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On a volleyball court brimming with present and potential All-Americans, Grace Egan arguably was the most impactful player in Sunday's match between the University of Wisconsin and now No. 2 Texas at the Kohl Center.
Egan, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Ohio State, certainly was the bright spot for the No. 8 Badgers in an otherwise gloomy loss to the Longhorns in a sweep. Egan led all attackers with 16 kills, hitting .263, and contributed 12 digs and three blocks, all while playing an unfamiliar position.
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It was a stark turnaround for Egan, who two nights earlier had just three kills and was pulled from the lineup midway through the third set in a five-set victory over Kansas.
No one appreciated the way she bounced back more than coach Kelly Sheffield.
"You saw how she responded against Texas," Sheffield said. "The loss was disappointing, but the stronger feeling I had leaving that match, believe it or not, wasn't the loss. The stronger feeling for me was how Grace Egan responded.
"She played like a beast. For her to bounce back and go into that next match, when you're looking forward and projecting forward into the season, that is so important how she responded. It was awesome."
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Egan said she used some game film and a conversation with Sheffield to help fuel her reversal of fortune.
"I'm such a competitive player that as I watched it, I was thinking what can I do better?" she said. "Friday after the game, I just knew that I was almost not playing as myself. I talked to Kelly about it and he was like, just play who you are because you're cold blooded out there. Just bring the competitor out in you.
"I think that's what I did, and I feel like I need to bring that all of the time. It just comes with being open and knowing I need to watch myself. I know what I need to do, and I just need to achieve it every time. It's a mental switch that I need to turn on."
Those first two matches were something of a microcosm of Egan's time with the Badgers. Egan, a native of Sterling, Illinois, committed to the Badgers last December just as they were preparing for their NCAA Sweet 16 match against Texas A&M, following a somewhat messy process in which she first committed to Louisville, only to change her mind when she learned that Sheffield was seriously interested in her.
There was good reason for that interest, considering that the Badgers got to witness Egan's best career performance when she put down 22 kills in a five-set loss to Wisconsin at the Field House in late November. And there figured to be a good opportunity for Egan to step into a major role with both of the Badgers' outside hitters, Sarah Franklin and Julia Orzol, finishing their careers.
But an underwhelming spring performance cast some doubts over her prospects. She saw limited playing time in the Badgers' four spring matches.
That led to a heart-to-heart talk with Sheffield.
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"I told her at the end of the spring that I didn't think we were getting the player I thought we were getting," he said. "She said that she wanted to go to a different program to play at a higher level, but I felt like the concentration and work ethic ... if you're going to say that you're going to go somewhere in order to compete at a higher level and work harder, then you've got to be part of that equation. I didn't think she was. I thought she came here in the spring and just was more interested in just fitting in."
That proved to be just the wake up call that Egan needed.
"Coming in, I had to realize I had to put in way more work than I was," she said. "My teammates were putting in more work than me, and that's just reality. I had to take that and I had to be hungry and get in the gym more, just working on myself more and being open to film sessions and learning.
"I think I was overwhelmed about how much learning is going to come from this, the technique, everything. I just learned a ton. I kind of switched to where I just need to win the day, not just in volleyball, but what I'm doing outside of volleyball. That's also that mental switch, and I think I kicked it into gear pretty fast."
While she was humbled, she also felt her self image boosted by that conversation.
"We talked at the end of spring and he said I have so much potential and I need to realize I have so much potential and I need to let that come out and realize how good of a player I can be," she said. "I've never been told that, honestly. To hear that he has that belief in me, I was like, I'm going to let you trust me and put it all out there."
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Invigorated, she poured herself into the summer workouts and was a revelation during the first weeks of preseason training.
"She got in the preseason and I think we all saw a different Grace Egan," Sheffield said. "It was awesome. The work ethic, the seriousness. There's a light-heartedness to her that's a lot of fun, but she backed it up with work. She had a great preseason.
"Then the season opening match I think she said after the match, 'Hey, I was just trying to be a supportive teammate.' I went, 'I think that comes naturally. Why don't you go over there and take a match over? Show some strength and you're capable of being an aircraft carrier for us.' She's got the quickest arm I've ever seen."
With fellow transfer Mimi Colyer locked in at one of the outside spots and sophomore Una Vajagic also earning playing time, the decision was made to move Egan to the right side, where the knee injury to transfer Grace Lopez in the spring had left a void.
"Honestly, I've never played on the right side before," Egan said. "But there's a lot of, 'You've never done this before' in volleyball. But you just trust the coaches and trust that they have faith in you and believe in you to try it out and just give my all to it. I trust them so much, and I know they can make me the best player I can be. Put me anywhere."
Another of those "never done it before" things is the topspin jump serve. Where others, like Franklin and Orzol, came into the program as topspin servers, they quickly were converted to using the float serve. But the process was the opposite for Egan.
"This spring is the first time I ever tried it out," she said. "Kelly just walked up and said, 'Have you ever tried a spin serve?' I'm like, no. But it's basically like a back row attack. I've practiced tossing it up and hitting, just like in drills. But I never tried it before.
"It's fun. It was tough in the spring mentally. It's pretty hard to just go back there and give it your all. But I just took it as a challenge in the summer, like how much can I get in shape because it takes a lot on your body, so I just pushed myself, pushed myself, pushed myself in the summer so the fall would be easy."
Of course, Egan has come to appreciate things are not going to be easy as she earns her way in a more demanding program. But she's quick to remind herself that is just what she was looking for.
"I didn't want easy," she said. "It's not elite. It's just getting through hard things, being willing to go through hard practices, hard film sessions, just willing to do it. Not taking the easy route out and just avoiding things. Here, you're not avoiding anything. You're going back and you're going to fix it. It's really competitive, and that's what's different."
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Every day is a learning experience for Egan. That's especially true with serve receive, where she works extra each day with the other passers and studies film with associate head coach Brittany Dildine.
"Coming in, I didn't even know there was this much into the techniques," she said. "Watching film with Brittany, she's like, 'Your left foot is too far in front.' Really honing in on it has been really cool. I've really learned a lot.
"For me, it's about learning the techniques and being willing to fail before I get perfect at it. I have to trust the process, and I do, really. I'm excited to see how much better I can get.
"The main goal in coming here was to make a name for myself and show what I have. I feel like that's starting to become a real thing."
Photos: Wisconsin volleyball falls in three to Texas in Opening Spike Classic Be the first to know
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