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St. Cloud State University
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Bartolic holds key to Husky 'D'
By Jay Corn
Published:
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Media Credit: Dan Eslicker
Senior Cara Bartolic, a former St. Cloud Cathedral star, has excelled in her new role as a libero. She is known as the team�s defensive backbone and is a big reason the Huskies are 10-8.
Senior Cara Bartolic tugs and adjusts the brace on her right elbow, a painful reminder of a blow she took to the joint in last week's loss to Augustana.
All one has to do is look around the Halenbeck Hall gym as the volleyball team practices to see the war wounds these athletes carry with them. There are braces and ace bandages on knees, wrists, ankles and on the libero's elbow.
The libero is a rugged defensive position that focuses exclusively on the back row and doesn't serve or really take part in many of the actual kills in a game. Bartolic was moved to libero for the first time in her collegiate career at the beginning of the season.
"It took me a while to get used to the new position, but I absolutely love playing defense," Bartolic said.
Bartolic, a two-time varsity letter winner at St. Cloud Cathedral High School, was named MVP and Best Defensive player her senior year and was also the first volleyball player in the school's history to be named All-State. As if that wasn't enough, she also has earned a superior rate in a state violinist competition.
In her first three seasons at SCSU, Bartolic endured three straight losing seasons, and saw limited action in her sophomore year due to injury. After making the position change, she leads the team in digs this season with 204, and according to assistant coach Lindsay Johnson, is the backbone of the squad's defensive game.
"Cara really provides us with a solid defensive effort that we can rely on every night," Johnson said. "She comes to play every game, and we really just send her out on the floor and let her do her thing."
Bartolic, a statistics major, is almost at the midway point of her final volleyball season, and is thankful to SCSU for guiding her development as a person. She says that college life, volleyball and the university have all had dramatic positive effects on her, making her the soon-to-be graduate that she is today. It has also helped develop some plans for the future.
"Volleyball changed me as a person, and that's a fact," Bartolic said. "I wouldn't be who I am today, and I feel like SCSU gave me a lot to be thankful for. If I could go anywhere in the world to live and work after college, I'd love to go to the Caribbean or Hawaii and start a volleyball program. It'd be really cool to take what I learned here athletically and academically and be able to work with those phenomenal athletes, stay in shape and not have to worry about freezing cold winters."
Bartolic seems to be genuinely happy with the team's performance and progress this year, noting that she's glad she could end her collegiate career with such great teammates and is enjoying the feeling of winning again. Currently sporting a 10-8 record under first-year head coach Patricia Mickow, the team has more wins this year than in Bartolic's first three years combined. Bartolic cited several reasons for the team's turnaround this year.
"Chemistry really is the difference this year," she said. "We all just seem to get along better, and have a lot more fun together on and off the court. We try to get together every Thursday to watch 'Friends' and we just have more fun on a day-to-day basis than at any other time I've been here."
The Huskies currently find themselves in the midst of a week-long layoff from competition. Despite having a full week off, Bartolic insists the team is focused and working hard in preparation for a weekend home stand against North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota.
"As long as we don't get lazy, this break will be good for us," Bartolic said. "It'll give us a chance to heal our injuries and allow us to really work on areas that need attention. Having three games a week wears us out a little sometimes, and as long as we don't get lazy and continue to work hard in practice, the wins will take care of themselves."
Overall, Bartolic is content with the squad and SCSU as a whole. She vehemently states that the team has all the uniforms, equipment and supplies they need. She also added that the squad is really taken care of when they go on the road, and are provided with charter bus, hotel and meals that the university pays for.
However, one can always find something to complain about.
"I just wish that we didn't have to go on the road to Mankato the same day as homecoming," Bartolic said of the scheduling glitch. "Mankato already had their homecoming, and for us to have to go up there and play while everyone else is back here having fun does kind of stink, but there's really nothing we can do about it, and complaining doesn't help things."
The Huskies will host the University of North Dakota Friday and North Dakota State on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall, and Bartolic urged the student body to show their support.
"We really need more fans at women's sporting events and volleyball is no exception," Bartolic said. "The fans we get are great, and it would really benefit all involved if we could get good turnouts at home for the rest of the season."
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