By Division I standards, Taylor Louis and Amanda Green still are in the learning stage of their careers, according to Marquette women’s volleyball coach Ryan Theis.
Both Louis and Green — graduates of Niles North — started playing the sport as freshmen in high school.
“They are relatively late to volleyball,” Theis said. “Both have a good understanding and knowledge of the game, and they have played at high levels. But they have some deficiencies.”
That doesn’t mean Theis is down on the players he recruited from Skokie. It’s quite the contrary.
“Athletically, they will be two of the best on our team and maybe rival some of the best in the Big East,” he said. “We like getting those athletes and teaching them the game. It’s easier to teach great athletes.”
Louis, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, will be a redshirt freshman this season, and the 6-1 Green, also an outside hitter, will be a true freshman. Theis said both of them can reach as high as 10-5, more than three feet higher than the net.
“The ability to play that high above the net is elite,” Theis said.
Despite their athleticism, Louis and Green — varsity teammates for three seasons at Niles North — both admitted they are behind most of the women at the Division I level. Louis said she agreed with Theis’ decision to redshirt her last year.
“I came in like Bambi,” she said. “The players were more advanced, more experienced. I had to clean up my hitting and my defense.”
Green has spent a little more than a month on Marquette’s Milwaukee campus and during that time she’s played against her future teammates in open gyms. She said she’s no longer the dominant player she was in high school.
“There are a lot better players around me, but I enjoy the competition,” she said. “It’s going to make me a better player.”
A year ago, Marquette went 24-9 and 14-4 in conference play. For the fourth consecutive season, the Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament. They lost to Illinois State in the first round.
Theis said he sees Louis as a major contributor when Marquette starts its season Friday, Aug. 28, against North Dakota in Ames, Iowa. That’s because of her play in the spring. Louis led the team in points scored during the short, exhibition-style season.
“My very last game is when it all started to click,” Louis said. “I started seeing things quicker, and I got used to Division I volleyball.”
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