged her to get involved in as many activities as possible.
Pearson responded by maintaining an involvement with Girl Scouts since the third grade. She is on the youth council at church, the BETA club, and she participates in club volleyball programs during the off season. Add to that a part-time job at Bennett's Creek Pharmacy and it is hard to fathom how Pearson has time to maintain a 3.6 grade point average while taking advanced level courses.
She got a 97 on her advanced math exam last week and a 94 on the college level American History course she is taking, which she admits she has no love for.
She has played basketball: ``I wasn't really any good at it. It was just fun.''
And she plays tennis on occasion, and took up soccer at age 6, but volleyball is where her heart is.
``Elizabeth made the decision last year that volleyball was going to be her thing,'' Richie said. ``When she is not playing volleyball, she is doing something to get ready for it, like run or lift weights, anything to stay in shape.''
Pearson has no doubts that she wants to play volleyball in college.
``I look at her, and I really see her reaching all of her goals,'' Richie said.
While Pearson has flowed right into the role of captain vacated by Jennifer Ellis' graduation, it may be Harrell who had the biggest challenge of taking over as setter for Ellis, her cousin.
``I can't walk in Jennifer's shoes, that's for sure,'' Harrell said.
``Elizabeth helps me a lot with setting. She knows that I'm not going to break for water until I get it right, so she doesn't break either, she stays right there with me.''
It was only a few years ago that Harrell, a softball and all-district field hockey player, joined the volleyball team and had no idea what to expect.
``You play in gym and you didn't have a setter,'' Harrell said. ``What was that? It was a lot different to have an organized game.
``There is a lot to remember when you are the setter, and it is really weird setting for different people. Everybody depends on you to get the ball up there at a certain height so they can get a good hit and when somebody gets a kill, you feel great knowing that you were a part of that.''
Harrell leads the team in saves with 16 and she just can't stand to see the ball hit the floor.
``You look up and you are sure that the ball is going to hit and there she is,'' Richie said.
``I love to throw myself on the floor,'' Harrell said. ``I am so competitive, and I guess I just like falling.''
Like Richie, Harrell expected the loss of Ellis to hit the team pretty hard and figured they would spend more time learning and regrouping than winning.
``I thought that until we started playing,'' Harrell said.
The Warriors took a 10-0 district record into Friday's matchup with Franklin, but it hasn't all been a cakewalk.
Two weeks ago, the Warriors found themselves down a game behind Bruton, having lost the first game 15-1.
``Elizabeth and I just told everybody after that game that it was gut-check time and we couldn't lose this match,'' Harrell said.
They didn't, but Harrell knows exactly why they almost lost.
She and several of her teammates make it a point to talk a lot on game days and pass secret-coded good luck notes during class.
The Bruton match was played on Lee-Jackson-King Day, so Harrell didn't see any of her teammates until game time.
``I told coach Richie that was the problem, we hadn't passed our good luck notes.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
ABOVE: Elizabeth Pearson goes for the kill recently during a match
with Poquoson.
AT RIGHT: Junior setter Kari Harrell keeps track of a Nansemond
River serve - and her teammate, as they lock fingers during the
match.
by CNB