Volleyball's 25: Jane Collymore
Saturday, August 16, 2008 | Volleyball
By: Sean Cartell
UF Communications
Editor's Note: This is the 12th of a 25-part daily series on GatorZone.com honoring the great players in Florida volleyball history (in no particular rank or order) leading up to the start of the 25th season since Gator volleyball was reinstated as a varsity sport prior to the 1984 campaign.
It didn't take long before former Florida volleyball player Jane Collymore (2002-05) started causing head coach Mary Wise problems. But they weren't the kind of problems you would think of between a coach and a student-athlete.
“We have to spend more time getting Jane to back off than ever having to push her,” Wise told Volleyball Magazine in a feature article on Collymore. “She's a student of the game. She loves to play and she has a great work-ethic. She wants to know what to do to get better and she'll figure it out.”
One of the most talented players in Florida volleyball history and the last to have her jersey number hung in the rafters of the L. Gale Lemerand Center, Collymore's strength was different than many collegiate volleyball players of the time.
She was a two-time Most Valuable Player on her high school varsity squad. She joined Front Range Volleyball Club her sophomore year in high school, a squad which finished fifth at the 2001 Junior Olympics. She captured the 2000 RMR Regional All-Star Award in the Girls' 15 division.
Collymore was a two-time all-conference selection and a member of the 2001 USA Junior National Team. She also was a member of the 2002 USA Junior National Team that won the 2002 USA Junior National 18's Open Championship that placed second at the NORCECA Junior Championship in Puerto Rico.
“It wasn't hard to see her athleticism,” Wise told Gator Bait. “What was evident is that Jane had the physical skills. She came to volleyball relatively late, and what we didn't know is how hard she was going to work. Jane is the player she is because of the talent she has, but the key part is how hard she has worked to get here.
Collymore was a highly touted recruit entering her freshman season with the Gators and Wise knew that she would immediately make an impact in her first season.
“Jane was a starter for the junior national team in the NORCECA Junior Championships and she will amaze the crowd with her jump,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 2002 media guide. “In this group, we have as good a jumping team as we've ever had. We have so many players that can play well above the top of the net, and that is where women's volleyball is progressing. The game is won and lost above the net.”
Playing alongside standout outside hitter Aury Cruz, Collymore saw limited action her freshman season. She also played on the back row that season, demonstrating her defensive prowess in addition to her strong offensive attack. In her collegiate debut, she hit .471 with three service aces against UAB.
Collymore saw action in the majority of the team's matches that season and was invited to participate in the United States A2 program the following summer.
“We knew when we recruited Jane that she had a real high top-end,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 2003 media guide. “We're now seeing the beginnings of it. Few players in the country can get off the floor to that height as quick as Jane does.”
It would have been difficult to be a star on the 2003 edition of the Florida volleyball team, as All-America selections Aury Cruz and Benavia Jenkins returned to the roster. But Collymore wasn't far behind.
“In the history of women's volleyball, the really good teams around the country have been those that feature two great players,” Wise told Andrew Abramson of the Alligator in a Sept. 25, 2003 article.“We thing Jane is a great passer in the making. Her defense, passing, blocking and jump serve is helping us in all aspects.”
Collymore had quickly become a factor in the team's success that season, which would culminate in the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championship match.
“A lot of people didn't know anything about Jane because she didn't play much last year,” Jenkins told the Alligator. “I think she's playing awesome and she's really showing the coaches and us what she's made of. She's stepping up to the plate and she's doing great on the front row and the back row. We have a long season, and as the season keeps going, she's going to get better by each game.”
Collymore finished the season as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection and her hard work paid off as she was named Volleyball Magazine's Most Improved Collegiate Player. She was named an All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection. Collymore had 15 kills, nine digs and four blocks against Southern Cal in the national championship match.
Collymore's improvement and increased role on the team garnered much attention in both the media and the fan base. Unlike most stars, the attention Collymore received wasn't necessarily welcome.
