'I DON'T KNOW?FROG?': Austin captains Vball Ivy quest

Sure, almost every six-foot blond who grows up in southern California plays volleyball. Most just don't do it as well as Penn's Devon Austin. The senior captain is having by far her greatest season, and has led the Quakers to a record of 14-8 and the second seed in this weekend's Ivy League tournament. Her 104 kills and .357 hitting percentage place her second in the Ivies. Despite all the success, Austin's volleyball career began with somewhat of a traumatic experience. After having played some with friends on the beaches in her hometown of Irvine, Calif., some family friends convinced her to try out for a local club program. However, things did not go exactly as planned. "When I got there, I saw all these high school seniors and I was only in junior high," Austin said. "I got really scared and intimidated, so I left." Austin finally did play for a club team starting in her freshman year of high school, when she was one of the first girls to join the club program, and went on to play for the Cal Juniors through her junior year. By her senior year she was playing for the Pacific Coast team, from which many of the players go on to play for UCLA and other nationally-ranked schools. As a result, she was limited to playing as a defensive specialist. Austin also played for the varsity team at University High School during her sophomore through senior years, but she noted, "Club season was always the focus. It was always more serious. That was where people get scouted and recruited from." Austin however, was recruited by ex-Penn coach Joe Sagula at a large California tournament. She had planned to remain near home and attend the University of California at Santa Barbara until her recruiting trip when she met the team and future teammate Jen Ott. "As soon as she came off the plane after that trip, it was like there was no other school for her," Austin's mother Barbara Zilli said. During the trip Austin was extremely impressed with the camaraderie of the women on the team. This was somewhat of a foreshadowing because the visit fostered a great friendship with Ott. The two have been roommates for all four years. "Jen and I had a great weekend and we really liked the girls on the team," Austin said. "We kept in touch after that, and it kind of became an 'if you go, I'll go' situation. The rest, as they say is history." Austin, a communications major, remains quite pleased with her decision to attend Penn. She has greatly enjoyed her time here and will certainly take fond memories with her when she graduates in December. As of now, Austin does not know what will come next in her life. "She's really enjoyed her experience [at Penn]," Zilli said. "There's always been great chemistry with the girls on the team and she's enjoyed making whatever contributions she could to the volleyball program and the school." The aspect of Penn that Austin was most pleased with was the combination of athletics and academics. "I didn't want the pressure of playing all year round," Austin said. "I didn't want volleyball to have to be the first priority." Despite this attitude, volleyball is certainly of enormous importance to her. In fact, Austin wants nothing more than to claim the Ivy title in her senior campaign. "This season, I wouldn't be satisfied with anything other than a championship," Austin said. "Everything else is meaningless if we don't win. I really want this thing to come full circle after having won as a freshman." One of the reasons that Austin feels this way is because the team won the Ivies her freshman year, and they have not won since, although last season's 15-12 fifth-game loss to Cornell in the finals still hurts. One reason for the past two year's disappointments pertains directly to Austin. After being Penn's Rookie of the Year and the Friar Club's Freshman Athlete of the Year in 1990 and recording 253 kills, Austin suffered two herniated disks in her back that kept her out of action for most of her sophomore season. Actually, because of the reduced playing time and enormous pain that came with the injury, Austin almost quit the team. "Sophomore year, she was really frustrated and volleyball wasn't doing it for her," Ott said. "But she talked to a bunch of the girls and to [Penn coach Margaret Feeney] and we changed her mind. Obviously, she's glad we convinced her otherwise." Through off-season conditioning and lots of rest, Austin's back slowly healed, although she continued to be hampered by it some during her junior year. "Part of the reason she was still struggling last year is because she had changed her hitting motion some to alleviate the pain," Feeney said. This year, Austin is pain free and playing the best volleyball of her Quaker career – by far. Austin is the team's best hitter and its go-to player on big points. The biggest improvement has come in her hitting consistency. This season's .235 hitting percentage compares with season totals of .104 and .085 in two previous seasons. Beyond that, Austin is playing much better in all areas of the game. Feeney called her the one of the best serve receivers on the team and her 112 digs and 33 blocks speak for themselves. "She's really improved a lot," sophomore teammate Carol Cit Kovic said. "She's much more consistent this season, especially on the huge points. This year, she's always been there for us at key times." Austin likes to lead by example, although she feels this puts more pressure on her to play well. "When I have a bad weekend," Austin said, "I feel that I've let the team down." Austin sees part of her leadership role as maintaining the close relationships among team members off the court. "Devon is a great captain and a great leader, but also a great friend," Cit Kovic said. "She's unbelievably intense and intimidating on the court, but off the court she's unbelievably caring. She'd do anything for anyone. That really helps us stay close as a team." "She may be the best captain I've ever had," Feeney said. "It's not easy to serve as a buffer between the players and the coaches, but she's done an excellent job. She was the unanimous choice of the team, and I think they really respect her and respond to her." Perhaps the best example of this came in this year's match against Cornell. With the score tied at 12 in the fifth game, Cornell called a timeout. "Devon came off the court and just took over the timeout," Feeney said. "She said, 'guys, this is deja-vu – it's not going to happen again.' We won the next three points and the match. That's all I have to say about Devon Austin's performance this season." But, there is more to say. Her performance that weekend earned her Ivy Player of the Week honors. Austin also played a pivotal role in leading Penn to its first Quaker Classic title of the Feeney era, where she earned all-tournament recognition for the second-consecutive year. Despite all the personal accolades, Austin will not be satisfied without another ring, and the NCAA tournament bid that comes with it. As the only two seniors, and therefore the only two players who have experienced a championship, Austin and Ott have been trying to convey the importance of this weekend's championships to their younger teammates. "Because of Devon's confidence and determination, we'll come home champs this weekend," Cit Kovic said. "I believe that. The rest of us believe that. And Devon believes that. That reflects how much we feed off her confidence." When nothing else works, Austin can motivate the team with their mysterious inside-joke rallying cry of "I don't know, frog?" Whatever the techniques, everybody can be sure that Devon Austin will do whatever it takes to lead Penn to the Ivy championship. You can also be sure that the Quakers have a huge advantage with Devon Austin on their side.