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For someone who lists sleeping as a hobby, the anxiety of trying to save a volleyball from hitting the floor on her side of the net amid the shrill of panicked screams might seem unbearable.
But for Michelle Edwards, a freshman who has already earned a starting position and loads of playing time on Metroâs volleyball team, diving for the ball while managing to get at least a finger between it and the floor is a burden she is quite comfortable with.
It is only when she is asked to speak about her performance that Edwards seems uncomfortable near a volleyball court.
She manages to get her points across with the press in a way she rarely does on the court ÷ with a soft, brief touch.
ãIâm giving nothing but one-word answers,ä she said, smiling and recognizing more was hoped for. ãIâm not happy with the way I played.ä
She is referring to her performance in Metroâs first-round match against the No. 12-ranked University of California at Riverside in the Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 6. Metro lost 15-17, 15-10, 4-15, 6-15.
Edwards totaled 14 kills, 13 digs and one ace in the match ÷ and sheâs not satisfied.
Her coach, Joan McDermott, looks at it differently.
ãShe is really hard on herself,ä McDermott said. ãShe hates to lose. I was telling the team, ÎYou canât expect Michelle to make every play for us.â ä
While Edwards might not have been making every play, she was making plenty of them, including one when a spike traveling at warp speed nailed her squarely on the cheek.
She played the remainder of the match looking like she had left half of her face in the sun for too long.
Edwards sticks out as a surprising talent even when her face is not glowing.
With her long socks pulled up under her kneepads ÷ she is the only Metro player to wear them that way ÷ she led the Roadrunners to a shocking victory over No. 4-ranked Augustana just an hour after the match she thinks she played poorly in.
Improving on her previous performance, Edwards totaled 25 kills, four aces and 15 digs.
Perfectionists are rarely satisfied. Metro opponents, however, might shudder to think of the ramifications of a performance Edwards deems solid.
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