Solena Quick(ly) igniting fire under Lions off bench

By GWENN MILLER
Collegian Staff Writer

On some level, Solena Quick's abrupt summons to the media room was representative of her volleyball career.

In a split-second decision by her coach, Russ Rose, the back-row specialist on the Penn State volleyball team was pulled into the room following the Oct. 22 match against Iowa.

It was much like his decisions to substitute her into games — sudden but strategic.

"Solena's doing a real nice job in practice, and we weren't getting much point production from Lauren's (middle hitter Lauren Cacciamani) serve," Rose said after the Iowa match. "There's days in practice when she does awfully well, so I'm comfortable with playing Solena."

Rose said Quick's increased court time is attributed to her hard work at practice and positive attitude. But because he has a specific plan for each team the Lady Lions face, she sees more action in some matches than others.

But playing time is a sacrifice Quick was willing to make in order to play for Penn State.

"Any of the back-row players at Penn State could play Div. II or Div. III volleyball and play all the way around," Quick said.

Although more playing time was appealing, she had wanted to come to Happy Valley since her freshman year in high school. And after a few conversations with volleyball club teammate Lauren Cacciamani, becoming a Lion was the natural choice.

Cacciamani, an All-American middle hitter at Penn State, was happy to endorse Quick to the coaches. Two years later, she said her sales pitch for Quick was worth the effort.

"I think she's doing a great job and she's really developed as a player," Cacciamani said. "Especially her defensive skills — they're great. She's a great person to have in practice."

After a redshirt season, Quick is being given more responsibilities as a substitute. She's played in 18 games and tallied three service aces, 17 digs and one kill for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.

Quick said she is happy with her increased court time and improved play, but realizes there are still improvements to be made. In a mid-season meeting with Rose, she focused on serving more aggressively and generating more points from her serve.

She also has learned the value of experience.

"You learn there are rewards," Quick said. "You work hard and eventually it will all pay off."

And the summons to the media room might become as frequent as her substitutions in the matches.