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Friday, September 22, 2000
Lima specializes When Veronica Lima was growing up in Belo Horizonte, a bustling Brazilian city of 2.5 million people, she learned something about self-reliance on the volleyball court.
in everything
for Wahine
The versatile junior from
Brazil is a force at any position
for the UH women's volleyball teamBy Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin"I started playing when I was 12, and we had to play all six rotations," Lima said.
"There was not a setter. Every player would attack, hit on the left, hit on the right, set in the middle and play all three rotations in the back row."
Lima recalled that back then she and her teammates weren't even strong enough to spike the ball. And they certainly didn't have much in the way of setting skills.
"So we just had to do everything," she said. "I'm used to that. I love that."
The 6-foot-2 Brazilian is a third-year starter at middle blocker who plays all six rotations during University of Hawaii women's volleyball matches, in case you hadn't noticed.
It's rare in U.S. college volleyball for someone at her position to do that.
Most players today are specialists.
"Veronica impressed me because usually middle blockers never pass the ball, never play defense," said 6-2 freshman middle blocker, Maja Gustin, who comes out six or eight times a game.
"And then I came here and I saw her and she's one of the best passers on our team. And she can play defense. And she can do everything."
To Lima, playing all rotations does not make her special. It makes her a volleyball player.
"The game is not just one or two skills," she said. "We have skills and I love to perform all of them.
"I am missing the setter position. No coach ever let me set and I think I would love to be a setter.
"I love being involved."
Lima, who turned 23 in April, is the oldest Wahine and has a wealth of worldly experience in the sport.
She was a member of Brazil's under-17 Junior National Team, leading that team to the South American championship and winning the MVP trophy. In 1995, she competed at the Pan American Games and the World University Games.
Playing internationally under the old six-substitution rule, she was able to come out only once every match. So, when she arrived at the Manoa campus, Lima wasn't expecting the luxuries of multiple-substitution NCAA volleyball.
"Here, we never run out of substitutions, but I never had the option (before coming to the U.S.) and that's why I have more skills," Lima said.
"The last player we had like Veronica who was just as good in the back row as the front row was Angelica Ljungquist," said Wahine head coach Dave Shoji.
"Angelica never came out and I don't think Veronica has ever come out of the back row. Veronica's a very solid volleyball player. She doesn't fit the mold of the big middle blocker having to come out for defense.
"In fact, she anchors our defense. That is rare for the middle blocker to be the main passer and a very outstanding defensive player as well."
Named to the All-Western Athletic Conference second team last season, Lima appears to have moved strongly into contention for a first-team berth this season.
She tops the WAC in hitting percentage this year (.377), is second in blocking (1.27 bpg) and digs (2.58 dpg), and she's fourth in kills (2.96 kpg).
She's had double-doubles (kills-digs) against Oregon and UC-Santa Barbara.
Lima's career high in digs was a mighty 20 against USC on Sept. 10, 1999.
"She came here pretty accomplished as a volleyball player," Shoji said.
"Brazil has very good volleyball. And just because you're big doesn't mean you come out. Too many times in our country if you're a big player, even at an early age, you come out and a smaller player goes in for you."
Lima couldn't agree more, and she doesn't think girls in the U.S. should be taught specialization early in their athletic lives.
"Making players play all six rotations helps them to mature their skills," she said. "They learn to be volleyball players before they specialize in anything. They specialize too early in the U.S. Girls 11, 12 years old, they are already setters, middle blockers. But they can barely set the ball or pass the ball. They don't have the skills."
In America, many female athletes are tempted to divert their athletic skills to soccer, but Lima never had that problem.
You might have expected she would, especially in a nation where soccer is almost a religion.
But Lima explained that it was not considered a sport for females when she was growing up.
"There was some prejudice about it," she said. "We always said girls can not play soccer. In our volleyball warmups though we would play some soccer and it was terrible. We were always kicking each other. Now they are letting girls play and giving some emphasis to it. We have a national team that is pretty good. But still guys have priority."
Lima is contemplating a career in physical therapy or training but she said she won't get volleyball out of her system for a long time.
That's why she's thinking of the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
"In 2004, I will be 27, and they say the prime age for volleyball players is 25 to 28," Lima said. "You never know. I love the game and I try to strive for the best. I'm not satisfied with little."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii