Those who have been lucky enough to frequent Ohio volleyball matches over the past three years know who Michaele Blackburn is - the Bobcat who wears a green jersey at home.
Libero for the Bobcats, she is constantly diving and digging to ensure that the opponent cannot score, which is a vital part of the Ohio squad.
However, Blackburn almost did not become the college volleyball player fans know today - she considered ending her career after high school.
I had had enough - I don't really know
Blackburn said. I just wanted to be a normal student and go to school hang out and go out. But I think I made the better decision to play volleyball.
Thanks to encouragement from her father, Blackburn opted to continue playing as a Bobcat in 2003, the same year as coach Geoff Carlston's inaugural season. She is now in the midst of her third year with the Bobcats and already has tallied 1,213 career digs, only 313 short of the school record - something Carlston already pegged her to overcome.
The funny thing about Michaele is we got lucky with her he said. Nobody really recruited her
and I came in pretty late during the recruiting period and said
'That's the kid I want right there.' In my mind she's the best libero in conference by far. She's a tough kid; you can challenge her and she responds.She's still got some room to grow, and she knows it.
