Illini’s Ward happy she didn’t give up on volleyball
The idea is absurd now.
But not too long ago, Colleen Ward hated volleyball.
Yep, the same Colleen Ward who was a volleyball star at Naperville North and is now a first-team all-American on an Illinois team that will be playing against UCLA in the NCAA national volleyball championship game on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN2).
“My older sisters played volleyball, so my Mom and Dad wanted to get me involved,” Ward said. “When I was about 10, they took me to this tryout for a club team and I did not want to be there. I also played softball and basketball. I really liked basketball. I wanted basketball to be my sport.”
Ward, a 6-foot-2 senior outside hitter, sure is glad she changed her mind.
Warming up to volleyball took some time, but she eventually was hooked.
“I actually didn’t make that club team the first time I tried out,” Ward said. “I was happy because it meant I didn’t have to play, but I was also mad that I didn’t make it. I was a pretty competitive kid.
“I went home and started doing all these drills so that I’d be ready for the next tryout. I wanted to make it and play just to show everyone that I could.”
Ward has had to do little convincing on the subject ever since.
She quickly became a club superstar, which actually got her liking volleyball, and was heavily recruited. She chose to play at Florida and was there for two years, but changed her mind on that, too. She wanted to come home and the coaches at Illinois were all too happy to have her.
No wonder. Ward has had two of the best seasons an Illini volleyball player has ever had and ranks among the top two on the team in kills, blocks and digs. She was second-team all-American last year, an honorable mention all-American as a sophomore and has rolled up more than 1,600 career kills.
“I’m so honored to be on this team. We have a great group of girls,” said Ward, named the most outstanding player of the Gainesville regional last week. “I’m so glad I stuck with volleyball. It’s been a great experience and I feel so lucky to be here.”
“Here” for Ward these past few days has been San Antonio, site of the NCAA volleyball Final Four.
Thanks to a rare 20-20 performance (27 kills, 22 digs) by Ward in the national semifinals against USC on Thursday, the Illini (32-4) are playing in their first national title game in school history.
The Illini have had a dream season, starting out 20-0. They also enjoyed the No. 1 ranking in the country longer than any other team.
“I’m so proud of how far we’ve come this season,” Ward said. “We knew at the beginning of the year that we had a lot of talent returning and a lot of talent coming in with our freshman class. I knew we had a good chance of getting to the Final Four, but it’s still hard to believe sometimes that we’re actually here.”
It’s even harder to believe that Ward could have ever hated volleyball.
Coming a long way: No movie has been made about Jennifer Beltran.But, in another great story to come out of Saturday#146;s NCAA volleyball national title game, she could be considered the volleyball version of #147;The Blind Side.#148;Beltran, a California native who is a 5-foot-9 sophomore libero for the Illini, had a tough childhood until she met a generous family that began treating her like one of its own.#147;I grew up in the inner city (near Los Angeles). My mom is a housekeeper and a single parent. She did what she could for me with what she had,#148; Beltran said. #147;But she always knew that wasn#146;t going to be enough for me to be as successful as I am now.#148;As soon as Beltran got to school, it was clear that she was a kid in need. Her kindergarten teacher, Gustavo Beltran, took an immediate interest in her. Before long, Beltran and her mother had themselves a new family to lean on: Gustavo, his wife Virna and their son Isaiah.#147;I consider my dad Gustavo,#148; Beltran said. #147;He#146;s not my dad by blood, but I got really attached to him and saw him as a father figure. And it really just became that.#147;His family is my family. I consider his wife my second mom and their son my brother. I am thankful for them every single day because you don#146;t see this much. You don#146;t see people giving up a lot for someone who#146;s not even their own child. They sacrificed a lot for me to help me get to this point. (Gustavo) was the one who got me into volleyball. It#146;s great for him and his family to see me here (at the Final Four).pbabcock@dailyherald.comVOL27252236USCs Kendall Bateman, middle, and Alexis Olgard, right, defend against Illinois Colleen Ward during an NCAA college semifinals match, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011, in San Antonio. Illinois won the match 3-2. Associated PressVOLVOL21892894Jennifer Beltran celebrates the Illins national semifinal victory over USC on Thursday in San Antonio.Associated PressVOL