Mendoza leads 'M' volleyball just the way she sets - with consistency

One can be sure of very few things in life. For the Michigan volleyball team, one of those things - actually, one of those people - is senior setter Linnea Mendoza.

So far, Mendoza has been the model of consistency this season, being named to two straight all-tournament teams and extending her Michigan all-time assist record to 3,662.

"She's somebody that comes in every day very focused," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. "Not only on the technical part of the game, but also on the strategic part of the game."

Mendoza began her volleyball career as a sixth-grader. The Santa Barbara, Calif., native had the opportunity to play beach volleyball, an experience that helped improve her skills as a player.

"Ever since I started club, I've been playing beach," Mendoza said. "It was part of our training that we used to do at home in the summertime, and it was good exercise. It taught me a lot about court awareness and ball control."

Throughout her life, Mendoza has participated in many kinds of athletic endeavors, though she found team sports more enjoyable than individual sports.

"I did a lot of individual sports when I was younger," Mendoza said. "Not a lot, but I started tennis and gymnastics. I just never really liked those kind of sports, because, not to diminish those sports obviously, just for me as a person, I just didn't like everybody looking at me out there. I like this, because it's a team sport. I've met some of my best friends through it."

One aspect of Mendoza that sets her apart from other athletes is her hunger for victory, as opposed to a hunger to be the best. For Mendoza, as seen through her sport of choice, the team is more important than the individual.

"I think a lot of athletes work hard because they want to be great," Giovanazzi said. "I think with Linnea it's more that she wants to win, which I think is really a better concept, because it's team-oriented. I've never seen her as someone who wants individual accolades very much."

Having recruited Mendoza, Giovanazzi saw a tremendous athlete as well as a skilled volleyball player.

"Including the people I've coached at UCLA and on the national team, she is really one of the best athletes I've ever coached," Giovanazzi said. "Her coordination is exceptional. She's very quick afoot. Her hand-eye coordination and her judgment are exceptional. ... She just does things playing volleyball that not too many people are capable of doing.

"Her touch on the ball as a setter is better than the setters on some of the Olympic teams in the world. Obviously, she's not a very tall person, but she is able to complement that with how quick she is and how determined she is."

As a senior on the team, Mendoza is somewhat of a team leader. Her leadership stems her work ethic and from the example she sets for the rest of the team.

"She's really good at being someone that the other players can look to for day-to-day discipline," Giovanazzi said. "And also somebody that has played in just about every match since she's been here at Michigan and knows what the Big Ten is all about. That's something that her and Sarah (Jackson) have in common and are able to offer to the rest of the team."

Since her freshman year, Mendoza has bettered multiple aspects of her physical and mental game. She knows what is needed to improve and to play to the best of her abilities.

"I'm very competitive, and I think I've worked really hard," Mendoza said. "I've worked really hard for the last four years. I've always loved playing volleyball, but I've learned it takes a lot more work outside the gym to get good."

In addition to her development as a player, Mendoza has developed as a person. When she first started at the college level, Mendoza's competitive spirit sometimes served as a detriment, rather than a motivator.

"She doesn't just react to the situation on the court as much now," Giovanazzi said. "She's able to step away, analyze it a little bit and counter it with something strategic, intelligent. She's a pretty emotional person. She's able now to hold that in check, while she does a good job of making some strategic changes."

Off to such a strong start and competing in her last season, Mendoza is playing her heart out every day.

"I just want to play like every match is my last," Mendoza said. "It seems kind of corny to say that, but I really feel like it more this year than ever because it is my last year. It could be taken away from me just like that. ... At this point in my career, I'm a senior, and I've worked four years.

"It's not so much I want to get better at setting a certain set, because that time has kind of passed for me. It's more of a working hard from a team aspect. I've got to do other things better to make this team better, as maybe being a leader, a senior or a friend."

JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Senior setter Linnea Mendoza, who holds Michigan's all-time assist record with 3,662, enjoys playing on the sand in the summer in her native California.

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