Elisiana Manzanares enjoys pressure of her role for South
Aug. 26—CHEYENNE — Elisiana Manzanares stands 5-foot-1. Maybe a smidge taller on a good day.
Despite her size, Manzanares plays a big role for the Cheyenne South volleyball team as its libero.
Libero is a defensive specialist position players of Manzanares' stature thrive in, but the position is about a lot more than merely keeping points alive.
"She has learned what I'm looking for and has really stepped into a leadership role in that back row," Bison coach Cherisa Applehunt said. "Her confidence is through the roof right now. She's doing a great job of telling our hitters where to hit because she sees the court so well."
The latter is the part of Manzanares' role that often goes overlooked. It's a duty she enjoys.
"I like to tell the hitters where I see open spots on the floor, and I get to tell them about where to hit or whether they need to tip a ball," Manzanares said. "I'm also working to help our team recover defensively and get the block up. Communication was kind of a hard skill for me to learn, but I had to do it."
Manzanares spent her freshman year at Cheyenne East, but transferred to South for her sophomore campaign. Transfer rules barred her from playing anything other than subvarsity contests that season, so last fall was her first season on varsity.
Being vocal didn't come naturally for Manzanares, especially as she was still trying to find her fit on the roster.
"(Applehunt) pushed me hard to talk to my teammates more," Manzanares said. "I had to watch other teams to understand what they might do so I knew where I needed to be and where to get my teammates. I'm comfortable with those things now, and I'm a lot more confident doing what I need to."
Applehunt agrees.
"She's talking more than I've ever seen," the coach said. "She's also leading by example. She wants to be good and is really fighting for it."
Laramie County Community College's volleyball team has had to practice at South a few times because of renovations at the college's recreation and athletics building. Manzanares has tried to use the time when the teams overlap to her advantage, Applehunt said.
"She was there watching their liberos and asking them questions afterward," she said.
Libero is one of the most difficult positions on a volleyball team. They wear a different colored jersey than their teammates, which signifies their special substitution privileges to referees. That difference also puts them under a spotlight for fans who expect them to reach every attack in their vicinity.
Manzanares has come to appreciate that pressure.
"It's not an easy position, but I love it," she said with a smile. "It's a lot of diving on the floor and hustling to get to the ball. I love that challenge. I want to touch every ball I can and keep plays alive."
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.
