Cummins one of the best at her position for Lancaster

By Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

When you are a younger player on a team you are just looking to fit in. You hope you get playing time, of course, but you know you need to earn your stripes.

When you finally do crack the lineup, good things happen. For Lancaster High School volleyball player Jill Cummins she had a remarkable first season for the Legends that resulted in a lot of hardware.

While the awards were nice last season, it was all about the handwork that Cummins put in to make her the player that she has become.

“Last year was my first year on varsity, being able to earn such awards was definitely a confidence booster going forward,” stated Cummins. “Lancaster volleyball is definitely an established volleyball program in WNY, playing with such a talented team last year definitely played a part in my confidence while playing. I also value the opinions that the coaches I know have of me, so being able to prove something such as that to them was a big deal.”

Cummins plays one of the most important positions on the court. As the libero you are doing all the dirty work. They are the defensive specialist going low for the ball as they try and dig it out before it hits the court.

“Being the Libero is a privilege on any team. Staying low and doing your split step so you're ready to move is a huge difference maker between being able to get the ball up and not,” stated Cummins. “When I see a ball I try to go for it as much as possible and not hesitate. You don’t know until you go. Being able to read the game is also important to know where the ball is going, it builds your court IQ.”

They are also the ones that are setting up the passes to their teammates for the spikes. There is a lot that goes into a very good libero. Serve receive is the most important part of the game. If you can’t serve receive things usually go off the rails.

Cummins is in encouraged by her coaches to take up as much space as possible so her teammates just have to worry about their swings and nothing else.

“Serve Receive is the part that wins games, if you can’t serve receive, you can’t put a ball down. I focus so much of my time on making my serve receive consistent so there is never a doubt when I’m out there on the court,” stated Cummins. “My coaches encourage me to try to take up as much space as I can and read early so my hitters are able to focus on getting into an approach to swing. My coaches and I work on all kinds of techniques to get the ball up on defense. I want to be the player that my team can rely on to keep the ball in play and make big time saves.”

Because of the positions, there will be a lot of bumps and bruises. Cummins makes sure she takes care of body so she is able to get back on the court when her name is called. That means after the game icing down anything that she may bruised up during a game.

Or even learning how to fall the right way during a match. Cummins makes sure she plays the ball first before she hits the ground. Not that that works all the time. But, on the off days Cummins just makes sure rests and heals up when she can.

“Keeping your body active during off season is a big helper when returning to practices 5-6 days out of the week,” stated Cummins. “When I dive I don’t really think about it. I just try to get the ball up, sometimes you don’t land right but that's part of the game. But making sure I play the ball before I dive helps with the awkward moments where you land weird. Rest on your off days is also important to give your muscles a break from playing.”

Sports is a game of mistakes and Cummins knows that. She knows not every set that is played for the Legends is going to be perfect. She also knows the type of pressure there is when you come into a new season after winning the type of hardware she won last year.

When she makes a mistakes out there, her teammates are quick to come up with a joke to get her mind off it. The mental side of the game is just as important as the physical side. Being able to get rid of the mistake quickly helps build confidence.

Confidence helps build wins.

“Volleyball is a game of mistakes, being there for anyone when they are stressed or in their head is something I value. Getting in your head happens to everyone, even me, when my teammates make me laugh or tell a joke immediately after it makes me forget and move on, so I try to be that uplifting person to everyone else,” stated Cummins. “Helping others with the next point mentality is one of the most important roles you can have as a teammate. My teammates are some of my best friends and being positive between one another helps build everyone's confidence, especially the underclassmen, which allows them to play more stress-free during games.”