Volleyball's 25: Nina Foster
Saturday, August 9, 2008 | Volleyball
By: Sean Cartell
UF Communications
Editor's Note: This is the sixth 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 had been her father's dream to attend the University of Alabama. And following his death, former Florida volleyball player Nina Foster (1996-97) tried to live that out for her dad. But it was as a Gator that Foster realized her own dreams en route to becoming the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.
Foster grew up in Mission Viejo, Calif., where she was a Mizuno and Nike high school All-America selection. She ranked among the top 25 high school volleyball players in the nation by Volleyball Monthly. Foster, who also competed in basketball and track & field, had been named her school's Most Valuable Player in each of her last three seasons.
Foster's father, Clayton, had grown up in Alabama and had always wanted to attend the state's university. But, at the time, the school did not admit African-Americans. Nothing could keep Clayton Foster from loving the Crimson Tide, but with the option of attending school at Alabama out of the question, he chose to go to Stillman College, also in Tuscaloosa.
When Foster was growing up, she heard tales of Alabama, its campus and the town of Tuscaloosa. In fact, she had heard so much about it that she decided she wanted to attend Alabama to play volleyball for the Crimson Tide, even though her talent had drawn attention from recruiters across the country.
“I was raised on Alabama,” Foster told Paul Jenkins of the Gainesville Sun in an Oct. 4, 1996 article. “My day was Alabama born and raised and he was definitely pro-Alabama. Once I went to Tuscaloosa, I knew what he was talking about and I knew that was where I wanted to go to school.”
Clayton Foster had plans to move back to his home state to be with his daughter as she began her collegiate playing career. He had longed to return home and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
But, before Foster could lace up her shoes and take the court for her father's beloved Crimson Tide, Clayton Foster died of a stroke at age 39. Her coach at Alabama, Dorothy Franco-Reed, had promised Foster's father that she would take care of his daughter.
“Mr. Foster,” Franco-Reed recalled telling Foster's father in a Nov. 7, 1996 article of the Florida Alligator. “When Nina comes to Alabama, I don't want you to ever, ever worry about her. I'll make sure we take good care of her. I give you my word on that.”
Franco-Reed and her husband, an assistant on the Alabama staff at the time, looked after Foster as she prospered during her freshman season. Foster led the nation in blocks as a rookie with 1.90 rejections per game. She posted five of the 10-best kill performances in the country in 1994, including a career-high 43 put-downs in a road match at Arkansas. Foster was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year that season and was a first-team All-SEC selection. She also ranked second nationally in kills with 6.0 put-downs per game her freshman season.
“The loss of her dad … she made sure it affected her in a positive way,” Franco-Reed said. “It was like she was out to play for her dad and his spirit was right there with her.”
Foster excelled on the court and had made a number of friends during her first year in Tuscaloosa, but there were times when nothing could take the place of having a family. Foster had nowhere to go on the holidays, no real home to return to.
“Christmas holidays or some other holiday, where was Nina going to go?” Franco-Reed recalled to Alligator writer Seth Soffian. “It wasn't like she could jump on a plane and fly home. We just wanted to try and help fill that void.”
But, as Soffian wrote, “NCAA rules prohibit coaches from providing any form of assistance to their players.”
Franco-Reed and her husband Tom offered to become Foster's legal guardians in January of 1995. Foster graciously accepted.
“We couldn't even take Nina out for a sandwich or let her stay over at our home because it's considered an extra perk,” Franco-Reed said. “We wanted to help her out with things like health insurance and auto insurance that you rely on your family for.”
That summer, Foster was chosen as a member of the U.S. National “B” Team, which competed at the 1995 World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan. The coach of that team was Mary Wise. Her team won the silver medal at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival and Foster returned back to Tuscaloosa for her sophomore season.
That year, she became the Crimson Tide's first All-American by earning Volleyball Magazine All-America honorable mention honors. She led the SEC and ranked seventh nationally in kills per game (5.45) her sophomore campaign. She was chosen as the AVCA National Player of the Week in 1995 and was an All-SEC first-team selection.
Alabama finished that season 24-10, but posted a losing record (7-8) in conference play. Franco-Reed was let go at the conclusion of the season and Foster decided she no longer wanted to play for the Crimson Tide.
Foster's mark on the Alabama program is still evident today, as she still ranks second all-time for block solos (115), second in block assists (240) and sixth in kills (1,289). She holds the school record for the highest career hitting percentage of all-time (.340).
Foster was again looking for a place to call home when she remembered the experience she had playing for Wise in the World University Games.
“It was a hard decision to make,” Foster told Jenkins of the Gainesville Sun. “But I felt like it would be a great opportunity to come here and get to play against teams like Hawaii, UCLA and Texas, and play with a group of elite athletes.”
A July 24, 1996 press release by Mary Wagner of the Florida Sports Information Office announced Foster's transfer, saying “Foster is considered one of the best middle blockers in the country and was the youngest player selected for the U.S. National 'B' team coached by Wise.”
“Having Nina Foster immediately puts us at another level,” Wise said in the press release. “With all the injuries we've had at the middle blocker position, we've finally received some good luck. One of the highlights of the World University Games team experience was coaching Nina. Besides being an elite level athlete, Nina has great work habits. She'll be a great addition to the '96 team.”
