Megan Discovers Big Time : Mira Costa Volleyball Star Relishes USC Role

Megan McCallister likes to think of herself as a sponge. No, she doesn’t constantly borrow money from her friends or wash cars. But she tries to absorb knowledge.

When the two-time high school All-American from Manhattan Beach entered USC on a volleyball scholarship this fall she discovered that all the honors and state championships were in the past. McCallister had to learn a new game and almost start from the beginning.

It was walk, don’t run. And McCallister put her best foot forward.

“I’ve had to learn technique and how to do things right,” McCallister said. “I used to just go out and play. But you have to have the correct form. You can’t just bash the ball and you can’t just serve over the net. You can’t rely on your natural ability in college because everybody is a good athlete. I knew I was going to have to sit and wait and learn.”

McCallister, who led Mira Costa High to the state championship in 1985 and the state final in 1986, has had difficulty adjusting to the advanced pace of college volleyball. As a middle blocker she is responsible for stopping opponents at the net. It is volleyball’s equivalent of the demilitarized zone, and she is the first line of defense--and sometimes luckily not the last.

“I couldn’t get to anything,” she said. “It’s so much faster in college. I was lost. I would just stand there in the middle and jump and hope one of my limbs hit something. After a while I was able to speed up. I was able to read the setter, watch my hitters, follow the middle blocker and get to the outside.

“And as soon as I got that, then it was passing and defense.”

The 6-0 blonde seems unsatisfied and unimpressed with her long list of accomplishments. As a sophomore she was named to the California Interscholastic Federation’s 5-A first team. In her junior year she led Mira Costa to the CIF 5-A title and the state championship, earning first-team honors at both events, and was named to the All-American team. And in her final season she was the CIF 5-A player of the year, state player of the year, All-American and Reebok/Volleyball Monthly player of the year.

“Megan has always had a strong desire to achieve,” her mother Linda said. “She’s a real goal setter. She visualizes success and always seemed to be ready for the next step that comes along.”

In her first season at USC she had a .398 hitting percentage, the best in the Pacific-10 and ninth nationally. She finished with 153 kills, 137 digs, 92 blocks, 23 solo blocks and was named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team. But she experienced her first game as a Trojan from the bench.

“It took her a while to put things together,” Coach Chuck Erbe said. “I see improvement in her everyday. From the start I told her it was important to be patient with herself. When we were in Washington she finally played with confidence. She got into position on defense and figured out her blocking responsibilities.”

USC (18-10), which has no seniors, has rebounded from an injury-plagued 2-32 season. The Trojans finished third in the conference behind Stanford and UCLA and made it into the NCAA Western Regional.

USC has won three NAIA and one NCAA championship, all under Erbe. He has coached 12 collegiate All-Americans and eight Olympians.

The last figure is most important to McCallister.

“I can’t imagine a greater feeling than walking into an Olympic arena with USA on your back,” McCallister said. “That’s my goal. I’m going to do everything I can to build my ability and reach my potential. It will take a lot of work but I’m going to have to learn and learn and learn.

“That’s what gets you through tough workouts. You’re dying in a drill and then you think ‘this is all worth it.’ ”

USC’s surprising play this season could indicate a return to Trojan dominance. Erbe recruited some of the nation’s top freshmen, including 6-2 hitter Lonise Norfleet, 5-7 setter Missy Kurt and 5-9 hitter Antoinette White. Four sophomores and four juniors, including Nancy Hillman, the Pac-10’s best defensive player, will return next season.

Which was one reason McCallister passed up offers to Stanford and UCLA. The second was the strength of the USC school of business. And her parents attended USC, a fact that initially worked against the Trojans.

“Since Megan was 7 she has gone to USC football games,” Linda McCallister said. “But when it came time to choose a college, it was very difficult for her.

“She’s dedicated to doing the very best wherever she is.”

Said McCallister: “In terms of volleyball, I saw the future here. We have a building program. At Stanford they had a lot of older players. I just felt that there would be more wins for me here.”

Erbe’s counting on it.

“When the season started I was impressed by her competitive attitude,” Erbe said. “To play at the top Division I level, Megan had a tremendous amount to learn. There were more fundamentals, footwork, and she was learning a whole new system. But one of the greatest things about Megan is her teamwork. She is intense and intelligent.”

And smart enough to know what is expected of her. Being the all-everything player of the year had its perks and pitfalls, a situation that McCallister became increasingly dissatisfied with.

“When you are named player of the year people expect you to play flawlessly whenever you take the court,” she said. “Nobody can play perfect all the time. I’m going to get blocked and I’m going to miss a serve. I put a lot of pressure on myself in high school but I learned from it. I learned not to do that because you can go crazy.”

The transition from high school to college athlete has been made even easier by the low expectations placed on USC this season. The Trojans’ two victories over UCLA were termed upsets, and any wins in the NCAA tournament will be in addition to a successful season.

“We are rebuilding and our victories are in a way a surprise because we are such a young team,” McCallister said. “In the past, USC volleyball has had so many national championships. Things are starting to glue and mesh. And we’re going to be together for a while.”

So far, McCallister has enjoyed working with Erbe.

“He’s our coach and we’re his players,” she said. “When we win this program wins, and that means that everybody is doing the job. All I know is that I’ve learned an awful lot from that man and I only intend to learn more.”