Aug. 26, 2010
Written By Dan Ryan, www.B-CUathletics.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 26, 2010) – The last place Alexis Bliese thought she'd be this weekend is Ft. Myers playing Division I volleyball.
Things work out, sometimes, and the Bethune-Cookman freshman feels there was some divine intervention that helped bring her to Daytona Beach.
“God definitely planned it out,” said Bliese, who will line up as the team's setter when B-CU faces Florida Gulf Coast at 9 a.m. Friday morning (8/27). “It's a blessing. Every time I touch the ball, I think this is something I wouldn't be doing without His help. Every situation I'm in, I'm thinking `What does God want for me?'”
Everything fell into place for Bliese in June when her travelling team from Bozeman, Montana played in the AAU National Tournament in Orlando.
At that time, Bliese's fate seemed to be staying in Montana, where she was a Class AA first-team All-State setter, while dishing out 442 assists leading Bozeman High to a second-place finish at the state tournament.
Her club coach, Laura Viren, had just been named Head Coach at Bozeman High and Bliese would join her as the Head Coach of the freshman team.
That WAS the plan.
Bozeman's performance at the tournament was a struggle at times, but Bliese was having a strong run at setting. Among those in the stands was Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell, who just happened to need another setter.
Cogswell caught up with Viren on the second day of the tournament and couldn't believe that a quality setter like Bliese was still unsigned. On the third day, Cogswell and Bliese met began setting up a visit to the B-CU campus.
“This kind of situation does not happen very often, if it does at all,” Cogswell said. “To find a setter that late in the recruiting is amazing; even a miracle.”
Bliese found everything she wanted from Bethune-Cookman.
“It was a perfect fit,” Bliese said. “I've never been around a team that's as close as this one is. I can't wait to start the season. It's an opportunity that's been given to me and I'm going to take as much out of it as possible.”
-Dan Ryan-
