No Messin' Around

Melissa Granville certainly isn’t the first player that Shocker coach Chris Lamb has plucked from California, a well-known volleyball hotbed, but she is probably the most honest about her initial feelings toward Wichita.

After a recent practice, she laughs while recalling the first time she received a recruiting letter from Wichita State.

“I was like, Wichita? Where the hell is that?” she says. “Not to say that California is that great or anything, but I hadn’t even heard of Wichita.

“I get the Dorothy comments all the time when I get home. But I think my friends have finally figured it out. They know we’re not messing around here. We play good volleyball.”

Great volleyball is a more apt description, based on the team’s impressive start to the 2008 season.

Through eight games, the Shockers were undefeated, including a signature victory over No. 10 Cal Poly — the highest-ranked opponent WSU has ever beaten in volleyball. And the Shockers themselves had climbed to No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association poll — the highest ranking in school history.

No messing around, indeed. “I can definitely say we’re pretty excited about being 18th,” Granville says. “I think that’s kind of huge for us. More than anything, we’re playing well as a team, and we’re definitely getting better every game.”

Obviously, the Shockers have stars, the brightest being outside hitter Emily Stockman, a 6-footer who was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference player last year. But another key to the historic start has been a roster that includes players who, as clichéd as it may sound, do all the little things right — the most notable being Granville.

Asked for an unsung hero on the team, Lamb immediately choses the junior from Pilot Hill, Calif. A libero/defensive specialist, she digs, serves, serve receives and passes at a high level — even if she isn’t a headline grabber.

“That’s OK, I’ve never needed a lot of attention,” she said. It’s not completely OK with Lamb.

“I’m sad that the way the sports is written about and talked about that a player like Melissa, who plays the position she does, doesn’t get enough attention,” he says. “She certainly deserves it. At the same time, I feel like I’ve done a good job around here making people understand how important people who pass for us and dig for us are.”

Granville’s strength is a floating, darting serve that, when it’s on, is nearly impossible for opponents to handle. Last season, she led WSU with .40 aces per game. Through eight games this season, she had eight aces, second only to Lindsey Eckenrode’s 14.

There's a lot for Granville, a libero/defensive specialist, to smile about as she and her fellow Shockers continue to mow down opponents.

“She might be the best server in the league, and she’s one of the best servers I’ve ever coached,” Lamb reports. “Her serve is just so consistently good. A lot of people can go back there and hit two out of 10 with pace and pinpoint, but she hits eight out 10 that way. She moves it all over the place. You can never get comfortable passing Melissa’s serves.”

Granville showed off her serving ability in one of WSU’s most impressive, and perhaps most exciting, victories of the season in the Best Western Shocker Volleyball Classic. In a 3-2 thriller (25-16, 25-13, 17-25, 24-26, 18-16) over Ohio State, she produced six aces, including three straight in the first game.

“It floats a lot,” Granville says of her serve. “And I’ve played volleyball for a long time, so I can put it pretty much where I want to, at least most of the time. But I do make a lot of errors, so I’m working hard on limiting that.”

In addition, Lamb describes Granville’s serve receive as “amazing.” “It takes a really good server to get her out of her comfort zone,” he adds.

Clearly, Granville is a California girl who has found enjoyment and success in the Midwest. She says the “volleyball community” at Wichita State is growing every year, and with good reason.

Under Lamb, the Shockers have posted five consecutive 20-win seasons and grown into a presence on the national level. Last season, WSU won 27 matches, won its third MVC title in the past four years and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“I’m so glad I gave WSU a chance,” Granville says. “I came out here and I loved it, and Wichita has grown on me ever since. The facilities are nice. The fans are great. Even some of the big programs don’t pull in fans like we do. It’s cool to get that support.”

Shocker Volleyball
7 p.m., Fri., Oct. 17 vs. UNI @ Wichita
7 p.m., Sat., Oct. 18 vs. Bradley @ Wichita      
7 p.m., Fri., Oct. 24 vs. Creighton @ Wichita          
6 p.m., Sat., Oct. 25 vs. Drake @ Wichita            
6 p.m., Fri., Oct. 31 vs. Indiana St. @ Terre Haute      
7:05 p.m., Sat., Nov. 1 vs. Illinois St. @ Normal          
7 p.m., Fri., Nov. 7 vs. So. Illinois @ Wichita          
7 p.m., Sat., Nov. 8 vs. Evansville @ Wichita          
7 p.m., Fri., Nov. 14 vs. Bradley@ Peoria, Ill.
7 p.m., Sat., Nov. 15 vs. UNI @ Cedar Falls, Iowa
7 p.m., Fri., Nov. 21 vs. Missouri State @ Springfield      
TBA, Thu.-Sat., Nov. 27-29, State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Wichita
TBA, Thu.-Sun., Dec. 4-7, NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds
TBA, Thu.-Sun., Dec. 11-14, NCAA Regionals
TBA, Thu.-Sat., Dec. 18-20, Final Four, Omaha, Neb.