Foster would be adjusting to a new role with the Gators. When she played at Alabama, she was the team's star. The team's only star. Joining a collection of talented athletes meant that Foster wouldn't have to make every play and be responsible for every win.
“With Jenny Wood and Julie Stanhope playing the way they are, she doesn't have to put up the huge numbers for us to be successful,” Wise said. “But she also hasn't maxed out with her offensive ability.”
The Gators dropped their first match of the 1996 season to Hawaii before running off 37 consecutive wins that propelled Florida to the SEC Tournament Title and a berth in the NCAA Final Four. Foster was named a Volleyball Magazine second-team All-American and was named to the All-SEC first team for the third consecutive year.
Foster recorded double-digit kills in each of the team's four NCAA Tournament matches for a total of 61 kills and 15 blocks. She hit a combined .677 in the team's postseason matches. In the Central Region semifinal against Ohio State, she recorded a UF career-high 22 kills. Foster had double-digit kills in 20 matches, including 12 of the last 17 matches of the season.
Foster wasn't the leader of the 1996 team, but during Florida's summer trip to Europe, her leadership qualities began to emerge.
“Last season, she did not want to lead this team,” Wise told Pat Dooley in a Gainesville Sun column entitled Foster is UF's best souvenir. “She wouldn't have felt comfortable. There were times when we wanted her to step up, but it didn't happen. We saw it in Europe and we see it now.
“From the first day, she did not want to leave the team,” Wise told Daryl Presgraves of the Alligator. “She shied away, in fact, at times when we needed her to take a bigger role. I think she's happy now though.”
Foster's new-found leadership abilities were never better on display than in an Aug. 31 match against No. 3 Nebraska at the O'Connell Center. Foster, in front of 4,063 fans, led the team with 25 kills on .323 hitting in a 13-15, 15-12, 15-11, 7-15, 15-7 win against the Cornhuskers.
“I'm not sure we didn't win this in Europe,” Wise told Dooley. “She was the go-to player over there, so I expected to happen.”
Foster, who had spent much of the previous years trying to find a home, now felt at home on the 1997 Florida volleyball team.
“I really feel comfortable with this team,” Foster told the Gainesville Sun. “I have such respect for them. Europe had a lot to do with it. I got to know people and they got to know me.”
Foster was named the AVCA National Player of the Week for her performance, making her just the second Gator in school history to earn the honor.
“This was Nina's turn to step up and she responded to the challenge,” Wise said in a press release. “We knew after spring training that she was going to have a great senior season.”
Foster was a first-team AVCA All-America selection and the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Central Regional her senior season. She was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, making her just the second player in league history to receive both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors in her career. Foster also was named to the All-SEC team for the fourth consecutive season.
Foster led the SEC and ranked second in the country in hitting percentage (.416), while also leading the league and finishing 10th in the NCAA in blocks per game (1.56). She was sixth in the league in kills per game (4.18). Foster posted double-digit kills and at least five blocks in each of the team's four NCAA Tournament matches.
The Gators breezed through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, sweeping both South Florida and Washington State. That would set up a meeting with host Wisconsin on the Badgers' home floor in Madison, Wisc.
At intermission on Florida's match with Wisconsin, it looked like Foster's career was going to come to a close without a second trip to the Final Four. The Gators had lost to the Badgers 15-8 and 16-14 heading into the locker room.
That's when Foster took over.
Foster finished with 22 kills and 10 blocks, hitting a match-high .514 to help Florida rally from a two-game deficit and punch its ticket to the NCAA Final Four. Foster was 5-of-5 hitting in the fourth game and 4-of-7 in game five.
“In game five, she came up huge, coming down on those tight balls, making the clean block,” Wise told Doris Yon of the Gainesville Sun in a Dec. 15, 1997 article. “Those were two critical things for us.”
What a year a difference had made, as the player who shied away from the opportunity to lead her team now put the team on her back.
“She's a great player,” Wisconsin middle blocker Heather Dodaro said of her counterpart. “She played very well and we didn't play up to her standards.”
Foster was the focus of a Dec. 17, 1997 article in USA Today previewing the team's national semifinal match with Penn State. The headline read “Foster leads Florida attack.”
“I don't think we would be here without her, but that's true about any one of our starters,” Wise told Dave Reed in the article. “She can take over a match as she did against Wisconsin. How high she plays, how physical she plays, is what sets her apart.”
Foster had come along way from the timid junior transfer.
“This team is packed with talent, so it wasn't easy to transfer to a team like this,” Foster said. “I needed to be sure that I could contribute and be a part of the team's success. We have a lot of faith in Mary and she has faith in us.”
The Gators dropped a three-game match to Penn State in the Final Four, but Foster had found what she was looking for at Florida and the experience would be one that will last a lifetime.
“I think of this team as my family and they all take care of me,” Foster said to the Florida Alligator at the end of her senior season. “I could go down the list and tell you thinks everyone does for me. We all go through things in life that we can't control. If you have someone there to help you out, it just makes things better.”
END OF REPORT
