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BEA’s Norman clears 2,000 set assists career mark

BLUE EARTH — As Alissa Norman closed out her junior volleyball season for the Blue Earth Area Bucs, she totaled 642 set assists on the season, surpassing 1,000 career assists midway through the year.

“At the end of last year, she asked, ‘Do you think I can get 2,000?'” Bucs head coach Donna Nawrocki recalled Norman asking her. “I said, ‘I think you should be able to.'”

Norman has been the Bucs’ starting setter since she was a freshman and became the program’s all-time career assists leader this season.

The senior setter hit the mark at 1,509 and upped the ante even more by recording her 2,000th assist on Oct. 12 against Le Sueur-Henderson. She finished the regular season with 2,096 set assists before beginning the playoffs on Thursday.

“I didn’t know if I was overdoing it because I didn’t know if 2,000 was just too much and not possible. Then I knew I was getting closer,” Norman said.

Ironically, when the moment came, she was completely caught off guard. Norman thought she was further away from the 2,000 mark than she actually was, which led her to believe she wouldn’t reach the feat.

Going into the match with Le Sueur-Henderson in Le Sueur, Norman needed only six more assists and when the time came, Nawrocki let her know.

“(Coach Donna Nawrocki) thought that I would get it the night before, but it turns out, I didn’t get enough that night, so it was the next night,” Norman said. “When we got into the huddle (the next night), she told me and I started crying. I was surprised because that was one of my goals.”

Nawrocki also presented Norman with a poster, congratulating the senior on her achievement. Reaching the milestone was somewhat bittersweet as the Bucs ended up getting swept by the Giants. Five days later, the Bucs were back at home and Norman was presented with a celebratory volleyball.

Norman recalled feeling anxious and lacking confidence as a freshman setter. The more matches she played and the more the Bucs won, however, the confidence came. She also had help from Kelly Gabel, who was an assistant coach for the Bucs at the time and a former setter.

“She helped take (Alissa) under her wing and taught her some things,” Nawrocki said about Gabel. “Alissa fell in love with it (setting position) and was able to keep working at it.”

As an underclassman, Norman benefitted on playing with other freshmen, including twin sister Lindsey, and the group continued to grow together. Through the years, the team chemistry continued to grow as each player helped to get Alissa Norman toward her original goal of 1,000 career assists.

“It helps to be surrounded by passers and hitters,” Nawrocki said. “If you’ve got the team like that it helps out tremendously, but also, if she weren’t there to distribute a nice set, they wouldn’t be able to hit a nice ball. It works both ways.”

“I feel like we’ve all grown together because I wouldn’t be able to get my sets without my hitters. It’s been really fun,” Alissa Norman added.

Nawrocki describes Norman as a “quiet leader” who wants to help her teammates in any way possible.

“Alissa works hard to always get that second ball. No matter where it is passed to her, her quickness and ability to place her sets has always helped her teammates be successful,” Nawrocki said. “She also has been good defensively as well, whether on the block or passing.”

With Norman’s place in the Bucs’ volleyball record books set, she hopes to continue playing volleyball at the Division II or III collegiate level.

“I really haven’t put myself out there because I feel like I would do better as a walk-on … and put myself out there that way. We’ll see how it plays out,” she said.

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