Schneider earns reputation as Braves big hitter

Photo by Matt Smith, Pine Needle Sports Editor
-Sophomore Allie Schneider prepares for a serve in the Braves’ game against local rival Fayetteville State University. Schneider was last season’s PBC Freshman of the Year and is looking to lead the team in 2009.

By Nick Phillips
Asst. Sports Editor
Oct 1, 2009

Allie Schneider began last season as a little known freshman that opposing coaches and players did not know what to expect from.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native ended the season well known to the rest of the Peach Belt Conference, as her play earned her the title of 2008 PBC Freshman of the Year.

In addition to that accolade, Schneider added the honor of being selected to this season’s Peach Belt Conference preseason All-Conference team.

“The coaches in the conference recognized that last year and so did I,” said UNCP head volleyball coach Jeff Billington on Schneider’s PBC Freshman of the Year honor.

“She deserved it. She truly was, hands down, the best freshman in the conference,” he added.

Player of the Year

Schneider sees herself as just another player on the UNCP team and said she was shocked to learn that she was selected as the award’s recipient.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” Schneider said. “I was proud of myself; I’ve never achieved that high of an accomplishment. I was proud.”

Her stats confirm what the Peach Belt Conference saw. The then-freshman led all Lady Braves in kills, finishing the season with 322, which was also good enough for third overall throughout the entire conference.

In a match last season against Lander, she recorded her career-high of 28 kills. She totaled double-digit kills in 15 of the 31 matches she played in last season.

“She came in and the team recognized she was a good player, and she ended up excelling,” Billington said.

Overall, she hit for a .220 hitting percentage while tallying 372.5 points on the year. Schneider’s 3.13 kills per set average was the highest among freshmen and third highest overall in the Peach Belt Conference.

Her 2.95 digs per game ranked her 10th in the conference, while she led the Lady Braves with a total of 36 service aces.

Billington hinted that the best may yet to come with Schneider.

“Allie has yet to reach her true potential in my opinion, and I think she probably feels the same way. We are hoping for the same success she had last year and then some,” he said.

For the team

With all the honors and recognition, and leading the team in several statistical categories, it would be easy for a player to feel nervous or added pressure to perform at the same level or higher.

“I do feel some pressure on me,” said Schneider, “but we have a much more dynamic team this year so that pressure won’t be on me again.”

Even though she jumped right into the team last season and became a leader in statistic categories, Schneider said she doesn’t feel like she is, or has to be, as much of a vocal on the court.

If people recognize her on the court for her leadership, that is fine with her. If not, she is still doing what she knows how to do, and she is still a leader, vocal or not.

Sophomore Schneider looks to lead Braves in 2009 season

“It could go either way. I like to be encouraging to my teammates, but I also like to be that person that steps up and gets the job done.”

When everything is said and done, Schneider values the team over the individual. She is more than happy to sit back and watch her teammates play hard and do well on the court than she is with herself being at the top of the stat sheets after games.

She said she would value a team oriented goal such as winning and a conference championship over an individual honor any day.

“It would be nice if I could have both at the same time,” she joked. “At the end of the day, it would be a lot better for us as a team to have wins and something like a conference championship.”

“Individual success leads to team success,” added Billington. “We have a lot of good players on this team, and Allie’s obviously one of them. We are hoping that it all comes together.”

A perfect season would end with the Lady Braves winning a conference title, Schneider and a host of her teammates making the postseason All-Conference team and Schneider’s stats looking like those she put up last season.

But perfection never happens, so the games will be played and the results fall in place as they may.

Whatever is the case, Schneider and her UNCP teammates will go out there and have fun playing volleyball and do what they do best.