“She's not a spotlight seeker,” Wise told Brandon Zimmerman of the Gainesville Sun. “In Jane Collymore, we know we have one of the top outside hitters in the country with a wicked arm swing and an elite-level jump. As she gains more and more experience, she'll take her game to a whole other level.”
During a photo shoot with the Gainesville Sun that season, Collymore said “I don't know why they're here to take my picture. I'm not that important.”
Collymore had become one of the most explosive outside hitters on the team, but she had remained humble despite her success.
“When you come here, you have to humble yourself because it's a great program,” she told Zimmerman. “I just watched the players who were here, what made them great and they've helped me tremendously.”
Collymore also was able to strike a balance between her playing time and her focus on academics with a love for music and poetry.
“I've always really enjoyed music,” Collymore told Volleyball Magazine. “I played the piano for eight years. I started teaching myself the guitar. When I need to zone out, I go home and pick it up.”
Collymore understood the importance of becoming a well-rounded person and how doing so made her not only a better student-athlete, but also a better person.
“Jane is very happy by herself occupying her time,” Wise said. “It gives her great balance.”
“I think being a student-athlete is pretty underrated,” Collymore said in a Dec. 10, 2005 edition of Gator Bait. “People are expected to excel in both areas. There are a lot of different meetings, practices, extra work and traveling, and you are expected to keep up with your schoolwork. It is difficult, but it is something our coach stresses.”
Collymore seemed to do a pretty good job managing the stress. That season she was an AVCA Third-Team All-America selection and the SEC's Player of the Year. She finished second in the league in kills and service aces and was eighth in digs. Her 604 kills and 5.03 kills per game ranked second on the school's all-time single season list.
Collymore tallied 21 double-doubles that season and was a three-time SEC Player of the Week honoree.
That summer, Collymore played for the United States national team at the both the World Grand Prix and the Pan American Cup. Wise joked that Collymore should earn the “Frequent Flyer Award” after competing in the Dominican Republic, China and Korea during the summer.
“It was amazing,” Collymore told Alligator writer Dan Treat in an Aug. 25, 2005 article. “I just feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to play with the best volleyball players in the world and to see such great and amazing culture while I was at it.
Wise was excited by the opportunity for improvement that playing overseas gave Collymore.
“There's nothing we can do on campus that comes close to equating that,” Wise said. “In the world of volleyball, there aren't the summer leagues that baseball has. I think the analogy would be closer to football. It's hard for football players to get game-like experience in the summer. For our players, it has to happen at the highest levels internationally.”
Collymore and fellow senior and Colorado native Rachel Engel adorned the cover of the team's 2005 media guide and it was clear that Collymore would be the leader of that team.
“Jane has become everything we had hoped she would be when we first started recruiting her,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 2005 media guide. “With her elite-level quickness and jumping ability, she is able to do thing on the court that few college players can. Both she and our team will benefit from her experience this summer with USA Volleyball.”
Collymore praised Wise for helping both her and her teammates improve to reach an elite level heading into the 2005 campaign.
“Obviously, if you look at Florida's volleyball history, you know that without Coach Wise, there is none of this. She made this program from scratch. UF didn't win anything before she came here. Our fate pretty much rests in her hands. She's a very good motivator. She's pretty tuned-in to what everybody's doing.”
Collymore finished the season as an AVCA and Volleyball Magazine First-Team All-America selection and was named the SEC's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She was the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament, recording the final kill in the history of the league tournament, as the conference's coaches voted to suspend the tournament in favor of the double round-robin format that is currently used. She also scored the final kill of her last home match, an NCAA second-round win against Kansas State.
Collymore ended her career ranked second all-time in attacks (4,076), third in aces (176), fourth in kills (1,629) and points (1,944.0), fifth in kills per game (3.79) and eighth in digs (1,131). She led the SEC her final season with 4.57 kills per game and recorded 46 double-doubles during the course of her career.
“Her name is all over the record books, and that is leaving your mark,” Wise told Gator Bait. “We've been fortunate enough to have a legacy of great players. Jane has certainly continued that tradition.”
Not too shabby for a player who didn't like the spotlight.
END OF REPORT
