Since 2001, a Wesleyan volleyball player has led the NESCAC in at least one statistical category every season except 2003. However, no Wesleyan freshman ever led the NESCAC in any category until 2006, when freshman setter Ellie Healy ’10 burst onto the scene with 1024 assists in 90 games for a NESCAC-leading 11.38 average. Healy is currently on pace to lead the NESCAC in assists again, as she leads the conference with 11.44 assists per game in 2007.

It is quite uncommon for a freshman to have an immediate impact on a college team, let alone lead the NESCAC in any category. For every Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, there are hundreds of highly touted recruits who spend more time on the bench their first month in college than in four years on the high-school varsity. In addition to the obvious physical demands, college newcomers must attempt to adjust to a completely new system and fit in seamlessly among a group of players who have been competing together for as many as three years. This difference is magnified in volleyball, a sport that places a premium on flawless team play rather than one individual standout. Healy, however, recorded 28 of the team’s 34 assists in her first collegiate game and has continued to improve since.

“I think the team made it really easy for me to [adjust] and [made me feel] really comfortable right away,” Healy said. “They just made the transition super easy, and they worked hard to my job wasn’t that hard.”

Healy arrived at Wesleyan with a volleyball background predating middle school. Healy, who hails from Manhattan Beach, California, also has extensive experience with beach volleyball.

“I started playing club [volleyball] in fifth grade, and then played in school in high school,” she said. “It’s definitely the ultimate sport; you have to depend on each other. I really like that it’s a team sport, and I really like that it’s fast-paced. I grew up playing it; I love the sport, [and] I love the competitive aspect. The one thing I really miss about other sports is contact, which is one thing you can’t get with volleyball, but that’s okay!”

The setter is an integral part of a team’s offense. Strong play by the setter almost always translates to high kill totals and a more effective offense; similarly, poor play by the setter can be devastating to a team’s offense. This year, four of the top five teams in hitting percentage are also in the top five in assists. Despite the importance of her position, however, Healy does not feel any individual pressure to perform.

“It’s really important, because I do touch the ball [virtually] every play, but the only pressure I feel is to make my teammates better and set the ball up for them,” Healy said. “I feel like I have the ability to control a lot of what goes on, and I like it a lot as a competitor, as an athlete.”

Little Three games against Amherst and Williams are often the highlight of a Wesleyan team’s schedule, and volleyball is no exception. Healy noted that the atmosphere at Amherst always adds to the excitement of the match.

“I’m really excited to play Amherst this weekend,” Healy said, adding that Amherst is both her favorite and least favorite road venue. “Their fans are really loud and they’re really obnoxious. It’s fun to play there if you win, but also, the fans heckle you a lot, so it’s fun to go there and prove them wrong.”

Additionally, when asked which matches she is most proud of, Healy named a trio of matches against the Lord Jeffs.

“From this year, it would definitely be when we played Amherst in the Wesleyan Invitational,” Healy said. “It was a great win, and it felt really nice to do it in front of our crowd, on our court. It was the most solidly we’ve played in a while. Last year, the weekend when we played Tufts and Amherst was…amazing, and, also, the [NESCAC] semifinals against Amherst. Even though we lost, it was still a really great game. The games that we’ve played against Amherst were fun [and] really competitive.”

Healy is currently on pace to lead the NESCAC in assists per game for the second consecutive year; additionally, outside hitter Lisa Drennan ’09 is leading the conference in kills per game after finishing first in that category in 2006, underscoring Healy’s importance. Healy has amassed 1962 assists during her career, putting her within striking distance of the Wesleyan record held by Christina Fucci ’02. Of course, the more matches Wesleyan plays, the more assists Healy will be able to pile up. Healy believes that the team’s talent will keep it playing well into November in the coming years.

“The seniors this year will be a huge loss for us, but I’m really excited,” said Healy. “Next year will be really fun, too; other teams will lose players, and we’ll still have Lisa; she’ll be in her senior year…[We’re losing] a lot of height, so what we lose in height we’ll have to make up for in other areas. It’s definitely a big loss, but I’m excited for next year. Different people will get to play, and different positions will be tested, so it’ll be really fun.”