Glicks sets Vball way

Perhaps she can be labeled as the unsung hero, or the player who is overlooked by the casual observer. But without Penn junior setter Heather Glick consistently giving flawless sets to the powerful Quakers volleyball hitters, the Penn faithful would have nothing to cheer about. It was 1987 at a Long Island camp when Glick was given a suggestion by friend Judy Carroll. The suggestion -- to learn to play volleyball. A naturally competitive person, Glick was looking to specialize in anything, and it did not take very long for her to find her niche. And with a drive for success complimented by an unparalleled work ethic, she quickly found she possessed amazing potential. In eighth grade, she requested a special tryout with the high school she would be attending a year later in Syosset, N.Y. She not only made the team, but went on to achieve all-division honors. Glick would then go on to capture all-county honors in her four years at Syosset High School. But despite these accolades, her crowning achievement came as a member of the Long Island Big Apple Volleyball Club. On this all-star team that featured current collegiate stars from Cornell, Boston College and Providence, Glick was the catalyst as the squad was East Coast champions. With this glory in high school, she was naturally a hot commodity in the eyes of colleges across the nation. Yet she was never recruited by Penn. This is when Glick's biggest influence stepped in. Her father, Nole, has always been the constant in her busy life. Like most parents, he drove her to practice, rooted during successes and encouraged her as Syosset High School struggled. And amazingly, he has only missed one game since she has been a Quaker. But that is where the typical parenting comes to a screeching halt. Glick's father took such a liking to his daughter's new found love that he went on to form the first power league on the East Coast. His best advice came in his encouragement of Heather to pursue an Ivy League education. While keeping a watchful eye on her studies, he recommended Heather pass up numerous scholarship offers and approach Ivy schools. "I think kids will appreciate it later," he said, "even if they don't understand it now." After writing letters to Yale and Penn, the decision was narrowed down to the two rivals. But the choice was not exactly an easy one. To put it mildly, she was torn between becoming an Eli or a Quaker. The tension became somewhat alleviated after she visited both campuses. "Right when I came on the recruiting trip, Penn became my top choice," Glick said. "I had gone to Yale and the team there acted as if they were too busy to even meet me. But everyone at Penn went out of their way to make me feel welcome." That was only the beginning of the story. It was at the very end of her senior year and she was still undecided. She attended a reception for applicants who had already been accepted at Penn when she finally made the choice. "We had a powwow in his kitchen," Penn coach Margaret Feeney said. "Heather had been to a reception for Yale earlier and handed me a Yale cocktail napkin. I told her if she came to Penn that I would return it to her framed on graduation day." Feeney still keeps the napkin in Glick's file. And Glick realizes this may have been the best decision of her life. "I wouldn't want to be a part of any other team," she said. "We have a ton of inside jokes and stupid little things that get blown out of proportion. We just laugh all year." The only time the laughter turns into tears is when she loses her friends to graduation. Upon arrival her freshman year, Glick was befriended by Gina Herera. After two years of doing everything together, her loss has left a large void in her life. "She took me under her wing," Glick said. "We studied together and hung out all the time. But I feel her absence has made me more confident and independent now." As for her life on the court, Glick has impressed. As a setter, she heads up the Quakers offense. Touching the ball on every play forces Penn to rely heavily on her talents. "It's just so reassuring to know that I can trust her to run our entire offense," Feeney said. "She's such a responsible player. The only thing I worry about is that I don't give her enough positive feedback." As Glick heads toward the end of her junior year, she is on pace to break the Penn record for career assists. And with her work ethic and love for the game, nothing should stand in her way. "As a kid, she would set the ball several thousand times against the wall before she went to bed," Nole Glick said. "Anyone that committed is going to do well."