When a sports fan thinks volleyball, what usually comes to mind are booming spikes and powerful serves. What often sets up those scoring opportunities, however, is a quick and solid defense.
On the UB volleyball team, Lizaiha Garcia is that vital defensive component.
In fact, Garcia is so good at what she does that she has earned the nickname "The Grave Digger," for all the clutch defensive digs she has at the libero position that sets the table for the offense.
The Grave Digger may seem like an abrasive title for a young woman, but anyone that has witnessed her play knows it's a title she has earned. The tenacity she shows on the court by the way she buries opponents with digs game in and game out has earned Garcia her unique nickname.
"It's my job to make great digs, keep the play alive and control the backcourt," Garcia said.
When a defensive player reacts to the opposing team's spike by getting to the ball and hitting it underhand, thus stopping the ball from reaching the court, they earn a dig. While moving quickly to the ball to keep it in play is hard enough, the defender is also faced with the challenge of accurately passing the ball to her teammates, who are already in position to set up a spike and send the ball back over the net.
Garcia is the one player on the Bulls that holds the title of libero, and is responsible for captaining the backcourt. The libero is subject to special rules. Garcia wears a different colored jersey than the rest of her teammates and is permitted to substitute in and out of the match at any time. A libero may only play the back line of the formation, thus defining the team's defense.
Garcia, a 5-foot 4-inch defensive machine, hails from Dayton, Ohio. She attended Beaver Creek High School where she racked up extensive volleyball credentials. Her accomplishments include being a three-time captain, being named Best Defensive Player all four years, earning Best Server award as a junior and senior, as well as a first-team All-Conference, All-District and All-Area selection.
Garcia was also a senior All-Star in 2003, a first-team All-Conference and a second-team All-District selection as a junior in 2002. To top it all off, Garcia played on the Dayton junior's club team for seven years where she qualified for Nationals four straight times and finished tied for fifth in the country in 2003.
As lucrative as all that is, Garcia also touts some pretty impressive statistics in her freshman season as a Bull. In 2004, she finished with a team-leading 407 digs, tying her for seventh all-time in UB women's volleyball history. Her 3.88 digs per game ranked her eleventh in the Mid-American Conference and third all-time in UB volleyball history. Garcia also accumulated double digits in digs in 23 matches, and had 20 or more digs on seven different occasions.
Aside from being an outstanding athlete, Garcia has a great deal of stamina. She is one of only three UB players to compete in all 105 games last season. She had a season-high 30 digs in a four-game loss at Eastern Michigan, the most digs recorded by a UB player since 1999.
No player can become this good overnight. It takes years of practice and enthusiasm to reach this competitive level of play.
"I was on my first volleyball team at the age of 10," Garcia said. "My father and uncle have always played, so I've really been playing with a volleyball since I was a baby."
Garcia had the opportunity to play at several different universities. Luckily for UB, she had a recruiting trip where she met the players already at the school, which made her decide to stay.
"I love it here," Garcia said. "The campus atmosphere is great and my teammates are like my sisters."
When Garcia isn't tearing it up on the volleyball court, she enjoys many of the same things that most 19-year-old college students do.
"I like to listen to music, spend time with my boyfriend, relax and go shopping," Garcia said.
While characterizing herself as hardworking on the court, Garcia also puts the same effort into the classroom as she works on her degree in early childhood education.
"I'm intense, I try to lead by example and play with lots of heart," Garcia said.
As for the rest of the Bulls' season, Garcia remains confident.
"I think we're going to kick some butt," she said. "As long as we believe we can do it, we can do it."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
